‘Private’ Tuitions Pose High Threat
By Tulip Sinha
Another important area where privacy of children and their safety is at risk is private tuitions. The rat race to get their child admitted in a ‘good and prestigious’ school has allowed a whole new supplementary education system in terms of private tuitions.
A toddler who is only beginning to understand the basics of formal education, is often put through tuitions by over-ambitious parents who want to see their children in renowned schools when they start their primary education. The tutors and such tuitions are completely outside the purview of the law and regulations and pose grave risks to children.
To understand privacy, one needs to understand the definition of privacy within the socio-cultural fabric of the country. The Right to Privacy is encompassed under the Right to Life and Personal Liberty i.e. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Privacy is a dynamic concept and can be understood with elucidation. In India, privacy was not considered a fundamental right earlier.
In a landmark judgment in 2017, the Supreme Court of India declared that ‘The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution’, thereby protecting the country’s 1.3 billion people.With this milestone ruling, India joined the United States, Canada, South Africa, the European Union and the United Kingdom in recognising this right.
So, every individual, including every child has a right to privacy and it is time now that the government brings in a law to regulate entities running pre-primary education i.e. playschools, crèche and school nurseries.
Another important area where privacy of children and their safety is at risk is private tuitions. The rat race to get their child admitted in a ‘good and prestigious’ school has allowed a whole new supplementary education system in terms of private tuitions.
A toddler who is only beginning to understand the basics of formal education, is often put through tuitions by over-ambitious parents who want to see their children in renowned schools when they start their primary education. The tutors and such tuitions are completely outside the purview of the law and regulations and pose grave risks to children.
To understand privacy, one needs to understand the definition of privacy within the socio-cultural fabric of the country. The Right to Privacy is encompassed under the Right to Life and Personal Liberty i.e. Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Privacy is a dynamic concept and can be understood with elucidation. In India, privacy was not considered a fundamental right earlier.
In a landmark judgment in 2017, the Supreme Court of India declared that ‘The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution’, thereby protecting the country’s 1.3 billion people.With this milestone ruling, India joined the United States, Canada, South Africa, the European Union and the United Kingdom in recognising this right.
So, every individual, including every child has a right to privacy and it is time now that the government brings in a law to regulate entities running pre-primary education i.e. playschools, crèche and school nurseries.
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