As the country celebrates the completion of a decade of implementing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act by this August, a whopping 82,490 children (6-15 age group) were out of school in Andhra Pradesh by April 2019.
Of the total Out of School Children (OSC), 31.75% (26,191) had to discontinue education only to accompany their parents who migrate within the State in search of livelihood. Last year, more than 19,000 OSCs have been provided education by setting up 398 seasonal hostels at the required locations across the State.
Early this year, the Department of School Education has conducted a ground-level study on the OSCs to chalk out an action plan to bring them back to school in the academic year 2019-20.
A majority of the OSCs could be sighted staying with their parents at brick kilns and farm fields. In towns and district headquarters, the OSCs belonging to tribes such as Yanadi and Erukula are engaged in begging on the streets.
Andhra Pradesh State Additional Director (Sarva Sikshna Abhiyan) T. Surya Narayana told The Hindu that a target has been fixed for direct enrolment of 47,176 OSCs through the existing school enrolment drives from June. The next academic year commences from mid-June.
In the case of 35,314 OSCs, a special drive would be initiated for their enrolment in schools by deploying special teams comprising SSA officials and Special Schools Coordinators.
Agency areas lag behind
Department of Education’s State Coordinator (Tribal Education) M. Satti Babu said, “The OSC rate in the tribal habitations across the State has been reported nearly at 10% in primary education and up to 25% in upper primary and secondary education. The North Andhra region’s agency area has the highest rate of the OSCs.”
In a bid to encourage the OSCs to continue their education, the State government has targeted to offer transportation allowance to more than 28,000 children.
