enrolled, and once enrolled, are made to sit at the back, given punishment that are considered befitting for them like cleaning the toilets, and generally discouraged to envisage a future that is free from the fetters of their immediate surroundings or social position. It from these perspectives that I make the following comments of the draft recommendations specifically related to the learning environment. 1. In the first recommendation in this section I would suggest that the word caste be also added to the last part of the sentence thus reading “whatever their ethnic, religious, cultural or caste background. 2. The second recommendation maybe further qualified to make specific reference to minority rights, since this is a draft recommendation for the minorities’ right to education. 3. Moreover it is particularly relevant to mention caste-specific discrimination in relation to vocational training, since the discrimination based on work and descent often leads to prejudices against certain vocational training. For example many refuse to take up training as a barber since in some areas it is considered to be a “lower caste” job notwithstanding the fact that in modern day market economics it can be quite a lucrative one. 4. In advocating that states should strive to ensure a proper learning environment for members of minority communities, mention should be made of different stages for example in enrollment of minority students, or in case of drop outs. Again it has been experienced among the nomadic river gypsies in Bangladesh that their children are often not enrolled not only because of social stigma but because they are mobile, and since they do not remain in the same area say after three months, the school has to show a higher rate of drop out to the authorities. Hence states should separately acknowledge the rights of nomadic people to education. Finally forums such as these should look into some of the best practices that some of these communities have come up with and provide a mechanism, regional and international whereby one can learn from the other. Reference: Mesbah Kamal and Shereen Khan, (2008) Poverty Profile of Dalits in Bangladesh, Manusher Jonno Foundation, Dhaka. Meghna Guhathakurta and Suraiya Begum, (2008) From Research to Dalit Rights in Annual Report, 2007-2008, Research Initiatives, Bangladesh, Dhaka.