Maharashtra government to conduct fresh survey of out-of-school kids in November
The mega survey, which will be conducted with the help of NGOs, is expected to be more "effective and authentic" and aims to identify every single child who is out of school.
After facing huge criticism from all quarters about a survey held on July 4, which was just a one-day affair, the state government has decided to conduct a fresh census this November of out-of-school children in Maharashtra.A decision in this regard was taken by education minister Vinod Tawde on Wednesday. The duration and dates of the survey have not yet been announced.
The mega survey, which will be conducted with the help of NGOs, is expected to be more "effective and authentic" and aims to identify every single child who is out of school. This will also ensure counting of children of labourers working in various sectors and temporary migrants who were said to have been left out in the July 4 survey.
The earlier survey had found that 46,700 children in Maharashtra are out of school, with the number in Mumbai — 18,625 — being the highest in all the eight divisions in state. Activists and NGOs had raised doubt over these figures, questioning the methodology and authenticity of the survey.