The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Census of children going to schools launched

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 04, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Census of children going to schools launched

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, MARCH 3. The Government proposes to conduct the census of school-going children in the State every year, the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Ramalinga Reddy, has said. It will spend Rs. 2 crores for this.

Mr. Ramalinga Reddy told The Hindu on Thursday that the initiative was aimed at finding out the reasons for children dropping out of school, and to convince parents to send their children to school.

The three-day census of school-going children aged between three and 14 began in the State on Thursday. Mr. Ramalinga Reddy launched the census at the Government Higher Primary School, Lalbagh, Siddapur.

"The Government wants to ensure that all children are in schools by 2008 under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme," he said.

"The dropout rate among children in the 1st to 5th standards has seen a sharp decline over the past three years," he said. The findings of the census will be ready in 20 days, he said.

The main objective of the census is to collect child-wise data to facilitate identification of eligible children for admission to school under the compulsory primary education programme.

Data on children in the age group of three to five in anganwadi and pre-schools will also be collected.

Over two-lakh enumerators will conduct the census details of one crore families.

Enumeration of street children and those living in slums will also be done, Mr. Ramalinga Reddy said.

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