Statement by India under Agenda Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, during the 50th Session of Human Rights Council (13 June – 8 July 2022) delivered by Ms. Jagpreet Kaur, Under Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs Statement by India under Agenda Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Righ..

Statement by India under Agenda Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, during the 50th Session of Human Rights Council (13 June – 8 July 2022) delivered by Ms. Jagpreet Kaur, Under Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs

PERMANENT MISSION OF INDIA
Geneva
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Statement by India under Agenda Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the SR on the Right to Education, during the 50th Session of Human Rights Council (13 June – 8 July 2022) (delivered at Geneva, 23 June 2022)

Mr. President,

        We take note of the report of the Special Rapporteur that addresses the risks and opportunities of the digitalization of education and their impact on the right to education.

2.   The Indian education system is one of the largest in the world with more than 1.5 million schools, and 250 million children enrolled therein from varied socio-economic background. Our laws and policies are anchored in promoting the values of equality, social justice and democracy through inclusive education.

3.   India had made free and compulsory education up to the age of 14 years a fundamental right of citizens and detailed it in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. The National Education Policy 2020 provides for large scale, transformational reforms in both school and higher education sectors. The school curricula and pedagogy will aim for holistic development of learners, with no rigid separations between disciplines.

4.   During the Covid-19 pandemic, a comprehensive initiative called PM e-VIDYA was launched to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode access to education. The initiative includes DIKSHA, (one nation, one digital platform) nation’s digital infrastructure for providing quality e-content for school education in States/Union Territories and QR coded Energized Textbooks for all grades.

5.   Given the importance of digitalisation in the education system, internet access in schools is fast expanding: more than 80 per cent of the teachers have been formally trained.  

Mr. President

6.  We would like to know from the SR as to what are the best practices available to build technology literacy among students beyond the educational institutions.

I thank you, Mr. President.

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