No Break In Education Of Children

Supreme Court Ordered To States/UTs To Ensure No Break In Education Of Children Who Lost Parents Due To COVID

The Supreme Court of India on 7th June 2021, In Re Contagion of COVID Virus in Children Protection Homes has directed the State and Union Territories to make sure that there should be no break in the course of education of those children who have become orphan or lost any parent due to the Coronavirus in the past one year.

The bench which comprised of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice L Nageswara noted that around 30,071 children have lost their parents due to the Coronavirus and keeping that in mind the court ordered the States and the Union Territories to ensure that that the children who were studying in the government schools should continue to study in the same manner and those who were studying in the private schools should be allowed to continue for atleast next 6 months till the time some form of arrangements can be made out. Alongwith this the state was advised to continue uploading the information of such Children to NCPCR portal who have lost their parent/s to Coronavirus since March 2020. In the same order the Supreme Court ordered the following:

  1. District Child Protection Units (DCPU) should be directed to find and contact such affected child and his guardians as soon as they receive the information of death of parents and they must also ensure that adequate amount of food, medicine, ration, clothing etc. Is being provided to the affected child as soon as possible.
  2. District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) should with immediate effect should collect the contact details of the affected child and it’s guardians, in order to regular follow up and check upon the affected child atleast once in a month.
  3. Child Welfare Committee (CWC) should take care of al the needs of the affected child in terms of financial and personal inquires.
  4. State/UTs should take action against those who are found indulging in the scam of illegal adoptions.
  5. Publicity of the provisions and benefits of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 must be done to make the affected child and it’s guardian aware about it.
  6. DCPO shall seek assistance of the Gram Panchayats to deepen the monitoring of the welfare of the affected children who are under the state of shock and devastation due to lose of their parent/s.

– Animesh Raizada, Intern, Guided by Esha Shah, Paralegal

Click here to download the copy of an Order

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