Published Paper Details:

Primary education of the children provides the foundation for all other higher levels of education as reported by National Policy on Education-1986 and it highlights the measures in the direction of making primary education free and compulsory for all adopting innovative programme of incorporating Mid-Day Meals and Black Board Operations in the Primary schools. The Govt. of India has launched a Nation-wide mission oriented project of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in the motto of making primary education free and compulsory for all with support services of quality teaching learning materials, attractive school environment equipped with all health and sanitary facilities, incentives, scholarships, study materials, uniforms, aids and training services to teachers of the Primary schools etc. Further, the Act of Right to Education of Children-2009 (RTE Act) has been enforced throughout the nation to give a boost to SSA in the vision of making quality primary education accessible for all with more parental and institutional involvement. In this context, a study was conducted to assess the level of parental awareness about the Right to Education Act of Children in Puri District taking a self made tool comprising 26 items covering different features of the Right to Education Act-2009 enacted by the Govt. Of India applied on a sample of 100 parents of the 6th class students reading in different Primary Schools of Puri District of Odisha. Adopting suitable statistical techniques i.e. Mean, SD and 't' test, the result of the study were examined on the grounds of the Gender, level of Education and locality of habitation of the sampled parents and it was found that significantly male parents had better awareness than the female parents about the Right to Education Act of Children establishing role of the factor of gender influencing their awareness. Further the study also revealed that the locality of habitation of parents had positive impact on level of awareness of parents about Right to Education Act of Children causing to have better awareness with the parents of urban locality than the Parents of Rural locality. Similarly the study revealed that the factor of education had positive role in influencing the level of awareness of parents about Right to education Act of Children causing parents having matriculate level of education to have better awareness about Right to Education Act of Children than the parents having below matriculate level of education. The study therefore implied that parental level of education is important factor for shaping their awareness about right to education Act of children and therefore all parents urged to have higher level of education. Parents of the rural locality and female parents should be educated and made aware about the features, benefits and implications of right to education Act of their children through mass media, TV, printed materials and organising orientation programmes, meetings and seminars etc in villages and schools. Parental awareness about Right to Education Act of children can lead towards the success of SSA project.