Most school dropouts are migrant kids

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 19

The Education Department is toiling hard to reduce the dropout rate in government schools. According to sources, a list of 10 government schools with maximum dropouts has been releasedby the department, a copyof which is with The Tribune.

According to several school heads, migrant children are maximum dropouts.

Ujjalvir Singh, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Dhandari Khurd, says: “The major reason for rising dropout rate is migration. Children of migrants enrol in government schools and leave in the middle of the academic session because of family concerns.”

GSSS Ladowaal tops the chart of having maximum dropouts followed by GSSS Dhandari Khurd, GSSS Kasabaad, GHS Sherpur Kalan, GSSS Mangat, GSSS Chonta, GSSS Basti Jodhewal, GSSS PAU, GHS Kot Mangal Singh (Khud Mohalla) and GHS Jamalpur Awana.

With migrants’ children dropping out of school, heads insist that there was a dire need for child-oriented efforts to ensure child’s security. Anil Kumar, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Mangat, said: “We try our level best to motivate a child not to leave school. In our school, a majority of dropouts are those whose parents are labourers. Even if they shift within Ludhiana, it becomes difficult for them to leave their children in the respective school. The problem is that there is no labour board for these children. The government should build residential schools for them so that children belonging to weaker sections are secured. There should be child-oriented efforts by the education board.”

Children fail to get admission to other schools if they migrate during the academic year. Rajesh Kumar, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Basti Jodhewal, said: “Mostly, children of labourers migrate along with their families. Some of them leave schools during the peak of the academic session. In such a case, the child may not get admission in another school, where the family has relocated. Repeated migration may put the education of migrant children to a halt.”

Mashal March on Feb 20

Meanwhile, a ‘Marshal March’ on February 20 would be carried by government schoolteachers to attract maximum admissions and reduce the dropout rate.