A teacher of a private unaided school that is implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, 2009 narrated that Atul, one of the affluent students of her class 2 was very friendly with Prem, a student from the economically marginalised section of society. The boys sat together in class and played during break. On Atul’s birthday, Prem went to his house and Atul’s mother realised that Prem was from a marginalised background. The next day Atul did not sit next to Prem in the class. He looked miserable and unhappy. When the teacher asked him the concern, he said “Mama has asked me not to sit next to Prem, but he is my best friend.”

On other occasions, some Primary School teachers of different schools have mentioned how parents have requested that their child’s section be changed as there are too many marginalised students in their ward’s class and they were not happy about this ratio. However, these teachers have noticed how students from all walks of life sit and learn together, share their tiffins and play together.

These episodes corroborate the arguments put forward by the drafters of the RTE that young children between the ages four to six do not discriminate amongst each other and do not have a bias on the basis of social or economic caste or class. They make friends with one another based on academic performance or excellence in co-curricular areas or with people they like or have fun with. Children learn from diversity and in the process learn to appreciate differences.

Episodes discussed above speak for themselves on how it is the adult mindset that could create barriers amongst students who otherwise are well settled and accepting of each others’ differences. It therefore, raises questions as to whether parents of affluent families need to become active stakeholders in the successful implementation of RTE or is it only the responsibility of schools?

As parents we must become more sensitive to the growing diversity in our children’s classrooms and help them to embrace it rather than shy away from it. We must help our children to be accepting and understanding of people who are not from their socio-economic milieu and learn from their lives. We must ensure that our words and body language do not communicate that children from marginalised backgrounds are not to be befriended. We could also encourage our children to carry simple school related items such as stationery, bags and bottles to help create an ambience of equality. To sum up, we must teach our children to respect others for what they are.

If students can grow from a young age in an inclusive, culturally sensitive and enabling environment of a school, then there will be no ‘stigmatisation’ later. As a parent, it is our responsibility too to make the school environment more enabling and inclusive for children from marginalised backgrounds.