Out-of-school children a looming crisis

In spite of sustained promotion and encouragement of education, especially school education, in the country, large numbers of children are still out of school and denied their right to education. The government told the Lok Sabha this month that 11.7 lakh children were counted as out-of-school in the first eight months of this year. This is marginally less than last year’s figure of over 12 lakh children. The Right to Education Act has ensured free and compulsory education for all children aged between 6 and 14 but it is a dead letter for many. Uttar Pradesh has the most out-of-school children (784,228), and Jharkhand and Assam come next, with over 60,000 children each. UP topped the list last year also. According to reports, 18,461 children dropped out of school during the 2022-2023 school year in Karnataka.

Children who have not attended school or have been absent from school without notice for 45 days are considered out-of-school. The actual numbers of these children may be much higher. Two years ago, it was reported that over 10% of the children in the 6-14 age group were out-of-school. There are many social and economic reasons for children not attending or dropping out of school. Most of them are from the lower and marginalised sections of society.

Children of migrant workers, SC & ST communities, slum dwellers, construction workers, child workers, and children with special needs are more likely to miss school than others. Among them, there are more girls than boys and more from the villages than from the cities. Early marriage and the need to help the family on the farm or in the kitchen are among the reasons for children leaving school. As the numbers show, backward states in the North and East account for most of the out-of-school children.

It is the responsibility of the government and society to ensure that all children eligible for education are given the opportunity to go to school and complete their schooling. The fact that there are high numbers of children who are unable to access education shows a failure of the system. Every reason for children not getting the opportunity to complete their foundational education, including lack of or inadequacy of facilities and infrastructure, should be addressed. Social groups and organisations can also help in these efforts. It is also necessary to improve awareness of the importance of education among some segments of the population. If the issue is not addressed effectively, the claimed demographic dividend will only become a liability.