Analysis of

Institutional and Non

Economic Barriers for

Continuation of

Children in Schools :

Systemic Responses A Study Based on Experiences of

M.V.Foundation in Rangareddy and

Nalgonda Districts of Andhra Pradesh

2007

M.V.FOUNDATION

Hyderabad

www.mvfindia.in

2

Acknowledgement

This report is based on the experiences of M V Foundation, a voluntary organization located

in Andhra Pradesh. We acknowledge the invaluable contribution of Ms. Usha Rai, Guild of

Service for sieving through the vast literature and data available with M V Foundation at the

Head office and also in the field. We also thank the children, youth and members of the

community who shared their experiences with Ms. Usha Rai in compiling the data required

for the study.

M R Vikram

Secretary Trustee

M V Foundation

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Contents

1. Introduction

2. Features of the study

3. About M.V.Foundation

4. Challenges and Barriers

a. Challenges at the entry level

b. Challenges of retention of children in schools

c. Identifying out of school children

5. Conclusion

Annexures

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Abbreviations:

AP Andhra Pradesh

BC Backward Caste

CRPF Child Rights Protection Forum

DEO District Educational Officer

DISE District Information System for Education

GO Government Orders

HM Head Master

MDO Mandal Development Officer

MEO Mandal Education Officer

MP Madhya Pradesh

MRO Mandal Revenue Officer

M V F Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation

OC Other Caste

PS Primary School

PTA Parent Teacher Association

RBC Residential Bridge Course

RR Ranga Reddy

SC Scheduled Caste

SEC School Education Committee

SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

ST Scheduled Tribe

TC Transfer Certificate

UEE Universalisation of Elementary Education

UPS Upper Primary School

ZPHS Zilla Parishad High School

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Analysis of Institutional and Non Economic Barriers for Continuation of

Children In Schools : Systemic Responses

A Study Based on Experiences of M.V.Foundation in

Rangareddy and Nalgonda Districts of Andhra Pradesh

1. Introduction

We are witness to an explosive demand for education in India today. From about 3 million

children being enrolled each year in the 80s, there has been a spectacular increase during the

early 2000s particularly in 2002-03 and 2003-04. In 2002-03 alone more than 10 million

additional children were enrolled in schools and another nearly one million children were

added to this in 2003-04. Thus undoubtedly poor parents are willing to make enormous

sacrifices to send their children to schools. In fact, several millions of them are spending

more than what they can afford to get what they consider a proper education in English

medium private schools Those who cannot do so are content with sending their children to

government schools. This they do because they value education. They realize that they can

beat the cycle of deprivation, marginalisation and poverty only if their children are educated.

They recognize how completing school education would give them the strength to bargain for

their share in resources as a matter of right and how their children can gain confidence to deal

with the authorities and the power structure.

This, a seemingly simple decision of the poor illiterate parents to enrol their children in

school signifies an escape from a world of fear, anxiety and vulnerability and an entry into a

world full of possibilities. It is a profound act of faith in the education system to attain

dignity, self-esteem and the first step to seize the opportunity to be on par with others. It is a

struggle they have ventured into with a hope that they would win. It is a political act, a

struggle for equity and justice.

The journey of a school dropout or an older child who has never been enrolled in school, and

a child who have been engaged as child labourer is seldom rid of conflict. Several fronts in

the family, neighbourhood, with the employers’ and the authorities have to be negotiated

before she accesses the school and this too has to be very often fought for. The institutional

entry barriers may be attitudinal, or citing of archaic rules, all of which in a nutshell work to

keep the child out. These negotiated, very often, the child may require a period of formal

preparation, prior to her being handed over to schools. Once in the school system a large

number of children are pushed out of the system losing their battle for schools! There is a

mismatch between the expectations of parents and the system’s capacity to respond with

equal seriousness, resulting in the children losing the battle for formal education. These

children then return to a routine of drudgery, exploitation and suffering and leaving the

parental yearning for freedom of their children unfulfilled.

The causes for children’s access to school are normally looked at the realm of provision of

quality of education, content of learning, curriculum, syllabus and text books. Solutions are

sought in making education relevant and in teachers training. The other cause is seen as the

lack of interest of the poor in sending their children to schools and in their economic

condition. The argument that is given is that unless children work and contribute to the family

income there would not be sustenance in the family. Therefore improvements are sought in

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the supply of education or in the economic condition of the children. This study looks at

aspects of school governance that makes it difficult for a child to continue in school.

2. Features of the study

This study looks at the factors responsible for children being pushed out of schools besides

some well known explanations for a child’s continuance in schools such as the positive link

between children’s participation in school and economic growth, increase in wages, adult

employment and better working conditions. It also tries to see the reason for the disruption of

a child’s education beyond factors of lack of quality of education as indicated by the

performance of teachers, curriculum and syllabus, classroom transactions and the children’s

learning process and examination results. This is not to deny, in anyway, the need to address

the issues of quality of teaching or the situations arising out of poverty. In a way this study

seeks to understand the day to day problems confronted by poor children in accessing schools

and seeks to understand the systemic response to the daily challenges that children confront o

in schools.

The present study is based on the experiences of children in Ranga Reddy district and

Nalgonda district. It involved collecting several hundreds of testimonies of children,

administering a questionnaire on the types of corporal punishment in schools, to understand

the barriers that need to be overcome for a child to access in school and continue to be in

school without any disruption.

During the course of the study the following issues emerged as important barriers,

A. Challenges at the entry level

1. Rigid admission process which does not allow out of school children to join at any time

during the academic year

2. Absence of rules that govern admission of children who are of older age. Are they

subjected to eligibility tests to gain an entry into an age appropriate class? If found

ineligible lack of mechanisms in the school to subsequently prepare them during the

academic session to the class appropriate to their age.

3. Absence of rules to accommodate children who have been school drop-outs and ‘long

absentees ‘back into the school’.

4. Absence of no-rejection policy for admission of children into schools and refusal on

grounds of lack of attendance and irregularity in schools.

It was found that in some schools there have been processes of active consultation with

the gram panchayats and the Parent Teachers Associations to remove restrictions; issuing

of circulars to schools authorising admittance during the school year; non-insistence of

documentation such as birth certificates, caste certificate, income certificate and so on;

Some of these issues have also been incorporated as State level policy of the government

of Andhra Pradesh.

B. Challenges of retention of children in schools

5. Charging of school fees in spite of a clear rule mentioning that education is free in public

schools.

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6. Insistence on school uniforms making it difficult for children to continue in schools due

to their inability to afford school uniforms.

7. Inability to pay examination fees which are usually high amounts;

8. Inability to procure transfer certificates and all other documentation by the poor parents

for children moving from one school to the next especially after class five to class six and

so on.

9. Lack of special facilities for children of parents who have to ensure that that their studies

are not disrupted and when children accompany their migrant parents lack of education in

the new location.

10. Lack of provisions for children to get readmitted into schools after failing in the board

examinations at class 7 and 10.

11. Systems of assessment and evaluation

It was found that either some of these issues have received serious attention with an

institutionalised mechanism of follow up allowing for many children being retained in

schools or they have been resolved on a case by case basis due to the presence of an

enlightened bureaucrat and public pressure but the issue still needs a systematic institutional

response.

C. Identifying out of school children

It was often found that the names of children mentioned in the attendance register as enrolled,

often did not match with the names in the attendance register. Children who are not attending

schools, children who are in private schools, children who are in work, were also included as

enrolled children. Further the same name was entered in different classes of the same school.

A procedure to clean this data in a regular fashion was found necessary.

It was found that due to several petitions and systematic engagement with the State there has

been a response to some of the above challenges. The study would put forth these

modifications.

3. About M V Foundation

The present study was taken up primarily in the project area of MV Foundation at Ranga

Reddy district and in Nalgonda District. Drawing primarily on the experience of M.V.

Foundation, a voluntary organization that has withdrawn over four hundred thousand children

from work, and enrolled them into schools, this paper argues that once a child gets into the

portals of the education system she has to cross hurdles posed by the manner in which the

schools are governed. A rights based approach is in identifying all such gaps in the system

that makes it difficult for the first generation learner or an older child who seeks to come to

school and in bridging the gaps in favor of the child’s right to education. While this may

seem simple, it entails a continuous engagement with numerous functionaries of the state at

the local levels, identification of the plethora of rules and regulations that form the

governance architecture of schools, and finally of the state with respect to children.

Based on the non-negotiable principle that ‘no child works and every child attends full time

formal school as a matter of right’, MVF has been working towards abolition of child labour

in all its forms and mainstreaming them into formal schools, for over a decade now. From its

humble beginning in three villages in 1991, it has now spread its philosophy far and wide.

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MVF follows an ‘area-based approach’ as against a target based approach. It seeks to address

the rights of the entire universe of children- both in school and out of school- in the 5-14

years age group in its area of operation. This approach deems all children out of school as

child labour and understands that being out of school is intrinsically hazardous to their

growth and well-being. MV Foundation’s approach has the twin responsibility of organizing

community for public action and pressure on the system to deliver services. Simultaneously,

it seeks to prepare the concerned public institutions to take care of children and their

education in formal schools.

MV Foundation also understands the need to engage with policy makers to bring about

systemic changes to address the needs of the first generation learners, older children rejoining

schools after a long absence, released child labourers and girls who have sought education by

stepping out of marriages and other forms of violation of their rights. MVF does not set up

parallel institutions to the schools, social welfare hostels, gram panchayats and other state

institutions. The MVF program has blended with the existing government programs enriching

rather than supplanting them.

Currently MVF is implementing the program directly in the Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda,

Kurnool and Adilabad districts in Andhra Pradesh covering over 2500 villages and in the city

of Hyderabad. MVF also provides technical support to various governments and NGOs. MVF

resource persons are currently extending their technical support to the Government of Bihar

and Madhya Pradesh and supporting other NGOs in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra,

Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. MVF has provided technical support to NGOs and

Governments in Nepal, Central America, and Africa. In fact we are also part of a global

campaign called ‘Stop Child Labour – School is the Best Place to Work’. This campaign is an

Alliance2015 campaign. Alliance2015 is a partnership of six like-minded non-government

organizations working in the field of development cooperation. The Alliance members are

Cesvi from Italy, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe from Germany, Hivos from the Netherlands, Ibis

from Denmark, People in Need from the Czech Republic and Concern from Ireland.

Till now MVF has mainstreamed more than 4,50,000 children to schools and monitors the

status of around 5,00,000 children including school going and out of school children on a

daily basis. It has also initiated programmes related to right to health and nutrition of children

below 6 yrs of age, rights of adolescent girls and right to safe motherhood.

4. Challenges and Barriers

Considering the large numbers of children being pushed out of the school system, schools have

become instruments to produce child labour to live precariously as adults and not students to

become enlightened citizens. The M.V.Foundation’s solution lay not in abandoning the system

but in accessing the system, grappling with each of the issues that obstruct a child’s

participation in school. It is in the process of accessing the schools that the gaps were seen and

a way to rectify the lacunae was sought. In this context while access was seen as availability of

physical infrastructure, school teachers, classrooms, transportation services, free ship it was

also the process by which such standards were attainable. A social atmosphere where the child

feels wanted is equally, if not more important.

Considering that only 56% of them complete Class 5 and 22% finish the tenth grade it seems

that schools have become instruments to produce child labour to live precariously as adults and

not students to become enlightened citizens. A poor child’s participation in school is like a

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journey through a system that needs to be changed. From the day of admission of the child in

school until the completion of school many seemingly innocuous and small issues that govern

the architecture of schooling remain as challenges. An everyday battle has to be fought and

won to survive in the school system as a student to graduate up to tenth grade. At every step

there is a hurdle.

A. Challenges at the entry level

All these are the challenges that have to be overcome at the institutional level to enable a

child access school with dignity and complete her school with a sense of accomplishment.

1. Rigid admission process which does not allow out of school children to join at any

time during the academic year

It has been found that in most of the States in India there is an enrolment drive and a

campaign to get every child into school. As a consequence some older children, who may be

in work or have dropped out of schools with a gap of two or more years, aspire to join

schools. At times this historic decision to abandon work is taken in the mid-course of an

academic session. Often the school closes its admission by end of August i.e. within a month

or two after it starts a new academic session. This last date for admission in schools is usually

prescribed to ensure that there isn’t too much dislocation of the academic calendar with

children keep on joining all the time and disturbing the class schedule.

However, such a rule could be disastrous in a situation where a working child and his parents

have been motivated to enrol the child in school and when they go to school sometime in

September or later during the year they are told to go home and come back in June next year

because the last date for admission is over. It finds it difficult to accept this child as the rules

just do not permit such an exception. Since there is lack of appreciation of the fact that the

child had to resolve innumerable conflicts to come to school it does not see the significance

of this child’s entry into the school system. Therefore there is no ‘no-rejection policy’ for

admission of long absentees, school drop-outs and even those who have never been enrolled

who wish to come ‘back into the school’.

Ironically, while there is such rigidity about the child’s entry into the school system, the

schools do not show equal firmness about a child’s exit from the school system.

In Shankarpally Mandal of Ranga Reddy district in Andhra Pradesh, a campaign1 to ensure

that every child attended school had an impact on the way in which schools have been

governed. When older not-enrolled children or those who discontinued school were

motivated to join schools during the middle of academic session the schools could not accept

them as the last date of admission was over. At the same time they said that they did not

know how to accommodate older children in lower classes. To overcome this, as early as in

1994-95, the Mandal Education Officer allowed admission of children at any time during the

academic session. This became a State policy subsequently.

1 The campaign was started by MV Foundation for a total abolition of child labour and ensuring that every child

went to full time formal school as a matter of right.

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Table I

Number of older children admitted after 31st August*, in Ravulapally Village School of

Shankarpally Mandal

S.No Year Boys Girls Total

1 1995 19 20 39

2 1996 6 13 19

3 1997 3 10 13

4 1998 3 6 9

5 1999 3 0 3

6 2000 6 3 9

7 2001 2 3 5

8 2002 0 0 0

9 2003 9 5 14

10 2004 8 6 14

11 2005 4 6 10

12 2006 4 7 11

The above table indicates the number of children who gained admission into schools due to

the relaxation of date of admission.

At the moment emulating the government of Andhra Pradesh several other states have

relaxed this provision, allowing for children to be admitted at any time during the academic

session.2 For instance in some districts of Madhya Pradesh too currently this practice is

adopted (See Annexure: 1)

2. Procedures to gain an entry into an age appropriate class

It has been found that there have been no rules that govern admission of children who are of

older age. In some schools they are subject to eligibility tests to gain an entry into an age

appropriate class. When the child gets admitted through a residential bridge course program

the certificate of the RBC has been treated as a basis for admission. In many instances older

children have been admitted into class V based on the eligibility test of the school. Some of

them who are actually about 13 or 14 years old found it quite an embarrassment to sit with

their class mates in a lower class who are much younger. Such children have been given

inputs to take the class VII Board examination by MV Foundation during the same academic

session and thus helped to catch up with their peers.

There has however not been any institutional response to bringing children to an age

appropriate class in a regular school. Although the National Open School Examination is

suggested as an option for all such children, there are no mechanisms to implement the

programme either through the schools or any other full time coaching facilities. Thus the

issue of preparing children to an age appropriate class remains to be solved in a systemic

fashion.

2 GO Ms.53 ‘Moreover, the minimum attendance prescribed shall be calculated from the date of admission of

the child in the School’. It can be inferred from this that a child can be admitted during any time of the year.

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3. Absence of rules to accommodate children who have been school drop-outs and

‘long absentees ‘back into the school’.

A school dropout continues to find it difficult to rejoin school. The only method of

accommodating them is by the child producing a medical certificate. The cause for school

dropouts can be for more than the reason of personal ill health. At times children have been

found to drop out of schools because of their parents’ illness, episodes of migration in the

family and so on.

Children have been unable to procure any medical certificates to rejoin school and eventually

drop out for good. Such instances have again been tackled on a case by case basis. Children

have been given tuitions and encouraged to take the Board examination as private candidates

and as un enrolled children by MV Foundation.3

Table II

Coaching Programme For High School Students 2000 – 2006

Sl.

No. Year

Number of students

Boys Girls Total

1 2000-2001 463 197 660

2 2001-2002 375 280 655

3 2002-2003 116 149 265

4 2003-2004 34 36 70

5 2004-2005 162 179 341

6 2005-06 158 141 299

Note: Coaching was conducted during summer vacations for students attending board

examinations and entrance examinations

Source: MVF Data 2000 - 2006

On passing the examination, their admission has become easier.

On this issue too, there is no systemic response.

4. Lack of attendance and irregularity in schools

The decision to admit students at any time during the academic years gave rise to the problem

of meeting the required attendance for promotion. Many children faced adverse prospects of

being detained in the same class for lack of required attendance. This discouraged many

children, who rejoined schools after a long absence.

The existing rule stated that children must have a minimum of 80 % of attendance to be

eligible to go to the next class. In many instances it was found that children would not have

the required attendance for that academic session as their admission into schools has been

only after the mid-academic session. The Government of Andhra Pradesh decided to

3 1650 students could continue education due to this remedial coaching programme. .

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calculate the attendance of a child from the date of his/her admission into school and not in

relation to the academic session, thus enabling the movement of the child to the next class4.

BOX 1

Roll call practices leading to school dropouts

UPS school of Kalakova village in Munagala mandal has strength of 419 children. To

gain admission in this school is a herculean task. No child is directly given admission.

Children have to attend school first, for a month prove their seriousness about

attending schools and only then would the child’s name be entered into the admission

register. This posed huge problems. Children who attended schools regularly felt

disheartened that the teacher was not calling out their names along with the peers in

the class. Feeling discouraged and so mentally depressed four children actually

dropped out of the school and began to work.

Further since the names of children were not in the register they were found wanting

in attendance. These issues were brought before the gram panchayat meeting in the

review on school drop outs and rectified.

Source: Field notes of MVF Volunteer at Nalgonda

B. Challenges of retention of children in schools

5. Charging of school fees in spite of a clear rule mentioning that education is free in

public schools.

All states in the country have provided for free education in schools but children are charged

money for maintenance, sports, and library and so on. Though this fee may seem insignificant

compared to that paid by a child from a private school, most children are too poor to even

afford it. In addition poor children constantly grapple with inability to pay school fees which

can cost the child’s participation in the school. Elementary school education is free in India

and all campaigns are conducted telling children that they are entitled to free education.

Families of the poor therefore feel that free school education is their entitlement. Yet, at the

time of admission public schools begin to charge fees and other school charges such as

sports, library, and maintenance (See Annexures II and III). Most families are unprepared

for this investment and do not see the logic in making such commitments when they have

been promised free education. Therefore school fees do not get paid and children are

punished for this.

Several children dropout of schools, unable to bear the insults and scolding on a daily basis.

4 GO Ms.No.53

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BOX 2

Charging School Fees

Many interesting issues have come out when we visited the schools in Tirumalagiri under CRPF.

Stories from all schools reveal that the teachers’ attitude is not at all good and it seems they are

actually pushing children out of school and promoting child labour.

There are fixed rates for issuing transfer certificates (TC) and granting admission. The collections are

not uniform with different rates for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward castes and Other

Communities.

In village Velishala we questioned the Headmaster collection of fees from children. The HM said they

were collecting money in accordance with the resolution of the School Education Committee (SEC) to

pay for the honorarium of the para teacher i.e. the Vidya Volunteers and for school furniture. The

SEC Chairman who was also there at that time asked the HM why he was collecting Rs.100/- instead

of Rs.50/- as resolved by SEC.

We came to know that the HM was so harsh that a poor mother had to pledge her payals (anklets) for

paying a fee (Rs.100/-) to get her child admitted in the school. The old lady is Yata Lakshmi and the

child is Hyma now studying Class- VIl. She had to pay another Rs.30/- for getting TC from the

Primary school. Yata Lakshmi herself told us all these things.

Even though Government has been repeatedly saying that no fee will be collected from the children

the school HMs have been collecting money in the name school development from the poor. Innocent

SEC Chairmen are easily manipulated and a resolution drafted by the school staff is signed by the

Chairmen. There are no proper accounts for these monies. Though the school staff accept in public

that they would not levy fee, the very next moment it is the same story repeated everywhere. They are

very convincing when they talk about their school and themselves are to serve poor children and that

without those children there would be no schools and no teachers. They even say that the poor

parents are not being forced to pay school fees and that the school is ready to accept anything the

parents contribute voluntarily give us but the question is how can poor parents give them anything? If

they say we do not collect any fees in our school we have to understand that we collect all kind of fees

from children but not as school fees; when they say that we are for children it actually means that

they are for the additional collections that they make from children; and when they say that we give

admission any time during the course of the year it means we give admission whenever you pay the

fees. In this manner they force children to pay school fees.

Source: Extract from field notes M.V.F Volunteer Lakshmaiah in Tirumalagir, Nalgonda

District.

School fees and school push outs This is about Macha Rajesh, S/o Saidulu, Annaram village, Penpahad Mandal. Rajesh’s parents are

poor and it’s a hand to mouth existence. Rajesh passed class-VII with a first class. He took TC from

his school and went to join Class-8 at ZPHS, Penpahad where the Head Master told him that he had

to pay Rs.100/- as admission fee. Rajesh appealed to the HM not to charge any school fee as he just

could not afford it. The HM would not appreciate it and insisted on the child paying his fee. The

tension mounted between the teacher and the child but the latter persisted. Despite the HM’s refusal

Rajesh didn’t stop going to school and made many appeals to the Head Master.

Having observed this some kind hearted (?) teachers told Rajesh that they would accept the TC and

finalise all the formalities of admission for now, but his name would be registered only after paying

the fees. Rajesh was jubilant at this provisional admission and the next day went to school and sat in

class-8th

. School teacher asked him whether he brought money for the fee. Since Rajesh denied he

14

was punished and asked to stand on the bench till the money (fee) was paid. Rajesh could not bear the

humiliation and left the school. Having heard about this episode local CRPF asked the HM not to

demand school fee from Rajesh which was not heeded to. Even the Mandal Education Officer ignored

the petition. . Now, the boy has become a wage labourer.

There was another girl Prasanna who sought admission into 8th class. She was also subjected to this

kind of harassment. But she continued to attend. During the 1st period she was asked to stand upon

the bench for a couple of hours. For three days she stood on the bench. After that the punishment

became harsher and was asked to stand up on the bench the whole day. It was only after she paid

admission fees that her name was name was registered.

Source: Extract from field notes of volunteer in Nalgonda District.

Hurdles at every step and fees On the reopening of the school 10 year old Edavilli Sandeep who finished class V at primary

school, Palakurthy, paid Rs. 300/ for a transfer certificate to the school head master and left

enthusiastically to join Class-VI in the Zilla Parishad High School. The new headmaster

demanded a fee of Rs. 70/. Sandeep pleaded with his parents not to dampen his ‘life’s

chances’. They worked for one day exclusively to pay for this. Sandeep paid the fees and also

had to give 7 bottles of Thumps up cool drinks to the entire staff. His troubles did not end

here. The head master demanded another Rs.200/-.for school development fee. Once again

he had to persuade his parents who contributed only Rs.100/- Sandeep had to negotiate with

the school authorities to be generous and kind by telling them that his parents were poor

daily wage earners and are in no position to meet the demands of the school. He felt

triumphant that the school headmaster gave him a ‘handsome’ concession.

Source: Extract from field notes of volunteer in Nalgonda District

On discussion with school teachers it was found that they were to work against conditions of

adverse teacher pupil ratio, lack of infrastructure and growing demand for education. To

overcome such a pressure they sought to victimize children rather than take up lack of

facilities with the establishment. In order to select smaller size classes, they know that all

children may not attend schools if there is an insistence on payment of school fees. They felt

that those who stayed back were those genuinely interested and willing to be in school and

the children who have dropped out deserved to be out in any case. In a way it was found that

school teachers had no faith in the school authorities and their capacities to listen to their

complaints on work conditions and so resigned themselves to depending on children for

maintenance of schools. When there are complaints about specific instances of fee collection

and oppression of poor children the school teachers are reprimanded by higher authorities

who are quick to serve a notice to them as if to soothe the public and the media. The core

issue of the work conditions of school teachers and children’s real difficulties have seldom

given space for discussion. The disastrous consequences of charging school fees on school

children have never been discussed with all seriousness by higher ups.5

There has not been clear warning to all schools to implement the existing government

policies on free education.

5 See Raja Bentauet Kattan & Nicholas Burnett, User Fees in Primary Education, World Bank, 2004,

http://www1.worldbank.org/education/pdf/EFAcase_userfees.pdf that shows how user fees are a serious

obstacle to enrollment and completion for millions of children around the world.

15

6. Insistence on school uniforms making it difficult for children to continue in schools

due to their inability to afford school uniforms.

School teachers simply love that children look alike and wearing a school uniform is an

indication of discipline and perhaps even equality. However, most poor children can ill afford

the luxury of school uniforms. A typical child has only two to three pairs of new clothes

annually. This is what they can afford. Yet, the schools insist on school uniforms and

reprimand the child for not having school uniforms. This causes them to drop out of school.

Thus in the name of achieving equality there have been occasions when children are excluded

for not having school uniforms and thus perpetuating inequality.

BOX 3

Uniform, a big barrier for education

I am studying in class III in Nelamarri PS of Nalgonda district. I like going to school. I hail

from a not so well to do family. We are six children in our family, three sisters and three

brothers. I am the youngest among our sisters. My parents want to get all of us educated.

My school teacher threatened me with dire consequences if I did not wear the uniform. Since

my parents are not in a position to buy a school uniform they pleaded for ten days time to get

one. Even after that they could not get it. The teacher was very angry with me. She asked me

to pay a fine of Rs.2 per day till I am able to get a uniform. As my family was unable to pay

this I dropped out of school.

One of the MVF volunteers came to my house and assured that he would take this up with the

school HM. He questioned how the HM and the school teacher could demand school uniform

which is keeping the girl out of school. My HM chided my teacher and now I am back to

school.

Source: Case studies narrated by children. Demand of “Uniform” forces child to drop

out

School uniform and inequality Srinivas was studying in class 7 of Z. P. H. School in Munagala village of Munagala

Mandal At the very onset, since his admission was confirmed, he has been asked to pay

additional fees such as games fees, special fees, etc. As he was unable to pay these extra fees,

he was removed from school. His parents went to the teachers to inform them that they

cannot afford to pay the specified fees. Upon such a request being made, the child was

rejoined. However, they continued to pester him to wear a uniform. The parents couldn’t

afford a uniform as well. Due to these financial constraints Srinivas had to drop out of school

again and be deprived of his right to education. Thus he has been shifted to an unequal status

for the rest of his life.

Source: Case study narrated by children

No school uniforms –no Independence Day celebrations! Proud parents of 8 girls who joined the bridge course camp in Ranga Reddy district felt that

their daughters must enjoy schools like anybody else. With great difficulty they saved enough

and some of them even borrowed money to get them school uniforms. On the day of their

admission these girls wore green skirts and yellow blouses, tied up their hair with white

ribbons and went to school. It was a day of celebration and the first step out of drudgery and

suffering to discover their potential. All excitement came to a whimper when the children

16

realised that the school uniform was a blue skirt and a yellow blouse. The girls were scolded

for not wearing the uniform and every day they went to school they had a wrap on their

knuckles with a cane. They could not bring this to the notice of their parents because they

knew how disappointed their parents would be. It was indeed an anticlimax when these girls

were not allowed by the school authorities to participate in the flag hoisting ceremony on

Independence Day celebrations on 15th

of August. Children were asked to file separately in

one line and were punished for not meeting the deadline for getting the school uniform.

Ironically the school should have celebrated the independence of these children and enjoyed

the role it played in giving them their freedom. Instead it preferred to insult them further and

heighten their exclusion on a crucial day.

Source: Case study narrated by children

7. Inability to pay examination fees which are usually high amounts;

There are also instances of payment of fees for appearing for the board examinations. After

studying for years together and having survived the insults while attending schools each year

after another year, up to the crucial Board examinations, several children are forced out of

school due to their inability to pay the examination fees. There are no studies on the number

of children not making it to the examination on this count.

Each year the M.V.Foundation prepares a list of all candidates appearing for class 7 and class

10 Board examinations who are unable to pay fees for examination6. These lists are compiled

not just for Ranga Reddy district and Nalgonda but also for children from other districts

where there are NGOs involved in following up with children (See Annexure IV). There are

over one thousand children in this list. Since concession of payment of examination fees can

be given only at the state level, this is submitted two to three months before the last date of

payment of examination fees to the Directorate of School Education. Since a policy decision

has to be taken up, the file moves to the Secretary, Ministry of Education for his final

approval. Once this is received the Director School Education forwards the information of

sanctioning fee exemption to the Comptroller of Examinations who is then to send the

information to the District Education Officers of respective districts (See Annexure V). The

file could be stuck at any desk and it is quite normal that the students would not know the

status of their taking the examination until the last minute. This has not as yet got

institutionalised.

Even for writing the examinations at the end of the academic year, parents are compelled to

pay huge amounts towards examination fee charges. Failure to do so will result in the loss of

one valuable year for their child.

6 In the year 2009, seven applications were thus submitted. On the whole 423 children appearing for class 7 and

3336 appearing for class 10 examinations sought exemption in payment of examination fees through

MVFoundation.

17

BOX 4

Fees and Examinations

Children have to bear the burden of paying examination fees that are unusually high.

Students who are mainstreamed through the bridge course camps and other private

candidates have to pay the following amounts to the District Common Examination Board

failing which they are barred from writing the examinations.

Particulars Fee

7th

Class 360

9th

class 360

10th

class 670

Once a student fails to write the examinations his whole year gets wasted. And in the

meantime there is the inherent danger of the child being burdened to take up some or the

other work, thus getting pushed into the dungeon of child labour.

Source: Field notes of MVF volunteer in Hyderabad, 2007

HM collects excess amounts In Pagadiyal village of Yalal mandal in RR district the ZPHS HM collected excess amounts

towards admission and exam fees. He collected almost Rs. 25,000 from 400 children. The

youth questioned the HM who stated the school required some science equipment. Since the

government had released Rs. 25,000 towards these expenses, they asked to see the bills on

how the Rs. 50,000 was spent. On examining the bills they found that only Rs. 25, 000 was

spent. The new HM brought this matter to the attention of the HM. The youth demanded that

the earlier HM reimburse the money.

Source: MVF volunteer in Ranga Reddy district- field notes.

8. Inability to procure transfer certificates and all other documentation by the poor

parents for children moving from one school to the next especially after class five to

class six and so on.

It was found that children discontinued because poor parents had no ability to shift children

from primary schools to upper primary schools even after making several forays to the

school. They were dodged and asked to come the next day for transfer certificate and

progress report from the school. As if dealing with the school was not enough they had to

manage income, caste and birth certificates from other departments. By the time parents put

their act together the last date for admission into the new school was over. This was more so

in the upper primary and high school levels where children found it most difficult to get all

the documentation done to shift from one school to another. Defeated in getting the

documentation done for transition to the next school, children became school dropouts and

eventually joined the labour force. It was found that on several occasions transfer certificates

were not issued because the school ran out of stationery.

While the production of such certificates is not beyond the means of parents, who are familiar

with this process or who have for generations been sending children to school, parents who

have never been to school or who have never sent anyone to school or dealt with the school in

any manner before, find the process quite baffling.

18

BOX 5

Children forced to work –For non-payment of school fees

In Munagala village of Nalgonda district the Z.P.H School management demands Rs. 100/-

for giving admission. Also when children leave the school they are to pay a fee of rupees 100

towards transfer certificate conduct certificate and study certificate. In this school, the fees

are more than the fees at private school. Due to such demand for money the students are

unable to collect their marks sheets and other certificates thus they are deprived of an

opportunity to pursue their higher studies. Some students, keen on continuing their studies,

take up petty jobs for one or two months and pool the fee amount. Schools which are meant

for educating children are converting them into child labour.

Source: MVF volunteer field notes Hurdles in documentation

Battle for Complete Documentation Children’s application forms are not accepted because they are incomplete. With great

difficulty a seventh class school dropout Yadamma, was motivated to get back to school. The

family was successful in getting the entire documentation done for readmission of the girl.

This meant procuring the income, caste, bonafide and transfer certificate. The job was

victoriously accomplished. The school teacher discovered that her father’s signature was not

on the form and the girl was denied admission. The father left on migration and could not be

traced. The last date was over and the girl went back to work feeling disheartened. In the

case of another girl child, the transfer certificate was incomplete. The school headmaster at

the primary level had forgotten to fill in the ‘moles’ or the column on identification marks.

The high school rejected the certificate and asked the child to get the ‘moles’. She had no

clue to what the ‘moles’ were about and could not find them in any shop. As usual there was

a delay in her getting enlightened about the lacuna and her admission to the new school was

refused. Thankfully, as she had the support of volunteers from MVF, a case was made to the

Secretary to Education on her behalf and thus she could get into school after a delay of one

month.

Source: Notes of M V Foundation volunteer at Ranga Reddy district

Transfer Certificate –A nightmare The transfer certificate is a night mare for Damodar. When Damodar passed his class five in

Kolamasannapalli Zilla Parishad High School, the high school headmaster wanted the

documents to be attested by the MEO. On procuring this, he then wanted it to be further

attested by the District Education Officer and this never happened. The boy just gave up.

Source: Notes of M V Foundation volunteer

Fee of Rs.70/- and 7 Thums Up Bottles for TC at Palakurthy Primary School

For 10 year old Edavilli Sandeep leaving the Elementary School and Joining High School have cost

about Rs.300/-. On the reopening of the school he went to his Head Master at Primary School,

Palakurthy, Warangal District requesting him to issue TC as he has completed Class-V and wanted to

join Class-VI in the ZP High School. The Head Master told him that he has to pay Rs.70/-. His

parents had to work for a day exclusively to pay for this. They gave Rs.70/- to Sandeep. Sandeep

wrote “I gave them the amount given by my parents and 7 Thums up bottles”.

19

His troubles didn’t end there. For granting admission into High School, the Head Master demanded

Rs.200/-. Again he went to his parents asking them for money. They gave another Rs.100/- and

Sandeep requested the HM to be generous about him and grant admission liberally. Somehow, the

Head Master accepted him and granted admission. Sandeep says that his parents are wage workers

and it has become very difficult for them to give him money.

Likewise for some reason the father’s name of a girl was entered wrongly in the school

register. When her brother sought admission the next year he was not accepted as the fathers

name was shown as being different. The father pleaded with the school teachers that his

name in the daughter’s admission register was wrong. This the school would not accept. They

said that it would be too difficult to change the record and so insisted that the wrong name of

the father be carried forward for the son’s admission as well. This confusion was resolved

with the father yielding to the school authorities to have his name changed in the school

register.

Source: Extract from field notes of volunteer in Nalgonda District.

An institutional responsibility and not parental responsibility for issuing the certificates was

seen as the solution. More so, it was clear that no child could be denied the right to education

on account of his/her inability to procure myriads of certificates. The government responded

to the demand by issuing an order that no child be denied admission for want of a certificate

and the responsibility for obtaining the same would be that of the schools.7 It also issued an

order that primary schools that had classes up to Class 5 could be upgraded to Class 7. This

was to prevent girls from dropping out of schools.

The demand for schools and infrastructure due to systemic reforms had an impact on the

increase in supply as documented in Table III:

Table III

Number of Class Rooms, Teachers and Schools in Shankarapalle between 1997-

1998 and 2005-06

Year Classrooms Teachers

School

UPS

HS

1997-

1998 198 124 6 7

2005-

2006 246 214 17 11

7 GO No. 272/B4-1/2001Dated 19/4/2001, “In order to prevent a number of children dropping out of school

after class V, partly because of the shortage of upper primary sections and partly because of the unfamiliarity of

the children with the new school it was suggested that the Headmaster of the primary school concerned will

first prepare a list of all children in class V due to go to class VI and will communicate this list personally to the

headmaster of the nearest UP School or High School. The Headmaster of the UP School or High School as the

case may be will automatically admit the child in the school. It shall be the responsibility of the concerned

primary school to ensure that school based certificates such as transfer certificates and so on is given.”

20

Thus, it is noticed that there has been a substantial improvement in the class wise retention of

children in schools by 2005-06. Children in Class 1 were 1,391 and in Class 5, there were

1,345. Since the movement of children from one class to the next has been institutionalized,

with no child being pushed out of school, the variance in the number of children in Class 1 to

Class 10 has reduced significantly. Further, the total number of school going children

increased to 12,206 in 2005-06 as compared to 9,063 in 1995-96. This was possible with the

rectification of school governance system that could accommodate the dynamics on the

ground.

9. Lack of special facilities for children of parents who have to ensure that their studies

are not disrupted and when children accompany their migrant parents’ lack of

education in the new location.

Trends in favour of urbanisation have resulted in the burgeoning of the civil construction

industry, leading to a spiraling demand for cheap, unorganised labour in the construction

sector. The growing incidence of immigration from the countryside to urban parts of the state

and the vulnerability of migrant families has led to the employment of hundreds of children

in not just construction activity but also in the domestic sector. Children can literally be found

in all offices, business centers and places of entertainment. One may go as far as state that

there is hardly a building that has not been constructed without accounting for a child’s

labour. They work at construction sites devoid of access to basic needs such as water, shelter

and healthcare. They engage in physically harmful tasks such as lifting weights far beyond

their abilities and ignore the blazing heat above. Practically all domestic child labourers are

migrant children. Most of them have been trafficked from their native villages. They live in

near inhuman conditions and are deprived of basic education. They are often in no position to

enroll in the local school, as they cannot produce the certificates that are required of them.

Therefore, they need additional support in the form of residential schools, hostels and so on.

In Doma mandal of RR district, fairly large numbers of immigrant children come to work on

the cotton seed farms on daily wages. The employment is seasonal and usually stretches over

6 months. Cotton seed cultivation is done in the following villages. Dadapur, Mothkur,

Ainapur, Rakonda, Deersampally, Pallepally and Mallepally. Girls are usually preferred

because they are submissive. The working hours are from 7 am to 7 pm. They are paid a daily

wage of Rs. 16 to Rs. 20 and given add-ons like rubber bands, cinema tickets and flowers for

their hair.

It is children in the 9-14 age group that find employment here. The employers take no

responsibility for the children’s health. During the months of August-Sept. when cross

pollination is done, more hands are required and that is the period when drop-out rates are

the highest at the schools. Now dreaming of educational facilities is a distant one.

Source: MVF Volunteer Field Notes

Yerramanchili community solves problem of migrant children

In Yerramanchi village of Athmakur (S) mandal in Nalgonda district, about 120 children accompany

their parents on seasonal migration and are very irregular to school. Initiatives were made by MVF

to stop these children from migrating with their parents. Parents were mobilized to leave their

children at the camps under the care of the organization.

21

Since sending them to the MVF camp was not a sustainable solution, the sarpanch started a centre

immediately and accommodated these children by providing them food and shelter for the season.

There was very good response and many children were left behind to continue their education.

This gram panchayat has been declared the best Panchayat in the mandal for its support to children’s

education. There is often total involvement of the community and it has achieved the status of

becoming a resource gram panchayat for orienting many others not just in the Nalgonda district but

also from elsewhere in the country. Many have come here on village for exposure visit.

Source: Nalgonda Annual Report 2003-04

It is learnt that there have been efforts by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Orissa and Gujarat for taking care of children when their migrant parents leave

the village8 .These have been mainly of an ad hoc and experimental in nature. There is no

systemic response for this problem yet in Andhra Pradesh.

10. Lack of provisions for children to get readmitted into schools after failing in the

board examinations at class 7 and 10.

Millions of students appear for the 7

th and 10

th class common board examinations conducted

by the state. But only 90-95% clear class 7 and only 75% of the students get through class 10.

Rest of them get failed. Though the failed students would like to continue being in schools

and clear these examinations most of them are pushed out on some pretext or the other. Most

of these children are not readmitted into the schools.

In fact lack of procedures for readmitting children who have failed in the Board examinations

have forced the student to appear for class 10 examinations as private candidate. Instead of

giving them special coaching and remedial classes to clear the Board examination, they are

actually pushed out of the system for good.

Table IV

Status of children in the Class VII Board Examination from March 2001 to March

2007

SNO YEAR

VIITH EXAMINATION RESULTS(REGULAR)

NO.APPEARED NO.PASSED PASS PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE FAILED

BOYS GIRLS TOTAL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL

1 2001 514268 409479 923747 452495 361721 814216 87.99 88.34 88.36 12.01 11.66 11.64

2 2002 530720 434233 964953 487541 399611 887152 91.86 92.03 91.94 8.14 7.97 8.06

3 2003 581677 507993 1089670 546270 476106 1022376 93.91 93.72 93.82 6.09 6.28 6.18

4 2004 612631 541605 1154236 582625 517242 1099867 95.1 95.5 95.29 4.90 4.50 4.71

5 2005 620019 573603 1193622 572531 518829 1091360 92.34 90.45 91.43 7.66 9.55 8.57

6 2006 626385 573629 1200014 591648 543072 1134720 94.45 94.67 94.56 5.55 5.33 5.44

7 2007 643552 601840 1245392 609713 573161 1182874 94.74 95.23 94.98 5.26 4.77 5.02

Source: Selected Educational Statistics, 2007-08 (As on 30.09.2007)

Web Source: http://ssa.ap.nic.in/Page124.htm

As is evident from the above table more than five percent of the total children failed to clear

the VII class board examination during every academic year. For the year 2007 alone 62518

8 See Smita,Locked Homes : Empty Schools: The Impact of Distress Seasonal Migration on the Rural Poor.

New Delhi; Zubaan, 2007.

22

children could not pass through class 7. Though it cannot be said exactly how many children

must have been denied readmission, counting on MVF’s experience it can be estimated that

at least 90% of these must have faced problems of readmission.

Table V

Status of children in Class X Board Examination from March 1997 to March 2007

SNO YEAR

S.S.C EXAMINATION RESULTS(REGULAR) FROM MARCH 1997 TO MARCH 2006

NO.APPEARED NO.PASSED PASS PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE FAILED

BOYS GIRLS TOTAL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL BOYS GIRLS TOTAL

1 1997 280722 183167 463889 159718 103185 262903 56.90 56.33 56.67 43.10 43.67 43.33

2 1998 289477 194492 483969 134677 91637 226314 46.52 47.12 46.76 53.48 52.88 53.24

3 1999 291152 200302 491454 152700 106140 258840 52.45 52.99 52.67 47.55 47.01 47.33

4 2000 299754 214895 514649 164421 119217 283638 54.85 55.48 55.11 45.15 44.52 44.89

5 2001 331673 242882 574555 214761 159358 374119 64.75 65.61 65.11 35.25 34.39 34.89

6 2002 351007 266374 617381 239777 180714 420491 68.31 67.84 68.11 31.69 32.16 31.89

7 2003 373703 291252 664955 280435 218257 498692 75.04 74.94 75.00 24.96 25.06 25.00

8 2004 409084 326584 735668 330324 262282 592606 80.75 80.31 80.55 19.25 19.69 19.45

9 2005 443230 365697 808927 319521 266260 585781 72.09 72.87 72.41 27.91 27.13 27.59

10 2006 473299 406953 880252 346599 297375 643974 73.23 73.07 73.16 26.77 26.93 26.84

11 2007 490845 435977 926822 351079 313028 664107 71.53 71.80 71.65 28.47 28.20 28.35

Source: Selected Educational Statistics, 2007-08 (As on 30.09.2007)

Web Source: http://ssa.ap.nic.in/Page123.htm

As is evident from the above table more than twenty five percent of the total children

appeared, failed to clear the class X board examination every year. For the year 2007 alone

262715 children could not pass through class 10. Here again, counting on MVF’s experience

it can be estimated that at least 90% of these must have faced problems of readmission and

lack of support in clearing the supplementary examinations.

The institutional response to children failing in class 7, is the abolishing of Class VII Common Examinations from 2007-2008.9

11. Systems of assessment and examination and non-detention policy

It was also found that no matter how many times there was an enrolment drive a large

number of children did not get promoted to Class 2 from class 1. This was in spite of the non-

detention policy in Andhra Pradesh that was in place since 1972. For example in the year

1995-96 there were 3,380 children in Class 1 (in Shankarpally mandal) alone while the total

number of children from classes 1-5 was 6,680 and the children in high schools in classes 6-

10 were only 2,383.10

Children were detained in Class 1 by blaming the child as dull and not

having achieved the appropriate level. This is the simplest thing to do; to transfer the

responsibility of the teacher to the student. If the teacher had actually taught, dealing with

each child on merit, it is unlikely that at the primary level there will be failures. Teachers also

9 G.O.Ms.No.5 Edn (CO.SE) Dept., dated 7-01-08. Government proposed to replace the present pattern of VII

class Common examination with annual examination in the same pattern as being conducted for the classes VIII

and IX by the District Common Examination Board.

10 See the Figure 1 on distribution of students class wise in 1995-96 and 2005-06 in Shankarpally Mandal

23

admitted that that Class 1 enrolment figures were inflated because of under aged children,

parent’s pressure on account of the rice scheme, and worry over loss of teacher’s posts.11

A programme called class one khali karo (clear class one) was taken up for three consecutive

summers to prepare older children who were stuck in class one to go into classes in

accordance with their age and have children only in 5+ age group in class one12

. The AP

government had issued a GO for a non-detention policy once again.13

This has resulted in

elimination of inflated enrolment and in 2005 only 1,391 children were in Class 1 which is

almost equivalent to the number of children in the 5+ age group category.

It has also been found that the assessment of children in regular intervals through monthly,

quarterly, half yearly and annual examinations, is quite intimidating for the child whose

family is clueless to the rigors of assessment. The final examination has such sanctity that

children have not been promoted to the next class if for some reason the child missed the

examination. There has been no attempt to stagger examinations to keep pace with children’s

adjustment and induction into the education system. The entire evaluation system and final

examination has been designed to push out rather than keep the child in school.

Instead of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the child and trying to rectify the faults

the examination system has only deterred children from continuing in school. If a child did

badly in mathematics in the quarterly examination the school should have concentrated on

him/her in the next quarter for this subject. Annual examinations are also exactly the same.

The learning guarantee program introduced at the school level in Ranga Reddy district put to

practice the existing non-detention policy14

. It viewed all classes up to the 5th

as a single class

with the final exam treated like any other quarterly exam.15

Through the learning guarantee

11

Nagarjuna (2002b) states: “In fact in some cases teachers have gone to the extent of taking written requests

from parents that their child should be detained in the same class! If as members of a teaching community we

cannot enforce moral and ethical values then how can we teach anything to children? If we go on wrongly

marking children as enrolled or as attending class when they are actually not in school or absent then how do we

know who is actually in school and who isn’t.” 12

This programme was also implemented in 1997-98 through UNICEF in Andhra Pradesh. 13 GO No. 272/B4-1/2001Dated 20/4/2001: “Keeping in mind that in many schools children are being detained

in the same class each year without any valid reasons it was ordered that as a general rule all children would be

promoted to the next class. All children who have been given rice on account of regular attendance will be

automatically promoted to the next class since they have satisfied the attendance criterion. No child will be

detained in the same class merely on the grounds that he/she has not achieved the appropriate standard. Every

teacher shall prepare and submit to the MEO through the Headmaster a list of all children detained in his/her

class along with reasons. The Headmaster of the concerned school will be held responsible for any wrong

detention of a child in the same class.” 14 This is the policy of the “Government to abolish the system of detaining students on the basis of Annual

Examinations in all classes of primary and secondary stages, except in classes VII and X. This decision has been

taken with a view to minimise the high incidence of stagnation leading to wastage, especially in the primary

stage. According to the present policy of the Government all students will be promoted to the next higher classes

in accordance with the evaluation procedure given”.

15 It was assessment of children from class 1st to 5

th, to see what academic competencies they could comfortably

exhibit, followed by a radical alteration of teaching, learning processes in the ensuing period of programme,

children were given exercises in the form of friendly activities in language (Telugu) and Maths of 1,2 class

competencies. Basing on the results, the competencies children could exhibit 3rd, 4th, 5th class children were

clubbed to form three groups of competency levels. Initially this was taken up on experimental basis in 8 schools

of Shankarpally mandal, then expanded to cover 230 schools in the entire RR district before being taken up by

the state government in all the schools of the state, by issuing G.O.Ms No.300 dated 21st May, 2002. Currently

this programme is conducted in the name of “Children Learning Acceleration Programme for Sustainability”

24

program, the schools did not detain children but assessed the areas of weakness of each of the

children and introduced remedial teaching (See Annexure VI, for the GO)

As Nagarjuna (2002a) stated “Actually the concept of a YEAR has very little biological

significance and is purely an astronomical phenomenon, being the time taken for the earth to

go around the sun. So to use the cycle of a year, as some kind of a benchmark to measure

achievement is somewhat senseless. The policy of non-detention, therefore, recognizes that

different children learn at different pace especially at the primary level, given the fact that

they come from varying backgrounds. The fact that they pick up slowly in the beginning may

have very little to do with their mental abilities. There is evidence to show that a child who is

detained is more likely to drop out than one who is not. In the context of UEE (what is the

UEE) this is very significant and detention, therefore, has to be discouraged to the extent

possible.”

An evaluation system that is sensitive to the needs of the situation, flexible and

uncompromising in its endeavour to bring all children to school was introduced .This should

have been repeated each year on a sustained basis but was discontinued with change in the

bureaucrat.16

C. Identifying out of school children

12. A procedure to clean this data in a regular fashion

This was necessary because eligibility for Residential Bridge Course camps of the Sarva

Siksha Abhiyan for out of school children was often based on certification of out of school

status to be verified through the attendance registers. This was a tedious procedure in

situations where enrolment / attendance records were too cumbersome to access and / or

inaccurate. A need to include children whose names may be officially recorded as enrolled in

schools but are actually not attending schools in the Residential Bridge Course was seen as a

challenge.

The M.V.Foundation conducted a systematic program of physical verification of attendance

of children and tallied it with the names entered in the attendance registers. This was done in

all the mandals through the Child Rights Protection Forums and reported to the gram

panchayats. On perusal of the minutes of some of the gram panchayat meetings and the filed

notes of MVF’s volunteers it was found that names of children were included in and

excluded from the attendance registers arbitrarily. It was also found that names of children

who were not in school and who are actually attending private schools were included in

attendance registers government schools. Sometimes there were names of children who were

not even in the village and had left school on migration along with their parents. Some names

continued in the same class for years even after the children had moved to higher classes.

On the other hand, it was also found that the names of girls, who were over 12 years of age

and attained puberty, neither appeared on the attendance register nor in the out of school

16 Rc.No. 272/B4-1/2001 - “No child shall be detained in the same class merely on the grounds that he /she has

not achieved the appropriate standard”

25

children list. When pursued on this subject, it was found that the teachers responded that such

girls are ‘over aged’ and that it would be ‘a waste to include their names because they would

not come to school in any case’. Young girls who are married and below 14 years of age were

also seldom mentioned on the lists as if they do not exist.

In a way it seemed that falsifying data resulted in gross violation of children’s right to

education. Further, the unpardonable error of not listing names of children in any list was

tantamount to abdication of the State’s responsibility towards the children and in the worst

case akin to declaring them dead.

A reliable estimation of the number of children in the school-going age is difficult to arrive at

in the present context. There are many contradictory figures from different sources. An

attempt has been made here using DISE data for the period of 1996-97 to 2005-06 for Andhra

Pradesh to illustrate the magnitude of dropout. Tracing the progress of cohort that joined

school in class I in year 1996-96 would reveal the extent and pattern of dropout.

Table VI

Enrolment in Andhra Pradesh over the last 10 years

year 1 2 3 4 5

1996-1997 2487910 1616554 1406229 1241855 1145841

1997-1998 2624248 1780155 1472416 1290678 1198595

1998-1999 2657745 1863330 1635120 1375434 1265520

1999-2000 2594755 1929440 1720561 1522825 1344480

2000-2001 2289220 1860561 1733326 1567239 1455607

2001-2002 1953028 1919256 1685599 1571180 1495056

2002-2003 1935871 1746207 1752489 1569562 1529502

2003-2004 1664932 1649476 1589359 1582680 1489212

2004-2005 1570421 1491928 1559096 1513223 1557743

2005-2006 1631554 1412387 1423787 1454154 1470040

year 6 7 8 9 10

1996-1997 888711 796024 619029 558350 497030

1997-1998 920020 826923 626134 549816 497380

1998-1999 977850 867312 674446 577539 505912

1999-2000 1039521 922171 720014 628253 547103

2000-2001 1092855 978606 751891 669156 583540

2001-2002 1219961 1040257 828731 712535 642296

2002-2003 1305725 1153899 904489 784698 682809

2003-2004 1301798 1200332 1000339 849070 747791

2004-2005 1331660 1244524 1066846 950951 817376

2005-2006 1379616 1263689 1087713 999584 903865

It is absolutely necessary to create structures that encourage honesty among the school

teachers to give correct information. For they alone are close to the ground and actually know

what the truth is. If they have not provided the right information it is not their fault but those

of the authorities who have not provided for the space and process to listen to truth. It is

26

necessary for the policy makers and those at the helm of the bureaucracy, who are genuinely

interested in the protection of children’s rights, to understand the indispensability of

correctness of information on children and work towards ensuring that all children come to

school and not just pretend that every child is already in school.

5. CONCLUSION

M.V.Foundation’s experience showed that while getting a child out of the labour force

required the energy of the entire community, it is a mammoth task to keep the first generation

learner in schools. The attitude of tolerating children being pushed out of school is

omnipresent. The solution lay not in abandoning the system but in accessing the system,

grappling with each of the issues that obstruct a child’s participation in school. It is only then

that the gaps are seen and there is a way to rectify the lacunae. In this context access is

availability of physical infrastructure, school teachers, classrooms, transportation services,

free ship. More than that it is an atmosphere where the child feels wanted and is comfortable.

Even when the school is generous and allows for a child to be admitted, that the first

generation learner is to be retained as a matter of policy and a right. The preparedness of the

school for the first generation learner and making them feel wanted requires a school

governance system that understands the constraints and limitations of their family in terms of

coping with schools as institutions and culture. Poor parents know the procedures involved to

engage their children in work. They have a body language and idiom to discuss the terms of

contract with the employer, arrive at rules regarding hours of work, leave of absence and so on.

It has been found that in the process of their access to schools they are totally oblivious to the

procedures that are involved in enrolling a child in school. At the same time the schools too

anticipate that the children and their families are fully knowledgeable about the rules that

govern the schools and are seldom prepared to seek out to the first generation learner.

Further, quality of education in schools begins to improve when the community shows zero

tolerance to having children out of the school system. In other words a school is embedded in

its environment and is influenced by the atmosphere around it. It is only when there is a

demand for schools and this is expressed in no uncertain terms by one and all as a right of the

child and that it is a non-negotiable, that the schools will begin to show interest in its

performance. Allowing for even one child to remain out of school is conceding the principle

that it is perfectly normal for children not to be attending school. This would have an impact on

the seriousness with which the schools are run and classroom is transacted. When the schools

are being watched and supported by the government, teachers are conscious that it is unethical

for a child to be out of school. It is only when there is a respect and dignity for children in the

society that the child becomes a child, the teacher becomes a teacher and a school becomes a

school.

It is important to recognise that the act of going to school can result in a radical shift in the

child’s self perception, dignity and freedom. For the first time in her life the child is investing

in her own development and growth and is not for some other to develop and grow at the cost

of her realisation of her potentialities. In any case education has to be seen as an intrinsic value

and a child in school is transformative. In other words being a student is a significant act

having consequences for change for the child and the society as a whole. Once this is

recognised then quality of education has to be measured in terms of the capacity of the system

to retain the first generation learner. The prerequisite for improving quality of education lay in

putting to practice the right of education to every individual child.

27

Annexure 1

The above Circular is issued by District Project Coordinator, SSA, Bhopal, MP for

enrolment of children in schools during any time of the year.

28

Annexure II

LIST OF SCHOOLS COLLECTING UNAUTHORISED FEE FROM PARENTS IN

RANGA REDDY

Sl.No Mandal Name of the School Fee for

issuing TC

Admission

Fee

1 Tandur Uddandapur 50 20

2 Jingurthy 20 50

3 Karankot 50

4 Malkapur 150 50

5 Chengol 50 65

6 Allapur 20

7 Narayanpur 20

8 Gonur 20

9 San kalan 25

10 Sirigiripeta 50

11 Gowtapur 50

12 Yelmakanya 20

13 Belkatur 50 20

14 Saipur 50 20

15 Gadda school 20

16 Number 2 25 500

17 VVHS 100 100

18 K PHS 100 70

19 Girls High School U/M 100

20 Basheerabad ZPHS Boys 50 50

21 ZPHS Parvatpalli 50 50

22 ZPHS Navalla 50 50

23 Damarched 50

24 Parigi Mittakodur 150

25 ZPHS Parigi(2) 50

26 ZPHS Parigi(Boys) 50

27 Rapol 50

28 Serilingampally ZPHS Kottaguda

250

350

50 to 100

29 Serilingampally MPCUP Miyapur 200

300

29

30 Serilingampally ZPHS Darga 125

31 Serilingampally ZPHS Khajaguda 250

32 Serilingampally ZPHS Manikonda 50

33 Serilingampally P.S.Raidurg 50

34 Serilingampally P.S.Madhapur 50

Source: MVF Data, 2005

30

Annexure III

LIST OF GOVT SCHOOLS COLLECTING UNAUTHORISED FEE

FROM PARENTS IN NALGONDA DISTRICT

Sl. No. Mandal School Fee (Rs)

1 Arvapally

1.Thimmapuram 50-100

2.Jajireddy Gudem 50-100

3.Komati Pally 50

4.Kalasapahad 20-30

5.Loya Pally 50

V.M.Kota 50

2 Atmakur (S)

1.Athamakur(S) 50-100

2.Pathasuryapet 50

3.Aipor 50

4.Potapahad 50-100

3 Chivemla 1.V.K Pahad 40-60

2.Chivvemala 20-100

4 Kethepally

1.Koppolu 50-100

2.Kasanagoda 50-100

3.Bheemaram 50-100

4.Cheruku Pally 50-100

5 Mothey 1.Burkacherla(UPS) 50-100

2.Bolthanda 40-50

6 Munagala 1.Munagala 50-100

2.Akupamula 50-100

7 Nuthankal

1.Nuthankal 50-100

2.Maddirala 50-100

3.Thalasingaram 50-100

4.Miryala 50-100

5.Pedanemila 50-100

6.Polumalla 50-100

8 Penpahad

1.Annaram(N) 80

2.Chedella 20-50

3.Malkapuram 100

4.Bakthalapuram 50-70

5.Lingala 50-100

9 Tirumalagiri 1.Bandlapally

10 Thungathurty

1.Annaram (HS) 50

2.Reddygudem 50-100

3.Gummadavelly 30

4.Pasnoor(HS) 120

5.Gottiparthy(HS) 30-50

11 Palakurthy 1.Palakurhty 30-50

2.Vavilala 50-100

Source: MVF Data, 2005

31

Annexure IV

Number of Students Claiming Attendance and Examination Fee exemption for VII and X

Class

Year : 2005-2006 No. of Students

S.No Name of the NGO Name of the

District

VII

class X Class

1

Loyola Integrated Tribal Development

society Katukapalli,Edugurallapalli,

Khammam

Khammam - 27

2

Society for students teachers education

and parents (STEP), SBH colony

Thirmulaghery Secunderabad

Khammam - 252

Warangal 129

3

M.V. Foundation

201 Narayan Apartments

Marredpally(west),Secunderabad

Ranga Reddy 475 919

Nalgonda 203 51

Guntur - 8

Warangal - 6

Mahabubnagar 28 -

Kurnool 75 -

Total 781 1392

Year : 2006-2007

1 M V Foundation Nalgonda 177 193

2 Good shepherded convent Guntur 37 5

3 STEP Warangal 150

Khammam 350

4 Jyothi Mandal Mahila Samakhya Warangal 51 9

Total 265 698

Year : 2008-2009

1 CAP Foundation

Ranga Reddy 552

Hyderabad 165

Medak 27

2 Dr. Reddy Foundation Ranga Reddy 331

3 Koyathoor Bata

Adilabad 140

Warangal 157

Khammam 228

4 LITDS Khammam 52

5 M V Foundation

Adilabad 150

Ranga Reddy 1301

Kurnool 38

Mahabubnagar 193

6 The Superintendent, Govt.Spl.Home for

Boys (Juvenile Boys ), Hyderabad Hyderabad 2

Total 3336

32

Annexure V

33

34

Annexure: VI

Table showing the Government Orders issued to encourage Children to attend Schools

Sl.

No.

GO Number/

Date

Details

1. No.454/B8-3/97

dated 20-10-97

Keeping in mind that the children who go for work during day time

were not able to pay attention to the studies in the NFE centres in the

evening hours, it was desired to change the timings of the centre from

evening to day time. The centres are expected to function for two

hours in the morning hours in the school premises only.

1. No.4990/DPEP/

/B4/2000 dated

2-8-2000

Keeping in mind that the insistence on transfer medical and other

certificates, detention on lack of attendance was pushing children out

of schools, the rules were relaxed in all these cases.

2. 6536/DPEP/B5/

2000

Dated 24/8/

2002

It was instructed that attendance monitoring of teachers and pupils

will be done regularly and fortnightly from 1st September 2001 and

the MRPs will be personally held responsible for giving false

information.

3. G.O.Ms.No.53

Dated

20/4/2001

In order to ensure that the detention of students at the primary level is

kept to a minimum so that high incidence of stagnation leading to

wastage is minimised, it was proposed that the minimum attendance

for students in classes I to VI shall be 60% (from 80%) Further, in

case the student secures in the prescribed tests and examinations not

less then 40% marks the attendance requirement shall be waived.

Moreover, the minimum attendance prescribed shall be calculated

from the date of admission of the child in the School.

4. No. 272/B4-

1/2001

Dated

19/4/2001

In order to prevent a number of children dropping out of school after

class V, partly because of the shortage of upper primary sections and

partly because of the unfamiliarity of the children with the new school

it was suggested that the Headmaster of the primary school concerned

will first prepare a list of all children in class V due to go to class VI

and will communicate this list personally to the headmaster of the

nearest UP School or High School. The Headmaster of the UP School

or High School as the case may be will automatically admit the child

in the school. It shall be the responsibility of the concerned primary

school to ensure that school based certificates such as transfer

certificates and so on are given.

35

5. 272/B4-1/2001

Dated

20/4/2001

Keeping in mind that in many schools children are being detained in

the same class each year without any valid reasons it was ordered that

as a general rule all children would be promoted to the next class. All

children who have been given rice on account of regular attendance

will be automatically promoted to the next class since they have

satisfied the attendance criterion. No child will be detained in the

same class merely on the grounds that he/she has not achieved the

appropriate standard. Every teacher shall prepare and submit to the

MEO through the Headmaster a list of all children detained in his/her

class along with reasons. The Headmaster of the concerned school

will be held responsible for any wrong detention of a child in the same

class.

6. G.O.Ms No.300

dated 21st May,

2002

Keeping in mind that the community demanded minimum levels of

learning / quality education in schools where they have taken up the

initiative to motivate all children to enter and remain in schools, a

programme of learning guarantee was introduced.

7 G.O.Ms.No.163

dated

17-11-2004

Children who have studied in the RBCs and NRBCs and willing to

write the 7th class and 10th class examinations are exempted from

payment of attendance exemption and examination fee.

8 G.O.Ms.No.5

Edn (CO.SE)

Dept., dated 7-

01-08

Government proposed to replace the present pattern of VII class

Common examination with annual examination in the same pattern as

being conducted for the classes VIII and IX by the District Common

Examination Board.