BENGALURU: In what can be called a problem that remains unsolved for years is out-of- school children in the state and across the country. The latest data from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has revealed that Karnataka stands third in South India in out-of-school children.
As per the data provided by the department in the Parliament to a question raised by Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury about out-of- school children especially out of school adolescent girls in various states, there are 14,087 children out- of-school of which 6,462 are adolescent girls in 2025-26, in Karnataka. The number has increased when compared to the numbers in the last academic year.
In 2024-25, there were 9,422 out-of- school children of which only 115 were girls. Karnataka ranks 12th in India, while Gujarat, Assam and Uttar Pradesh tops the chart.
In southern India, Andhra Pradesh topped the list with a whopping 46,463 out-of-school children of which 17,584 are adolescent girls. Tamil Nadu stood second with 19,897 children of which 9,054 are girls. Telangana has 4,753 out of school children of which 2006 are girls. Kerala has the lowest number of children out-of-school which is 1,773 of which 539 are girls.
The Ministry stated that they have been providing free education to children under Samagra Shiksha, up-gradation and running of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, Morarji Desai residential schools free uniforms and text books, construction of hostels for SC and ST girl students and more.
Despite various schemes by both the state and central governments, thousands of children have been out of schools for various reasons including lack of proper infrastructure like toilets, drinking water, shortage of teachers, free and compulsory education only up to the age of 14 and not 18, child marriage and teen pregnancies. Currently in Karnataka, there are 46,460 schools of which around even today 170 schools don’t have toilet facilities.
Kathyayini Chamraj, Executive Trustee at CIVIC, recently submitted a memorandum to Laxmi Hebbalkar, Minister for Women and Child Development, to provide a pre-registration marriage certificate. She said, “Instead of police going to wedding halls to stop child marriage, government must make it mandatory for everybody to take a pre-registration marriage certificate from tahsildar to validate the age of couple.
This is one way we can reduce child marriages and also adolescent girls being out of schools. This provision already exists in the state for mass marriages but they must make it compulsory for private marriages also.”
She added, “We have written both to the state and central government to make free and compulsory education even for adolescents who fall in the age group of 15 to 18.
This will help girls to pursue academics beyond class 9 along with an option for vocational education and apprenticeships in industries for those who don’t have an aptitude for academics and may fear failing in class 10 or 12. It is also high time that various departments in government must work together, allocate funds to build toilets and provide water facilities in schools.”
The story is reported by Rashmi Patil of The New Indian Express