In a significant move to tackle the rising issue of students leaving education, the Gurgaon education department has rolled out a comprehensive district-wide campaign. The initiative, timed ahead of the new academic session, aims to identify, track, and bring back children and young adults who have discontinued their studies or are on the verge of dropping out.
Survey to Map the Scale of the Problem
The campaign's first major step involves launching a detailed survey in January. This exercise is designed to pinpoint the exact number of dropout cases at both school and college levels. The goal is to establish a clear, data-driven baseline. This information will then be used to craft tailored interventions, monitor attendance trends closely, and provide targeted academic and social support to vulnerable students.
The survey will specifically identify three groups: children who have never been enrolled in a school, those who dropped out midway through their education, and students with highly irregular attendance. This proactive identification is meant to enable corrective measures before the next academic year commences.
A "Priority Mission" with a Grassroots Approach
District Elementary Education Officer Saroj Dahiya has termed this campaign a "priority mission" for the department. The stated objective is to bring every child back into the formal education system. The strategy will go beyond school walls, focusing on understanding and mitigating household and community-level obstacles.
Financial difficulties, family migration, lack of awareness, and social pressures are some of the key challenges the department plans to address. To do this, officials will rely on extensive home visits and community outreach programmes to connect with families directly.
Alarming Data Underlines the Urgency
The need for this urgent drive is starkly highlighted by recent statistics. The ASER 2024 survey for rural Gurgaon revealed a worrying trend: the percentage of children aged 6 to 14 who are not enrolled in any school nearly doubled from 1.1% in 2022 to 2.3% in 2024. This figure is significantly higher than the Haryana state average of 1.3%.
The same survey also noted a decline in enrolment in government schools. Previous assessments by the education department had already identified over 29,000 children needing special training for reintegration, with an additional 17,500 children aged 7–14 later found to require similar support.
State-level data paints a broader picture of systemic issues. Reports indicate that 19 government schools in Haryana currently have zero enrolment, while 811 schools are operating with just a single teacher. Such conditions are known to increase the risk of students dropping out.
Community Voices and the Path Forward
Residents from rural areas like Sohna point to economic hardship as a primary driver, often pushing children into labour to support their families. Women's groups and local NGOs emphasise that for any reintegration effort to be successful, it must include sustained counselling, academic assistance, and emotional support. This is seen as particularly crucial for girl students to ensure they do not slip out of the education system again.
The success of Gurgaon's ambitious campaign will depend on sustained effort, collaboration with communities, and addressing the deep-rooted socio-economic factors that keep children away from classrooms.
