School dropouts and never-enrolled children
- Saving today's children to secure tomorrow's society -

Lisham Roma Devi *

In every neighbourhood, there are children who either dropout of school or never entered a classroom at all. These children are not lacking in ability, rather, they are victims of poverty, displacement, lack of potential awareness and difficult family circumstances.

As a teacher working at the grassroot level, I have personally witnessed how easily such children are overlooked and how dangerous that children are often misunderstood as future burdens on society. Such thinking not only harms the child's self-worth but also weakens the social fabric.

In reality, these children possess immense potential which can be nurtured through collective responsibility. While the Government of India has been implementing various policies and programmes for decades, the success of these initiatives depends largely on active participation from parents/guardians, neighbours, teachers, community members School SMC/SMDC local clubs and organizations etc.

Dropout children are not merely an educational issue, it is a serious social concern with long term consequences for society. Children who are deprived of education often face limited life opportunities and are at greater risk of unemployment, exploitation and social exclusion.

When such children grow up without skills or guidance, society may later face problems such as rising illiteracy, child labour, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency and inter-generational poverty.

CONSEQUENCES OF SCHOOL DROPOUT IN THE SOCIETY

* Increased vulnerability to child labour, early marriage and exploitation.
* Higher chances of involvement in anti-social or illegal activities.
* Lack of employable skills leading to unemployment and poverty.
* Poor health awareness and weak civic responsibility.
* Continuation of the cycle of illiteracy across generations as they lack opportunity, guidance and support.

CAUSES OF SCHOOL DROPOUTS

* Lack of parental awareness about long term value of education
* Economic hardships and priorities of immediate income over schooling
* Misconception that education is unnecessary or unproductive
* Social neglect, migration and family instability
* Inability of parents and guardians to access or understand Govt schemes due to lack of information.

Causes rooted in neglect and lack of awareness:-

In my field experiences dropout cases occur due to parental negligence like survival based thinking, where education is seen as secondary to hand to mouth earnings. Due to lack of knowledge, parents and guardians often fail to access the free and compulsory education facilities provided by the Government.

Ironically, some sections of society often spends heavily on luxury food, clothing, social events and public show-off, yet hesitates to invest even small amount in a neighbour's child's education.

ROLE OF TEACHERS

* Identify dropout and at-risk children through regular surveys and follow ups
* Conduct home visits to counseled parents on free and compulsory education provisions
* Create child friendly learning environments and flexible learning pathways
* Provide remedial teaching, bridge courses emotional support
* Act as facilitators connecting families with government benefits

ROLE OF PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

* Understand that education is a lifelong investment, not an immediate expense
* Actively seek information on free education schemes and scholarships
* Ensure regular attendance and emotional encouragement
* Participation in school activities and decision-making processes

ROLE OF NEIGHBOURS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS

Despite economic constraints cited by many families, neighbours and society often spends considerable amounts on luxurious food, clothing and social show-offs. Redirecting even a small portion of such expenditure towards education can significantly change a child's life.

* Provide small financial contributions, books, uniforms or learning materials
* Moral support and mentorship to dropout and freshers children
* Promote education as a community value rather than a private responsibility
* Role of local clubs, organizations and volunteers
* Mobilization for donations and community resources for needy students
* Support bridge courses, hostels and residential education initiatives
* Facilitate exposure to sports, arts and vocational skills

ROLE OF SMC/SMDC MEMBERS

* Monitor enrollment, retention and dropout trends
* Create awareness about free education schemes and residential schools
* Assist parents in completing admission and documentation processes
* Strengthen school-community partnerships

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Due to lack of knowledge, many parents and guardians fail to avail themselves of free and compulsory education opportunities provided by the Government. Notable initiatives include:

* Right to education (RTE) Act
* PM POSHAN (Mid day meal)
* Free textbooks and school uniform
* Scholarships SC/ST/OBC/minority students

Government Residential Schools, specially for disadvantaged children, for example

* Kasturba Gandhi Batika Vidyalaya (KGBV)
* Netaji Subhash Chan-dra Bose Avasiya Vidyalaya (NSCBAV) etc.

All such Government run residencial schools offer free education, accommodation, food, healthcare and learning support.

These institutions play a crucial role in rescuing dropout children, particularly girls, children from marginalized backgrounds, by providing a stable and supportive learning environment that can significantly reduce unnecessary expenditure by ensuring optimal utilization of valuable resources, thereby preventing wastage of public funds.

Efficient planning, proper maintenance of infrastructure, and judicious use of materials and finances can help avoid money being spent in vain.

Children are not burdens; ignorance and neglect are. With proper awareness, collective support and utilization of existing Government facilities, dropout and never enrolled children can be transformed into confident, skilled and responsible citizens. Education must be treated as a shared social investment not as a charity.

CONSEQUENCES OF SCHOOL DROPOUT IN THE SOCIETY

* Increased vulnerability to child labour, early, marriage and exploitation.
* Higher chances of involvement in anti social or illegal activities.
* Lack of employable skills leading to unemployment and poverty.
* Poor health awareness and weak civic responsibility.
* Continuation of the cycle of illiteracy across generations as they lack opportunity, guidance and support.

CAUSES OF SCHOOL DROPOUTS

* Lack of parental awareness about long term value of education
* Economic hardship and priorities of immediate income over schooling * Misconception that education is unnecessary or unproductive
* Social neglect, migration and family instability
* Inability of parents and guardians to access or understand government schemes due to lack of information.

Causes rooted in neglect and lack of awareness

In my field experiences dropout cases occur due to parental negligence like survival based thinking, where education is seen as secondary to hand to mouth earnings. Due to lack of knowledge, parents and guardians often fail to access the free and compulsory education facilities provided by the Government.

Ironically, some sections of society often spends heavily on luxury food, clothing, social events and public show-off, yet hesitates to invest even small amount in a neighbour's child's education.

ROLE OF TEACHERS

* Identify dropout and at- risk children through regular surveys and follow ups
* Conduct home visits to counseled parents on free and compulsory education provisions
* Create child friendly learning environments and flexible learning pathways
* Provide remedial teaching, bridge courses emotional support
* Act as facilitators connecting families with government benefits

ROLE OF PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

* Understand that education is a lifelong investment, not an immediate expense
* Actively seek information on free education schemes and scholarships
* Ensure regular attendance and emotional encouragement
* Participation in school activities and decision-making processes

ROLE OF NEIGHBOURS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS

Despite economic constraints cited by many families, neighbours and society often spends considerable amounts on luxurious food, clothing and social show-offs. Redirecting even a small portion of such expenditure towards education can significantly change a child's life.

* Provide small financial contributions, Books, uniforms or learning materials
* Moral support and mentorship to dropout and fresher's children
* Promote education as a community value rather than a private responsibility
* Role of Local Clubs, organizations and volunteers
* Mobilization for donations and community resources for needy students
* Support bridge courses, hostels and residential education initiatives
* Facilitate exposure to sports, arts and vocational skills

ROLE OF SMC/SMDC MEMBERS

* Monitor enrolment, retention and dropout trends
* Create awareness about free education schemes and residential schools
* Assist parents in completing admission and documentation processes
* Strengthen school-community partnerships

GOVT INITIATIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Due to lack of knowledge, many parents and guardians fail to avail themselves of free and compulsorily education opportunities provided by the government. Notable initiatives include:

* Right to education (RTE) Act
* PM POSHAN (Mid day meal)
* Free textbooks and school uniform
* Scholarships SC/ST/OBC/minority students Government Residential Schools, specially for disadvantaged children, for example
* Kasturba Gandhi Batika Vidyalaya (KGBV)
* Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Avasiya Vidyalaya (NSCBAV) etc.

All such Government run residential schools offer free education, accommodation, food, healthcare and learning support.

These institutions play a crucial role in rescuing dropout children, particularly girls, children from marginalized backgrounds, by providing a stable and supportive learning environment that can significantly reduce unnecessary expenditure by ensuring optimal utilization of valuable resources, thereby preventing wastage of public funds.

Efficient planning, proper maintenance of infrastructure, and judicious use of materials and finances can help avoid money being spent in vain.

Children are not burdens; ignorance and neglect are. With proper awareness, collective support and utilization of existing government facilities, dropout and never enrolled children can be transformed into confident, skilled and responsible citizens. Educa- tion must be treated as a shared social investment not as a charity. The writer is with Athokpam High School, Thoubal