Over 10 lakh children out of schools, anganawadis in Karnataka, High Court told

BENGALURU : The High Court of Karnataka has been informed that as many as over 10 lakh children below the age of 14 in the State are out of schools and anganawadis. The survey report was submitted to the court by 'amicus curiae' in a public interest litigation (PIL) senior advocate K N Phaneendra. The PIL was initiated on its own by the court in 2013 and Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe heard the case on Wednesday.

The submission contains the status report of children collected through door-to-door survey conducted by various government departments including Urban Development, Rural Development, Women and Child Development Department and others. The court recorded the report and directed the committee of higher officials constituted by it to meet on July 16 and find ways to bring back children, especially those between three and six years of age, to anganwadis. Hearing of the case was adjourned to July 19. The survey was conducted in rural Karnataka in October 2021 and in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and 319 urban local body limits in March 2022.

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The report says 15,338 children aged between six and 14 are out of school across Karnataka. Another 4.54 lakh children below the age of three are not enrolled in anganawadis. An additional 5.33 lakh children between 4 and 6 are also not enrolled. Thus a total of 10.12 lakh children are out of the education system in the state. In urban areas, a total of 33.42 lakh homes were surveyed and 13.73 lakh children below the age of 18 were identified. In rural areas, 84.02 lakh homes were surveyed and 35.24 children were identified.