By IANS
Ranchi : The compulsion to earn a livelihood forces hundreds of students to drop out of schools in Jharkhand, a survey has revealed.
The survey, conducted by different agencies and compiled by the Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC), was carried out among 25,703 school dropouts in the age group of 6 to 14.
According to the survey, 26.39 percent students leave schools as they have a compulsion to earn, 25.44 are engaged in household work, 12.25 percent lack interest in studies and over eight percent drop out due to socio-cultural reasons. Other reasons were also cited for children discontinuing their studies.
Despite different policies launched by state and central governments, providing education to all children below 14 remains a distant dream.
Poverty and lack of awareness among parents was also found responsible for dropouts. In Jharkhand, 54 percent people live below the poverty line. Scores of poor people migrate to work in metros and their children are left to fend for themselves. These kids are then forced to earn their livelihood by working in hotels and households.
“Ensuring employment to parents is our priority. Once the parents are employed, their children will naturally go to schools,” said Bandu Tirkey, minister of human resources development (HRD).
The Jharkhand government has taken some initiatives to arrest the dropout rate. Bicycles were distributed among tribal and Dalit girls to enable them to go to school. The state is also planning to improve the mid-day meal scheme.
Due to the increasing number of dropouts, the literacy rate in Jharkhand is just 54 percent compared to the national average of 65 percent. And the literacy rate among tribals is below 40 percent.