As many as 1,046 school dropouts, who had been identified in the current academic year, were made to come back to classes in special training centres of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Tuticorin district.
They had been identified in 13 blocks in a field survey conducted by a team of officials in April and May last year. Students in the age group of six to 14 years, who discontinued education in the middle of the academic year, were identified during the door-to-door survey.
There were 635 boys and 411 girls, sources from the SSA said.
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Since many of the dropouts identified were migrants, mostly from Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts, they lacked guidance.
Children of fishermen
Besides, children of the fishing community too constitute a good portion among the dropouts, sources said.
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The dropouts were being educated in four residential and 30 non-residential special training centres.
They would be encouraged to pursue mainstream education in the coming academic year, they said.
“Among the 13 blocks in the district, the number of dropouts remains high in Tuticorin Rural with 183 students – 108 boys and 75 girls. Vilathikulam block, which recorded 197 dropouts last year, comes next with 172 dropouts this year,” sources noted.
In 2013-14, 1,185 children dropped out of schools. The enumerators had identified 1,191 dropouts during 2012-13, sources added.
The dropouts are being educated in four residential and 30 non-residential special training centres.