Jajpur: Though this district is known as very advanced in the field of education, the rate of dropouts and unschooled children refuses to decline.
A reply to a query in the state Assembly has revealed that a total of 3,262 students from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities dropped out of schools during 2018-19 academic session.
However, dropout students being found in the district again four years after the Assembly report has caught many by surprise.
The district education authorities were on their toes after a regional Odia daily published a report on the rehabilitation of the dropout students, July 11.
In a letter, the district education officer (DEO) pulled up all the block education officers (BEOs) over their inability in identifying the dropout students. The DEO said that despite frequent correspondence, they have failed to identify the dropout students. This has hit their plan to assimilate 100 per cent dropout children into the mainstream. This has also made them to cut a sorry figure while responding to their higher-ups in the education department.
He directed all the BEOs to identify the dropout students and take necessary steps in this regard. Moreover, the sight of children below six years of age playing near the railway tracks instead of visiting the local Anganwadi Centres is not uncommon in the district.
The matter has acquired prominence after a social activist Mantu Das identified 654 dropouts in industrially rich Kalinganagar area and in adjoining Danagadi block and filed a writ petition (1729/2023) in Orissa High Court.
The court heard the matter and directed the Odisha Child Rights Protection Commission to conduct a probe on the allegations and take steps for the rehabilitation of the dropouts, January 24.
However, six months have passed since but no measures have been taken so far.
It is alleged that school dropouts in an industrially rich district like Jajpur are migrating to other states for work. The state government has floated various schemes to attract children to schools. It has also established AWCs to impart preschool training by providing host of benefits for the development for children below six years of age.
However, these schemes are not being properly implemented due to the apathetic attitude of the department authorities. Most of the students study up to Class-IV or Class-V and drop out of school. The dropout students are later engaged in domestic work or as child labourers to earn a living to support their families.
The state government’s initiative of midday meal programme has also failed to yield any result. A senior lawyer Chandra Sekhar Panda said the success of various schemes of the state government can be gauged from the fact that minor children instead of going to schools could be seen playing near the railway tracks.
When contacted, ADEO (Schemes) Sashidhar Singh said that all BEOs and headmasters have been asked to identify the dropout students and steps are being taken to reduce their numbers.
PNN