The Gujarat government on Wednesday launched a statewide campaign to bring more than 80,000 school dropout children back into classrooms, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel saying the initiative is aimed at achieving "zero dropout" and ensuring that no child is left behind in the education system.
Launching the 'Samras Vidya Setu' Mega Campaign from Ahmedabad, Patel said Gujarat's school dropout rate had declined to two per cent under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the state had now identified more than 80,000 children who had left school.The government plans to re-enrol them in age-appropriate classes from Standards 1 to 12 with academic support to help them bridge learning gaps.
Patel said district-wise lists of school dropout children had been prepared across Gujarat and that teachers, local public representatives and community leaders would jointly reach out to parents to encourage them to send their children back to school."
Every child will be admitted to the appropriate class according to their age, while special academic support and bridge learning arrangements have been made for children who have fallen behind in their studies," he said.Emphasising the need for cooperation between schools and families, Patel said Gujarat had emerged as one of the country's leading destinations for business and employment and that quality education was essential for young people to benefit from these opportunities.
He urged parents to ensure regular school attendance and said the goal of "zero dropout" could only be achieved through the combined efforts of the government, parents, teachers and society.Patel also highlighted the role of teachers in preventing students from dropping out, saying they closely monitor attendance and personally follow up when necessary.
"If a child remains absent from school for two consecutive days, the teacher visits the child's home to understand the reason for the absence," he said.The Chief Minister said improvements in the quality of education in government and municipal schools had encouraged many families to shift their children from private institutions to government schools.
He congratulated teachers and education department staff for their efforts and said strengthening the education system would help prepare Gujarat's youth to benefit from growing business and investment opportunities while contributing to the vision of "Viksit Bharat 2047".
Education Minister Dr Pradyuman Vaja described the campaign as "not merely a government programme but a people's movement to ensure every child's Right to Education"."The state government had introduced several measures to improve the quality of education, including Mission Schools of Excellence, smart classrooms, modern educational infrastructure and student-focused schemes, which had strengthened public confidence in government schools," he said.
Referring to the National Education Policy 2020, Vaja said: "The campaign would focus on identifying school dropout children, re-enrolling them, maintaining regular contact with parents, conducting home visits, providing mentoring and organising bridge courses to help them return to mainstream education."
He said the success of the campaign would depend on the active participation of teachers, School Management Committees, district and taluka administrations, Cluster Resource Centre (CRC) and Block Resource Centre (BRC) coordinators, voluntary organisations, community leaders, public representatives and local communities.
"Districts, teachers and School Management Committees that perform exceptionally under the campaign will be honoured on Teachers' Day," he added.Minister of State for Education, Rivaba Jadeja, said the government had launched the initiative with the commitment that "not a single child in Gujarat is deprived of education".
She said public representatives, voluntary organisations, citizens and every section of society would have to contribute to the campaign's success."The Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani initiatives launched by Narendra Modi during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister had transformed the state's education sector," she said.
She said the government was using mechanisms such as the Early Tracking System, Child Monitoring System, bridge courses, remedial classes and residential schools to bring children who had dropped out back into the education system.
She also appealed for collective efforts to promote girls' education and ensure quality, value-based and skill-oriented learning. Principal Secretary (Education) Milind Torawane delivered the welcome address and outlined the programme at the event.
During the programme, the Chief Minister felicitated teachers for their efforts in re-enrolling school dropout students and honoured organisations that had contributed educational materials and other academic support to students studying in government schools.