Nagpur: As the 10-day statewide out-of-school students’ survey kicks off on Monday, some academics have voiced concerns over its timing. The survey aims to take stock of how many students have dropped out of school in entire state and then focus on bringing them back to the mainstream.
As per directives of the state government, the survey has to be completed between March 1-10. Since such surveys have happened before also, the process right down to the taluka level is a ‘well oiled machine’ with everyone knowing what is required of them.
Typically a group of government employees, right from departments such as education, civic body, zilla parishad to child and women welfare, form small teams and visit market places and neighbourhoods to track out of school kids. Majority of such kids are from families living on the streets or of daily wagers and migrants residing in makeshift shanties.
Zafar Khan, president of School Headmasters Charitable Association (SHCA) said the timing of the survey is not good. “We are all aware of the rise in Covid-19 cases, especially in Vidarbha. Despite this, we are asking our teachers to go out and venture into neighbourhoods or crowded markets to search for students,” said Khan.
“There is a bigger problem of involving teachers in any survey. For census, there is no objection from our side, but anything else is unfair. Teachers are being made to run around for every little scheme or campaign, which comes to minds of bureaucrats,” said Khan.
Though many are opposing it, so far there have been no reports of teachers boycotting it. An education official, on condition of anonymity, said such protests are a regular affair. “Nobody in the world wants to do more work, so this is just a psychological reaction. One may argue that it’s not academic work, but you cannot deny that it’s completely unconnected. We are trying to search for students who are deprived of education and bring them back to schools, so how can you say that such surveys have nothing to do with education,” said the official.