As many as 910 children, who dropped out of school in the district, have been identified during a field survey conducted by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) officials and volunteer groups.
A target of identifying 1,080 dropouts in the district had been set for 2016-17 academic year. The survey commenced in April, sources in the SSA said here on Thursday.
Students in the age group of 6-14 years, who discontinued education, had been identified during the door-to-door survey. According to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, all children in the age group must get education.
A total of 549 of the 910 out-of-school children were boys and 361 girls. As many as 190 of the children were differently abled.
A total of 140 Block Resource Centre Supervisors, Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTEs), affiliated to the SSA, anganwadi workers, self-help group members, employees of National Child Labour Project (NCLP) and representatives of voluntary organisations were involved in the work of identifying school dropouts in various blocks across the district, the sources said.
The team members visited all houses in their respective areas and enquired the residents about the educational background of all in the family. They also stressed the importance of education in the competitive situation.
The initiative to provide education to children should first start from the parents, they said. Mostly, the children were identified by their long absence from schools through the door-to-door survey, sources said.
Among the 13 blocks in the district the number of dropouts was high at 157 in Thoothukudi Rural, which was followed by Kovilpatti with 140 children. Thoothukudi Urban had 120 dropouts, Vilathikulam 117 dropouts, Srivaikuntam 27, Alwarthirunagari 41, Karungulam 42, Kayathar 75, Ottapidaram 50, Pudur 29, Sathankulam 34, Tiruchendur 46 and Udangudi 32, sources added.
During 2015-16, 1,073 dropouts, who were identified during a survey, joined the mainstream system of education in regular schools after being provided education in residential and non–residential special training centres, sources said.
