Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

Enrol Dalit children in schools: Ranganath

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE Sept. 30. The Minister for Forests, K.H. Ranganath, on Tuesday regretted the low literacy level among Dalits, and called for a concerted campaign to enrol Dalit children in large numbers in schools.

He was inaugurating a seminar on "Bhopal Declaration: Dalit classes and the nation's wealth'', organised by the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Teachers and Students' Association of Bangalore University.

Mr. Ranganath said the literacy level among Dalits in the State was about 38 per cent, and this was only marginally higher than the national average. It was unfortunate that while Dalits dominated the agriculture sector, their presence in business and industry was poor. Referring to the Bhopal Declaration regarding the rights of Dalits, he said it would have been more appropriate if it had focussed on enrolment of Dalit children in schools.

Enrolment of more Dalits in schools was important as they had been sidelined for centuries by the dominant castes.

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