17,000 out-of-school children to be readmitted this academic year

Chennai: The School Education Department has additionally identified 17,104 Out of School Children (OSC) across the State for the academic year 2021-22.

Department officials confirm that students will be readmitted after the ongoing intervention with parents and students. The Samagra Shiksha, Tamil Nadu (SSTN) conducts surveys three times a year to trace the dropout students in Tamil Nadu.

For the current academic year, SSTN held survey among 5.33 lakh students in the State. The primary reasons for dropouts are child marriage, migration, children without adult support, children from tribal communities, children in challenging habitat, health concerns and child labour.

Commenting on this, S Janardhanan, State consultant of SSTN, said, “Through our app, we were able to trace students who have dropped out of school. In April 2021, we identified that several social and financial hurdles were preventing children from coming to school.”

SSTN has begun active intervention to these students at district and sub-district levels. “COVID-19, migration, financial concerns, child labour due to pandemic-induced poverty has driven many students out of school. However, we’re actively working in filling the gap,” he added.