BENGALURU: BBMP will conduct door-to-door surveys to identify children who may have dropped out of school or failed to enrol in the wake of the pandemic. It believes this is the first step towards getting children back into the formal education system.
Officials will visit households with a detailed questionnaire to ascertain the number of such kids, said BBMP special commissioner (education) B Shankar Reddy. “Slums to sheds, every place will be covered. The high court is monitoring the efforts to get out-ofschool children back in classes. It has said that the right to education should be implemented in letter and spirit,” Reddy added.
After a state-level meeting recently, BBMP zones have initiated steps to begin the exercise. A notice, issued by the joint commissioner (West Zone) on July 8 and accessed by TOI, has invited NGOs, self-help groups and local organisations to participate in the drive. Interested groups should contact the joint commissioner (West) by July 12 and submit a letter with details of their organisation. Other zones are making similar efforts, according to an official.
The civic body and government departments, including education, health and revenue, are expected to coordinate the surveys. “Given the current situation, we will need the department of health and family welfare to give us the green signal. Once they agree, we will know who the surveyors are, and we will have to ensure that they are fully vaccinated,” said another BBMP official.
Financial hardship linked to the pandemic is likely to be one of the main reasons for a decrease in student and enrolment figures. “We’ll identify children who are not enrolled and those who have dropped out,” the official added.
Experts have been emphasising that while online classes have become the new normal following the pandemic, many children are unable to join the school system because of financial distress at home or lack of devices and internet connectivity.
