Teachers’ test: Bringing children to schools

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 22

After receiving a complaint from the Punjab State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (PSCPCR), the School Education Department has directed all government primary and elementary schools not to deny admission to any child aged between 6 and 14 years from families of migrant labourers and workers of brick kilns in the area.

In a letter to all District Education Offices (elementary), the department has conveyed that there were many complaints to the PSCPCR about government schools being hesitant in giving admission to children of migrant labourers and workers on brick kilns in the state. The Deputy State Project Director warned all DEOs (elementary) that denying admission to these children was a violation of the Right to Education Act, 2009.

Enrolment challenge

Instead of bringing all such children to schools and getting them enrolled, school teachers have been asked to visit brick kilns and slums in their respective areas. However, teachers in government primary and elementary schools in Bathinda said work-related migration of parents from one place to another plays a hindrance in bringing children back to school.

Government schools are facing a challenge of increasing enrolment of students, in a competition with private schools. “We are on a campaign to attract a maximum number of students to government schools,” said a teacher in Bathinda.

Tackling parents’ doubts

To convince parents and guardians about the improved quality of education in government schools, teachers are organising students’ rallies, installing big flex boards and distributing pamphlets to tell people about various welfare schemes for students in government schools.

“To encourage parents and guardians to send their children to government schools, we are highlighting various welfare schemes including mid-day meal scheme, free uniform, scholarship, sports goods, free books and many other facilities,” the teacher added.

Some days back, the state School Education Department had asked government schools to highlight various special welfare measures and schemes which are available only in government schools in rural and urban areas. “We have experienced and highly qualified teaching staff. Our motive is to increase the enrolment of students this year,” said Baljit Kaur, circle education officer.

Door-to-door campaigns

In some areas, teachers are conducting door-to-door campaigns to attract students to government primary schools. The move is aimed at reversing the comparatively low attendance of students in government schools by convincing the parents and guardians, revealed the sources in the School Education Department.

During these campaigns, however, teachers were stumped when many parents asked them to admit their children to private English medium schools instead of government schools they teach at. Sources in the department revealed that not only in urban areas, private schools in rural areas in the state also have an edge over government schools in terms of enrolment. This enrolment is about 52 per cent in private schools. Majority of the students in government schools are those belonging to economically poor families and those of Dalit communities.

All freebies like mid-day meal and uniforms failed to attract students as parents doubt the quality of education at government schools. As a large number of students from rural areas travel to adjoining towns every day and there are incidents of road accidents with school buses in the state in the recent past, many schools have even planned of highlighting these incidents to discourage parents to send their children to private schools in towns.