Mumbai: Fuzzy numbers? Concerns rise over school dropout figures

Highest number of out-of-school children among the four districts was found in Palghar. Representation pic

A recent survey by the State School Education Department identified a total of 1,528 out-of-school children across Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts. Concerns have been raised by educationists and activists who believe that the actual number of out-of-school students may have been underreported.

The survey took place from August 17 to August 31, 2023, with the aim of locating out-of-school, migrant, and irregular school students between the ages of 3 and 18. According to data from the deputy director of school education's office, the highest number of out-of-school children among the four districts was found in Palghar, with a total of 928 out-of-school students, of which 676 were from Dahanu taluka. Thane zilla parishad reported 380 out-of-school students, while Mumbai and the Raigad zilla parishad reported 182 and 38 out-of-school students, respectively.

Activists have criticised the state government for not doing enough to address the issue of student dropouts and out-of-school children at its root. However, officials from the School Education Department claim to be working diligently to locate out-of-school students and reintegrate them into mainstream education. The data also revealed that 263 out of the 1,528 out-of-school children had never attended school, while 1,241 had been absent from school for a month or more, or their attendance was irregular.

An official from the School Education Department stated, "The department has successfully reintegrated 582 students into the mainstream education system after the survey. Steps are being taken to bring other students back into the system, but it takes time. We need to first understand why they left school or never enrolled, then convince the parents or guardians and these students."

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Despite the claim of enrolling 582 out-of-school students, 932 children are still not receiving an education. In Palghar district, out of 928 children found, the education department has successfully reintegrated only 71 children into the education system. Most of the children in Palghar (857) remain out of school. Regarding the urban-rural divide, an official said, "All out-of-school children in Mumbai and Raigad districts have been successfully admitted to school. During this campaign, the highest number of out-of-school children has been observed in rural areas, with a total of 1,012 children found out of school in rural areas and 498 in urban areas. We are doing everything we can to reduce dropouts and bring those who have never enrolled into the mainstream education system."

Sushil Shejule, coordinator of Marathi Shala Sansthachalak Sangh, expressed concern, saying, "The number of child labourers found during the survey was zero, whereas only 1,528 students were found to be out of school in four districts. I believe the numbers are underreported."

An education activist working on the Right to Education Act pointed out the disparity with previous data, saying, "In 2015, the Maharashtra government claimed to have found nearly 81,000 out-of-school children in the state following a survey. However, the National Survey on Estimation of Out-of-School Children 2014-15 reported nearly 1.45 lakh such children in the state. Has the state government managed to enrol all these students? Also, how can an accurate count of out-of-school students be achieved in just 15 days? I don't think it's possible to obtain accurate data on out-of-school students in such a short time. Therefore, I believe the figures presented by the State School Education Department are underreported." The activist further urged the State School Education Department to make the data, along with case studies of reintegrated out-of-school students, publicly available.

Number of out-of-school students in four districts
Mumbai 182
Thane ZP 380
Raigad ZP 38
Palghar 928