Several children of migrant labourers engaged in the peeling of areca nuts in various parts of Thondamuthur on the outskirts of Coimbatore city, Tamil Nadu miss out on education. The labourers who are mostly from Assam are often helped by their children in their tasks on the farms.
Thondamuthur is a hub of areca nut cultivation in Coimbatore district. More than 100 areca nut processing units are functioning in the villages of Puthur, Kalikkanaickenpalayam, Muthipalayam, and so on around Thondamuthur. Thousands of Assamese families are based in these areas.
When The New Indian Express visited an areca nut grove in Puthur village last Wednesday, several children were seen helping their parents with their work.
A parent told The New Indian Express that more than 10 children aged above five do not attend school, instead, they help their parents with their work at the grove. The same situation is in other places.
When asked about an out-of-school children survey conducted by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, he said that officers did not come here and a few parents are unaware of how to enroll their kids in the school. Several family heads we spoke to seemed unaware of the importance of children's education.
When The New Indian Express visited Mutthipalayam village, a parent said that only a few children were going to the nearby school and many children were at home.
An owner of the areca nut unit in Puthur told The New Indian Express, "After COVID-19, most of the Assamese students do not go to school. Earlier, they were studying in schools. A few units arranged evening classes for the Assamese students and classes were conducted by a teacher from Assam," she said.
Teachers speak
A teacher from Panchayat Union Middle School at Puthur told The New Indian Express that the labourers often return to Assam depending on the availability of work.
"So, teachers are unable to monitor those students who don't make it to schools regularly. Despite this, more than 10 students are studying here," she said.
The Federation of Education Development-Tamil Nadu coordinator Su Moorthy told The New Indian Express, "As per the Right to Education Act the government should ensure the education of children. Though some dropouts found after surveys are admitted to schools, officers should ensure that all children who are not going to school are enrolled."
He also wanted the district administration to monitor the child labour on the areca nut farms.
According to the official sources, a few officers refrain from visiting the groves for out-of-school children surveys as those are private properties.
A Block Resource Teacher Educator in Thondamuthur told The New Indian Express that they conduct surveys in all places frequently and admit Assamese children at schools. When asked about school enrollment details, she said she could not provide the correct details of such students as they are seasonal migrants.
When contacted, Chief Educational Officer R Balamurali told The New Indian Express that they are monitoring drop-out cases closely.
