Nearly 3,000 students identified as long absentees in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The district school education department has launched a special drive on Monday to trace long absentees in the schools and admit them back in the next academic year. In the survey associated with it, the department has identified nearly 3,500 students from classes I to XII in government schools in the district as long absentees of the present academic year.

An officer from district Samagra Shiksha, told TNIE, “ The survey for the children who have dropped out of school in the district has begun on Monday along with an initiative to admit them back in school by next academic year. We collected long-absent student particulars through headmasters in schools and found that as many as 3,553 students from classes I to XII were long absentees in the 2021-22 academic year and they have disconnected the studies.” He also said that according to data, the higher secondary section has more long absentees than the primary section. The department has formed 108 special teams which include BRTEs, special educators, SMC members, Ilam Thedi Kalvi volunteers, school teachers and local volunteers in 15 blocks.

The team members will go to the various places in the district and will find out about the students and their present status. Team members will also take steps to admit the students again to school by giving necessary guidance and counselling. Besides, they will meet the parents and will give them the awareness of about importance of education and the Right To Education Act, he added.

An officer from Madukkarai block told TNIE, “We met a class IX student who is a long absentee from school. He is not interested in school going to school after Covid -19. We have planned to give him psychological counselling to bring back him to school.” When asked about it, Chief Educational Officer N Geetha told TNIE, “This special drive which aims to ensure the education, is conducted in the district will come to an end on  June 20. Steps have been taken to bring back the students again to the school.”