Delay in survey govt's alibi as lakhs of kids denied education

PATIALA: Around five months have elapsed since start of the new academic session in all government schools, but state education authorities are still waiting for the final figure for poor children who are not attending schools. The state authorities started a survey of these children in July and are yet to get reports from all districts.
Some officers believe the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) authorities should have completed the latest survey in March, a month before the new academic session in April, so that these children could have attended school right from the first day of the new session.But the authorities woke up in July and directed the district authorities to conduct a survey.
"We would get these children admitted in schools immediately after we get reports from across Punjab," said deputy state project director of SSA Deedar Singh. According to sources, around two years back, a door-to-door survey in Punjab revealed that out of the total of 42,70,985 children in the 6 to 14 years age group in the state, 1,00,457 were not attending school. In another survey in November 2010, the authorities had found that a total of 30,939 children in the 6-14 years age group were not attending school.
According to reports of education department, in 2007-2008, the state had 1,00,457 children out of schools, in 2008-2009, school authorities got enrolled around 95,420 children, in 2009-2010, 64,252 poor children were enrolled under special scheme, in 2010-2011, 65,422 and in 2010-2011, a total of 94,670 children were admitted in schools.
"These out-of-school children have poor their parents, who, owing to their economic condition, are not interested in getting them enrolled. They want them to get to work. That`s the main reason why a large number of children are unable to attend school," said a senior education department officer on condition of anonymity.
The figures for children enrolled across Punjab has been increasing. In 2007-08, the number of children in primary schools was 16.39 lakh and in upper primary, 9.95 lakh. The figure has risen to 38.68 lakh in all schools of Punjab in April 2011. Still, there are hundreds of children who have not been admitted in schools.
Repeated attempts to contact director general of school education of Punjab B Purushartha proved futile as he did not attend his mobile. The calls on all six landline numbers of the office also went unattended.