The project is aimed at empowering children to exercise their agency through participation in local governance. Children are not provided with the tools to develop the democratic spirit within the existing system.
The project, which is based on the principle of equality and dignity for all, aims at providing equitable spaces for children to recognise and grow into the roles that allow them to wield their citizenship by becoming rights-holders who are able to identify and raise the issues relating to them.
This will be affected through intervention that will engage primary duty bearers (local government), secondary duty bearers (service providers, community, families) and the right holders through the process of awareness and capacity building.
The primary commitment of the project is strengthening governance at the panchayat level and the ability of elected representatives in addressing the child development and empowerment locally and also implementing the Children Grama Sabha at the Village and taluk level panchayat.
The obligation to meet the needs and fulfill the rights of Children lies with the state. On the other hand the children are not heard and their needs are not catered locally. Hence the state level commitment remains incomplete. The local governance is often best positioned to transmit the national level commitment into practice from the ground level to higher level therefore engaging at the local level is easier.
Thus children given a chance to take part in local governance would be helpful in raising children effectively knowing their rights and duties.
The Sustainable Development Goal 16 emphasizes the role of governance; specifically target 16.7 is to ‘ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.’ which means participation and decision making at all levels conveys that the children’s participation in Local and state governance is itself a Right.
Rapid Technological changes present opportunities and challenges while the learning environment, the capacities of teachers and the quality of education have to be kept on the mark. Hence refocused efforts are needed to improve learning outcomes leaving no one behind.
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