Survey by sarva shiksha abhiyan shows 1.45 lakh children never attended school in Maharashtra.
A national sample survey conducted by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan that estimated the number of children that attend school for primary education, showed that about 1.45 lakh children in the age group six to thirteen in Maharashtra never got to attend school.
The official portal of the programme recently posted the reports of the survey they conducted across the nation. The findings are based on the data collected from a sample of 99,929 households within 5005 PSUs (villages and urban wards), states the report. The estimated total number of children in the age group 6-13 years is 20.41 crores, out of which an approximate number of 60.47 lakhs drop out of school.
While Odisha is said to have the highest proportion of out of school children in India (6.10%), Maharashtra has seen a considerable amount of drop outs in the recent years. The RTE Act was launched about five years ago to ensure that every child in the age group of 6 to 14 attains free basic primary education, compulsorily.
While there has been a reduction in drop outs in many areas, a good percentage of increase has been observed in the drop-outs in the urban regions of the country. The report by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan also says that the drop out percentage of girls or female candidates is most than that of boys.
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a programme launched by Government of India for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to the children of 6.14 years age group. The programme seeks to open new schools and provide all basic facilities and other necessities to schools with poor infrastructure or no financial support.
(Figures as stated by SSA official portal)
