NILGIRIS: As many as 2,894 students have been identified as school dropouts across the Nilgiris district, and the school education department is taking steps to trace them and facilitate their admission to schools.
The department intensified the enrolment drive in August, two months after schools reopened in June, as 20 schools were closed for various reasons last year. As part of its initiative to ensure 100% enrolment under the "dropout-free status" and "Every Child in School" initiatives, the department began a survey on August 3.
Education officials, along with members of parent-teacher management committees and NGOs, have been visiting households to identify children aged between six and 18 who are not attending school.
According to an official, of the 2,894 students identified as school dropouts, 2,479 have been traced and their details uploaded on the TNSED ACIS application. So far, 171 students have been admitted to nearby schools in age-appropriate classes.
"We are taking intensive steps to enrol the remaining students, who have been unable to continue their education due to various reasons including financial instability and early marriage," the official said.
The department has appealed to the public to provide information if they spot school-age children staying near their houses without attending school. Information can be shared with the department's control room at 0423-2966034 or the district coordinator at 9788859009 to help officials identify and enrol the children in schools.
"Not only residential areas, we are also conducting the survey at railway stations, bus stands, tea estates, huts and industrial areas, as several children of migrant workers could be engaged in work along with their parents," the official said.