MADURAI: The School Education Department of Tamil Nadu identified 1,171 out-of-school children in Madurai district (until October 15th in this academic year) and brought them back to classes.
Among the 1,171 dropouts, 689 are boys, while 482 are girls.
Speaking to TNIE, Samagra Shiksha (SS) Assistant Project Officer P Saravana Murugan said, “Till October 15, we identified 1,171 dropouts whose names are in the common pool of the Education Management Information System (EMIS), which includes students who were either migrants from other districts or students who had failed in Class X and Class XII.
These children were re-admitted to nearby schools, while those who failed in Class X and XII were enrolled in ITIs and polytechnic colleges in the district.
As of now, there are no dropouts in the district,” the official said. Murugan further said district collector K J Praveen Kumar has been conducting monthly review meetings. “Each SSA team member is equipped with a survey app. Based on data from the EMIS, team members visit the students and their parents. Through regular monitoring and continuous counselling, we ensure that the children continue their education,” he added.
An SSA official said there is a significant difference between dropout trends in rural and urban areas.
“In rural areas, parents often migrate to other districts for livelihood, leaving their children under the care of grandparents. While most parents are aware of the importance of education, economic hardship sometimes forces families to send their children to work. Through counselling and continuous follow-up, officials are helping such families bring their children back to school,” the official said.
He further stated that there are a higher number of 844 potential dropouts, as many parents believe their children are attending school regularly.
“In reality, some of these students spend their time wandering around the city. Whenever a child is found absent for more than 15 days, our team visits their homes and counsels the parents to ensure the child returns to school promptly,” he added.
