Reintegrating dropouts into mainstream education

Nearly 1,600 children enrolled in special programmes for dropout students by SSA

September 18, 2014 12:06 pm | Updated 12:06 pm IST - MADURAI:

Students from economically and socially marginalised communities, who are reintegrated into school education after dropping out, at Government Middle School in LKP Nagar, in the city. Photo: G. Moorthy

Students from economically and socially marginalised communities, who are reintegrated into school education after dropping out, at Government Middle School in LKP Nagar, in the city. Photo: G. Moorthy

Nearly 1,600 children between the age of 6 and 14 in the district have been included in special programmes for dropout students by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

According to officials in School Education Department, surveys were conducted in all residential areas and field officers from the department visited the households that had dropouts to reintegrate them into schools in the months of May and June.

“We have residential and non-residential special training centres for the children who dropped out. Besides, there is direct enrolment as well,” says Chief Educational Officer J. Angelo Irudhayasamy, elaborating on the programmes.

The district has 10 residential special training centres, accommodating 515 students. As many as 27 schools in the districts have non-residential training centres, in which 525 students are beneficiaries.

“After the special training for a maximum of two years, these students will be integrated into the mainstream classrooms based on their age,” he adds.

Most of the students benefitting under the programme are the children of migrant workers and from the socially and economically marginalised communities.

“The people from communities that use oxen to perform and earn their bread and whip dancers often involve their children in the business. It takes much effort to convince them to send their wards to schools,” says N. Shanthikaleeswari, headmistress of the Government Middle School at LKP Nagar near Sakkimangalam.

The school has as many as 27 students under the non-residential special training programme and 16 of the students are girls.

“Usually the boys outnumber the girls, but this year we have more girls,” Ms. Shanthikaleeswari adds.

One of the main reasons, according to her, that prevent the members of these communities from sending their children to schools is non-issuance of community certificates. “There is no need for community certificates to admit students up to class VIII. We assure the parents that we will get community certificates for them to continue higher education while canvassing,” she further says.

Chief Educational Officer of SSA K. Parvathi says, “We are taking several measures to stop students dropping out of schools. We involve Hindi pundits in areas where migrant workers reside to convince them to send their children to schools, and we arrange vehicles to commute them.”

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