“The Central government has taken up many schemes to bring children to school, but your (State government) officials don’t have enough information on such schemes and they are not reaching the beneficiaries,” a High Court Division Bench observed on Monday.
It asked the State government to come out with actual figures about the number of school dropouts/children out of school in the State.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice B V Nagarathna hearing a suo motu PIL based on a news report which claimed that 54,000 children in the State were out of school, said the State government does not have actual figures in this regard.
It questioned Advocate General Ravi Varma Kumar about the steps the State government has taken to draw children to schools.
He replied that the government, in the recent Budget, had announced that `2 will be given per day to each girl child who attends school.
The Bench said: “We appreciate the scheme. For this scheme to be applied, you have to bring children to school. Let us know what steps you are taking to bring them to school and make sure no child misses this academic year.”
The Bench directed the government to constitute a committee under the chief secretary to ensure that these schemes reach the rightful beneficiaries.
“If they (children) are not educated, it will be a violation of their fundamental rights.”
The case was adjourned for further hearing till July 29.