Survey to teach ‘em young

Concerned over the well-being of the children of migrant labourers in the state, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), an undertaking of the Central Government, will be conducting a survey to identify the number of children who have been deprived of basic education.
 Ernakulam, one of the districts with over million population, will be the focus of the survey.
According to district-level coordinators of the SSA, the survey will begin by the end of November.
 The one-month-long survey will conclude in December after which various programmes will be initiated for the education of such children.
 Apart from migrant labourers, students from weaker sections of society who have not been able to enrol in schools will also be included in the survey.
 In Ernakulam, the first phase of the survey will cover the localities under the Corporation.
 Perumbavoor and Aluva will fall under the suburban areas, which will be the second part of the survey.
 According to the coordinators, many children especially those who migrate from the northern states, in the age group of 6 and 14, are still wanting basic education and there is a need to identify such students as per Right to Education Act.
 “A few children are still being misused for physical labour in the migrant camps.
 This is the first time we are conducting such a massive survey.
 Earlier, we had started Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) centres, but it had to be closed down owing to the paucity of teachers.
 Also, parents were not showing much interest in sending their wards to the centres,” said an official with the SSA.
 Officials say that some children of migrants were going to ordinary schools in the state.
 “However, we have seen a massive number of drop-outs because the children are not able to cope with the language and culture in the ordinary schools,” she said.