Dwarka Parichay News - Info Services: UNESCO MAKING DOCUMENTARY ON ‘RIGHT TO EDUCATION’

Prembau sharma

In a laudable effort to create mass-level awareness about the provisions of the Government of India’s path-breaking Right to Education (RTE) Act, UNESCO New Delhi has started the process of creating an audio-visual campaign that will be carried across television channels and radio networks.

The shooting of three public service campaigns as part of this Media and Mass Advocacy Campaign has just been completed in and around the national capital.

The shooting of the films, being directed by award-winning filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda, whose debut feature film “I Am Kalam” is creating waves across international film festivals, was flagged off by the UNESCO Director and Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Srilanka, Mr. Armoogum Parsuramen.

The Purpose of the campaign, which UNESCO is launching in collaboration with CARE and Save the Children, is to collaborate with Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, in creating mass awareness on the various provision of the Right to Educaiton Campaign which has been enacted throughout the Country since last year.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Parsuramen said - ”Right to Education, is a historic and Path Breaking Act in the history of Education in India. This Act has given the legally enforceable right to all children in the age group of 6-14 to demand equal and quality education irrespective of their geographical location and social- cultural and economic background. It is indeed a bold step by the Government of India through which the country has shown its commitment to the children of the country who are future of any nation. However, the challenge remains to make the provisions of the act known to every nook and corner of the country for children and the community to get the maximum benefit of their right. UNESCO feels proud to be part of the governments’ efforts to spread the RTE messages across the nation, to the remotest corners to enable the masses to understand the rights of their children and also the steps which are needed to be undertaken to ask for their right in whichever area they are in. It is humble contribution from UNESCO and it’ s partners’ CARE and Save the Children to the large scale advocacy and awareness generation activities being undertaken at the moment in the Country”.

UNESCO Director Armoogum Parasuramen with Nila Madhab Panda

He further said “UNESCO is thankful to CARE and Save the Children to come on board for this important initiative, both well known International Organizations committed to equity and quality in education. There is an interest from other organizations as well to join in the campaign and we are hopeful that we will be able to harness the maximum support as we progress with the campaign. UNESCO, worldwide, has worked in a concerted manner with Member States on issues of quality and equity in education and we are sure that with Government of India as well we will be able to secure fruitful engagement for our activities in connection with RTE Act. UNESCO is fully committed to join in the Ministry’s efforts in reaching out to the masses through the usage of public and private media. A couple of TV and Radio spots would be prepared as part of the campaign taking various provisions within the RTE Act and putting those in the form of short TV and radio spots in a very simple and understandable form as per the consultation held with the Ministry.

UNESCO is working on this campaign that is being executed by Eleenora Images , the well-known Delhi-based production house headed by Mr. Nila Madhab Panda, whose film ”I am Kalam” has received huge applaud and rave reviews across the globe in various film festivals, news papers and media channels for its strong content , authenticity and impact.

Panda has worked with Government Ministries as well as International Agencies in the past on various campaigns and is known for his sensitive portrayal of issues on the screen through delicate handling of the subject and powerful picturization.

The officials from UNESCO as well as CARE and Save the Children were also present at the launch of the shoot.

Incidentally, two young boys and a young girl, who are starring in the ad campaign, have been picked up after auditioning of over 300 kids in various schools for lower income groups run by various NGOs as well as orphanages and child welfare homes in the National Capital Region.