Kohima, Nov. 24: Nagaland minister for school education Nyeiwang Konyak graced the inauguration of a training programme on community mobilisation and the launch of a documentation project on good practices of community towards elementary education in Nagaland at the zonal council hall today.

Speaking at the inaugural function, the minister said through legislation like the Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2002, and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, the Constitution ensures free and compulsory education for children upto 14 years.

“Universal elementary education has been a salient feature of our national policy since Independence and this resolve has been spelt out emphatically in the National Policy of Education 1986, and the subsequent modifications in 1992,” Konyak said.

He said keeping in mind the importance of building human resources for a better future, the government, through communitisation, strives to involve the community in the management of academic, administration and financial affairs of all government schools in Nagaland.

Dwelling on the compulsory education act, he said schools should have management committees with 50 per cent women members and 75 per cent of the remaining members should be parents, with proportionate representation from parents of disadvantaged groups and weaker sections of society.

The act, which ensures free and compulsory education to children in the age group of six to 14 years, states that no student can be denied admission or expelled from school, no capitation free can be charged or screening tests be held for admission, no detention can be enforced before completion of elementary school and no child can be subjected to physical or mental harassment, among others.

On the role of management committees and local authorities, he said the committees should ensure free and compulsory education to eve-ry child by ensuring availability of neighbourhood schools.

Earlier, delivering the keynote address, commissioner and secretary, school education, Mhathung Kithan, urged the officials to be sincere in their duties.

The director of state council of educational research and training, Vipralhou, said 90 per cent of the funds required for implementation of the compulsory education act is provided by the Centre while the state government has to contribute 10 per cent.