Five tribal children from Krishnagiri settlement enroled back in govt schools
KRISHNAGIRI: Five tribal children were enrolled back in government schools from Gundalakuttai tribal habitation near Bargur and seven adolescent girls were rescued from spinning mills in Tiruppur by the child labour special task force and handed over Child Welfare Committee on Tuesday, thanks to the intervention of Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu and Labour department secretary Md Nasimuddin. The action was initiated after TNIE brought the issue to the notice of authorities on Monday.
Following TNIE’s article on August 24, 'Patchy water supply hits 10 Irula homes', on August 25, the school education department prepared a list of potential dropouts in Gundalakuttai habitation and identified that as many as five children who had stopped school, among whom two are girls, who were working at spinning mills at Erode and Tiruppur and one boy, who went to work in a bakery at Karur.
On the last week of August, the boy and a girl were rescued and enroled in Class 2 and Class 5 in Panchayat Union Primary School at Gundalakuttai.
On September 13, based on the directions of Krishnagiri Collector Dr V Jaya Chandra Bhanu Reddy, the district child protection unit official K Subash went to the habitation and enroled the girl in Class 9 at Government High School at Kondappanayanapalli, who was earlier working in a spinning mill at Erode. Another girl, who went to Tiruppur spinning mill returned on Sunday and enroled in the same school in Class 9 on Monday.
On Monday night, based on the information given by the rescued children, a child labour special task force consisting of the Assistant Commissioner of Labour, Assistant Director of Industrial Safety and Health, member of the Child Welfare Committee and others conducted raids in Erode and Tiruppur spinning mills. In the drive, seven adolescent girls were rescued from a spinning mill at Tirupur and handed over to Child Welfare Committee.
Among them, four are from Tirupattur district, two from Andhra Pradesh and one girl from Tirunelveli district. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a boy who went to work in a bakery shop was returned to his home on Tuesday and enroled in Class 9 at Government High School, Kondappanayanapalli.
According to Additional Commissioner of Labour, Coimbatore ( in - charge) T Kumaran, “Based on the profession of the rescued children’s parents, they will be enroled to Tamil Nadu Unorganised Workers Welfare Board. Also, action will be taken against a spinning mill at Tiruppur for enroling adolescent girls.” A school education department official in Krishnagiri district said, the district administration has planned to conduct potential survey dropout of students in schools at village levels and they will be enrolled back to school with the support of the village administrative officer.