Mahabubanagar: Migrant children lose dignity & childhood
Children of migrant workers being taught at a bridge school
Mahabubanagar : Hundreds of children of migrant workers are losing their childhood, healthcare and education, while their parents toil at brick kilns, hotels, construction sites, etc., across the erstwhile Mahabubanagar district. The apathy of the various wings of district administration is adding to the misery of these hapless and vulnerable group (many of them get forced in child labour).
It is learnt that an NGO conducted a survey of the children and presented their findings to the officials on the needs of these out-of-school children. But, officials, mainly those of the school education department, are turning blind to harrowing state of these helpless children.
One may be aghast to learn that due to the callous attitude of officials, even the funds that are sanctioned for the district under the SamagraSiksha Abhiyan are either lying unused or taken back by the Central government.
A representative from Nehru Yuvajana NGO, which runs bridge schools or seasonal schools for the children of migrant workers, alleges that all cluster resource persons and head masters of schoolsare asked not to show the details of such students so as to avoid the hassles of entering their details and works taken up for their welfare on the central government's Prabhandportal.
When contacted, Venkta Ram Reddy, a senior head master and quality coordinator from Mahabubnagar district,strongly denied the allegation. He informed that approximately 210 out-of-school children have been identified through resource personnel after a survey of migrant labour families in the district, and their details already uploaded on the Prabhand portal.
He said it was a work in progress and that any identified child would be duly brought under the fold of the government.
As per surveys conducted by the NGOs themselves, they are around 480 children, needing attention and care from the government for their sustenance, health as well as education.
According to Premnath, representative of DRDSO NGO, with the district officials ignoring their findings, central funds to the tune of Rs 4 crore lapsed, placing the children at a great loss.
The Government of India provides various facilities under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan scheme to the migrant and out of school children (OoSC) towards their education.
Its pleas to the Telangana government to conduct surveys in districts and submit lists of the needy, the lax district officials failed to submit lists of students in collaboration with NGOs and implement seasonal hostels in districts."Till date nothing has happened because of which the underprivileged students are wallowing in utter neglect," rued Premnath.