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Nexus of Good: Bridging the gulf

Incorporation of out-of-school children into mainstream education by bridging the knowledge gap through Back2School initiative in Kishtwar is a promising endeavour

Nexus of Good: Bridging the gulf
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Recent data presented by UNICEF presents a grim picture in the context of out-of-school children in India. Out of 100 students, 29 per cent of girls and boys drop out of school before completing the full cycle of elementary education, and often they are the most marginalized children.

The Government of India’s Right to Education Act has been instrumental in the reduction of the number of Out of School Children (OoSC) aged 6 to 14 years, from 13.46 million in 2006 to six million in 2014 (Source: RI-IMRB Surveys, 2009 and 2014). Out of the six million children that are still out of school a majority are from marginalised communities including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and religious minority groups.

The majority (75 per cent) of the OoSC are concentrated in six states: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. Around 29 per cent of girls and boys drop out of school before completing the full cycle of elementary education. The numbers become contentious and alarming when one includes post-elementary and high school.

Jammu & Kashmir do not find a mention amongst the top states with dubious distinction because the population of the state is small. However, the problems in J&K perhaps get compounded on account of the lack of access to schools. Many organizations, like Humana People to People, are doing their bit in states like Haryana and UP, but Jammu & Kashmir remain untouched so far. What is now being attempted in some districts like Kishtwar, under the inspired leadership of a young IAS officer, Devansh Yadav, could perhaps provide the way forward to tackle this grim situation.

The government of Jammu & Kashmir undertook 'Operation Talaash' in 2021 to identify out-of-school children (OoSC) across the UT using a mobile app. Kishtwar, being the largest & remotest district in terms of area in UT of J&K, identified 2100+ OoSC in this survey. This exercise was carried out by DIET (District Institution of Education & Training) through a team of teachers that undertook door-to-door surveys across the district.

With a literacy rate of 58.54 per cent as per the 2011 census, the district fares poorly when compared to the entire UT (67.16 per cent) and National (74 per cent) averages. District Administration started planning for intervention to bring back these OoSC to schools in December 2022. An analysis of the data revealed that the majority of the children belonged to ST communities(Gujjar-Bakkarwal).

As Kishtwar comes in the winter zone, all schools got closed in December with the advent of harsh winter. Utilising this opportunity mapping of schools was done where these Out-of-School Children can get the chance to join back schools. This was followed by age-wise segregation of students. They were split into two categories -- 6-9 years and 10-13 years -- for planning the intervention. The idea was to have a three-month bridge course to enable these students to be ready to join schools in April 2023 when the new academic session would commence. Bridge courses were also prepared for such children who had never been to school. Winter bridge courses were started in over 50 centres across the district. As a majority of the students belonged to the ST community, public leaders, DDC (District Development Councillors) and BDC (Block Development Councillors) were roped in for IEC campaigns and to motivate the community members.

Gram sabhas were conducted in all the identified winter bridge course schools for launching the admission process and to start the classes. Deputy Commissioner, Additional Deputy Commissioner, SDMs and all senior administrative heads also joined Gram Sabhas to mobilise the public. In each such Gram Sabha, public leaders and Sarpanchs passed resolutions to ensure all students not enrolled in schools would immediately join back and start their education journey. Each panchayat resolution took the consent of the parents of these Out of School Children. During the process of enrollment, various issues came up. These included a lack of birth certificates and other documents which were resolved on spot through camps. To encourage young children, learning aids, play materials and food items were distributed so that the bridge course becomes a fun-filled exercise rather than scaring them away. BDOs and Tehsildars were made to adopt schools which would be closely monitored by them. They would also address infrastructure gaps in the bridge course schools.

To date, 1300+ students have joined schools and started their education journey under this 'Back2School' initiative. More are likely to join in snow-bound areas as winter recedes. With ample community support, District Administration, Kishtwar is in process of forming a district-level apex Education body of the ST community so that this initiative becomes sustainable and future generations are not deprived of education. To encourage parents, these families will also be provided study scholarship incentives by the labour department.

One of the major reasons for high dropout in ST communities of J&K is the migratory nature of Gujjar and Bakarwals. For almost 4-5 months in summer, whole families migrate to higher reaches & meadows for grazing animals. And during this movement child's education is disrupted. District Administration Kishtwar is working with the Department of Tribal Affairs for mobile teachers who will accompany these families during migration in the summers. The existing network of mobile teachers will be retrained and revamped to ensure better monitoring during migration and ensure no break in the education cycle.

The 'Back2School' initiative has opened new opportunities for the remotest and most backward parts of the Kishtwar district and aims to bring them into the mainstream by empowering the young generation with education.

Even though this initiative in a remote district like Kishtwar to tackle this serious issue of out-of-school children is yet to be evaluated and it is too early to determine its efficacy, it holds a lot of promise. It is indeed a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. Devansh and his committed team are showing the way to many such districts afflicted with similar issues.

Views expressed are personal

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