Data on migrant students to ensure education continuity

Panaji: The directorate of education (DoE) has asked all schools to submit information on migrant workers’ children enrolled with them. DoE said it is being sought for onward submission to the Union ministry of education to ensure that there is no discontinuation in their education.
Education director Santosh Amonkar has asked government, aided and unaided schools, from primary to higher secondary school level, including special schools, to provide the required information.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented public health emergency worldwide, including in India, leading to varying stages of lockdown. Due to this, large number of migrant labourers, along with their families and children, have returned to their native places and are likely to stay there for varying periods. This may lead to disruption in studies and learning of the children,” Amonkar said.

He said this data is necessary so that the challenge thrown by the pandemic does not stop the learning of these students.

The Centre, in its guidelines, has told states that a database may be prepared by each school by personally contacting parents or guardians of all children studying in their school, through phone, WhatsApp, neighbours or peer groups.

“Their tentative place of stay during this period may also be noted. Such children, who have left, may be shown separately in enrolment as temporarily unavailable or migrated. While all care must be taken to ensure that their names are not struck off the rolls (as the possibility of their return anytime is always there), their numbers may be reported class-wise to the DoE to compensate for any input costs to be incurred by the school such as mid-day meals, distribution of textbooks and uniforms if not already completed,” the education ministry said in its guidelines.

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