Survey of out-of-school students delayed as NGO seeks more time

Sources said the survey might begin from or after January 25. The survey was initially supposed to start from January 15 and go on till January 31.

The state had conducted the first round of surveys in July last year to identify and track out-of-school students and enrol them in mainstream schools.

The second survey is to be conducted by NGO representatives, education department officials and a large number of NSS volunteers from colleges across the state. The survey by the state government on July 4 last year had met with criticism. It had been alleged that the survey under-reported the actual number of out-of-school children. The state had subsequently set up an expert committee which included members of NGOs to formulate a way to ensure proper accounting of students.

The committee included Kulkarni, an educationist and member of NGO SPARK, along with Srinivas Shastri (IAS officer, education department, Mumbai), Farida Lambe (NGO Pratham, Mumbai), Heramb Kulkarni (educationist, Ahmednagar), Deepak Nagargoje (educationist, Beed), Sudeshna Parmar (NGO Sparrows, Pune) and Siddesh Wadekar (Mah Rajya Prathmik Shikshan, Mumbai).

“This time, the survey will not just be conducted by teachers, but by over 800 representatives of NGOs and NSS volunteers from colleges so that we can get an actual number. Also, so that teachers are not distracted from their academic work,” said B B Chavan, in-charge deputy director of school education, Mumbai.