BMC school teachers find hope in Mission Zero Dropout

With the loss of income and jobs among families and the closure of physical schools, several students – especially those from lower-income groups – were forced to drop out of the formal education system

Mumbai: After finishing their day’s work, 49-year-old Ramrao Pawar, a history and Marathi teacher for class eight at Vakola-based Madhyamik Vidyamandir and Vidya Choudhary, a bal rakshak, head out to construction sites, slums, under flyovers, for more than three hours a day since July 5.

BMC school teachers find hope in Mission Zero Dropout

Their mission is to look for dropouts and enrol them into schools or persuade their parents to do so.

Pawar, a Panvel resident is among the approximately 7,000 civic school teachers, who are part of the state education department’s two-week ‘Mission Zero Dropout’, to identify dropouts, migrant children, or those with irregular attendance who were affected by the pandemic.

With the loss of income and jobs among families and the closure of physical schools, several students – especially those from lower-income groups – were forced to drop out of the formal education system.

Data compiled by the education department last year shows that 25,204 children were out-of-school. Of these, 17,397 (9,008 boys and 8,389 girls) were found to show significantly irregular attendance throughout the pandemic, while 7,806 (4,076 boys and 3,730 girls) never went to any schools.

As part of this mission, launched by the state education department in collaboration with the women and child development department and social justice and special assistance department, teachers, education officers, and health officials go around a 3-km radius of the school to look for kids who have dropped out or never attended school.

HT accompanied two teams on the mission to enrol children back in school.

Since the ‘Mission Zero Dropout’ began, around 37 students from the Mumbai west zone (Dahisar to Bandra), about 44 students from the north zone (Mankhurd to Mulund), and 154 students in the south zone (Colaba to Dharavi and Worli) have either been enrolled or will be enrolled in the coming days, as per the regional data collection office.

Pawar, who has so far enrolled eight children in his school, said, “It is difficult to enrol these kids. We have to start by understanding their problems, convincing their parents, finding out solutions, and making parents understand the importance of education.”

Pawar, a state-level bal rakshak, has been working on school dropouts for the past four years.

Members participating in the mission have to also deal with issues such as inadequate documents.

“Children have dropped out due to non-payment of fees or parents have migrated for a source of income. Students who dropped out due to fee issues don’t get their leaving certificates. Without the leaving certificates, the SARAL portal of the education department shows that the child is already enrolled in a school due to which every other school declines admission to the kid,” said Vaishali Shinde, education inspector. “Some measures should be taken to solve the problems coming to light due to this mission such as difficulty getting an Aadhar card. Without an Aadhar card, children cannot be enrolled on the SARAL portal and receive funds to pay fees.”

While WCDD is responsible for children from ages 3 to 5 years, the state education department would look after kids from ages 6 to 9, and education inspectors would look after 10 to 18-year-old kids.

After the mission ends, these students will undergo a bridge course to fill learning gaps and extra classes will also be conducted to ensure their studies are on track.

“The government will release guidelines on what follow-up checks are to be undertaken to prevent these students from dropping out. For example, staying in touch with the students’ family, in case of absence, following up on their leaves, taking extra lectures till they cope up with studies and so on,” said Asha Shinde, bal rakshak in the south ward.

PROFILES

Pooja Shinde

Till last year, Pooja Shinde was studying at Samarth Vidyamandir Kalina (Santacruz east). The class eight student had to drop out after her brother Chandrakant started experiencing epileptic seizures. With her mother, a domestic help, discontinuing work in order to focus on her brother’s health, and her father who works in the civic body’s sewage department having to take a pay cut, Shinde had to take care of the household leaving her no time to be part of online school. The 15-year-old also underwent surgery and is currently in recovery mode.

“It was very difficult for us to survive during the pandemic. We have been facing severe financial, physical, and mental health problems. Pooja’s friends have been trying to convince her to get back to school for over a year,” said Lalita, her mother. “She herself felt like studying when the teachers met her, and she started convincing me. So, I agreed to it.”

Shinde finally enrolled in Madhyamik Vidyamandir under the Mission Zero Dropout. Sitting in a small one-room house, Shinde said, “I have attended school for two days and I like it there. I will make sure that I complete it and make something of myself.”

Anjana Rathod

Anjana Rathod, 16, stays in a slum settlement at Vakola, Santacruz (east). Her parents work as labourers at a building construction site. She attended Nariyalwadi BMC school, Vakola, regularly till grade 7, but dropped out in 2021 due to financial and personal reasons when the family shifted to their native place in Udgir, Latur. “She would look after household chores, while we looked for day-to-day menial jobs, and survived the pandemic years on daily wages,” said Lalita, her mother.

“My family planned on staying in the village, as we did not have any means for survival. And girls are married off at an early age there, so my grandparents insisted on getting me married. However, my mother and I were against the arrangement. Luckily before the wedding took place, the lockdown was lifted and we decided to relocate to the city. So, the wedding was called off,” said Anjana.

With the resumption of economic activities after the lockdown was lifted, the Rathods returned to Mumbai for employment. After relocation, her parents could not enrol her back in school as it did not have higher classes, and it was difficult to enrol while having a dropout year, in between the academic year.

“Rathod was very keen on going to school. When the Mission Zero Dropout started, she herself approached the teachers to enrol her,” said Pawar. She is now enrolled in grade 8 in Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Shikshan Sanstha, Vakola, Santacruz (E). Having undertaken a beautician course, she aspires to join the fashion industry.

Sameer Sheikh

Sameer Sheikh, 12, attended boarding school St. Gonsalo Gracia, Vasai till class 5 but wanted to stay with his family, who relocated to Mahim hoping to make some extra bucks after the pandemic struck.

“He started crying and was stubborn about not wanting to continue at the boarding school. So, we brought him along with us,” said his aunt Kasturi Shetty. Sheikh currently lives with Shetty, who sells bags in the area around Crawford market.

“We survived the lockdown on food distributed on streets by non-government organisations. But since we had no source of income, we could not pay his fees,” said Shetty. “Now when he wants to be admitted to a school nearby their place of business, it is getting difficult for him as he does not have a leaving certificate from his Vasai school.”

Under the Mission Zero Dropout, bal rakshak Asha Shinde, who is working on his case will arrange for his documents and enrol him in a school nearby.

Mohammed Sheikh

Mohammed Sheikh, 11, went to a civic school in Colaba till class 3 but had to drop out when his mother was diagnosed with cancer during the lockdown. As a result, his mother was unable to pay attention to his studies, while his father would be busy driving a tempo throughout the day to make ends meet. “He is hyperactive and cannot sit in one place. But it is difficult for me to send him to school since we cannot even afford to buy his uniform. It will be good if he goes to school and makes something of himself,” said his mother Arima, 35.

Sitting under the bridge at Crawford market, Arima, who will soon be operated upon for cancer, said, “Often passers-by give some money that helps us get past the day. The wages earned from tempo only provide for one-time food and some medicines. We survived the pandemic on food distributed on the streets.”

While his three younger sisters have never attended school, Sheikh sometimes studies at Door Step School NGO, and school bus that plies on streets from Grant Road to Crawford market.

“While my son is not very keen on studying, I want him to at least complete his basic education,” said Arima. Under the Mission Zero Dropout, Sheikh and his sisters will be enrolled in a school.