NGO takes up RTE admission awareness drive in district

Kolhapur: City-based NGO Avani has started conducting awareness drive across the district for the beneficiaries of reserved category admissions under the RTE Act.

The drive is being organised for the children of brick kiln workers and those working as labourers on sugarcane farms. The NGO said it has put digital flexes near few sugar factories in the district and prepared informative brochures as well.

"Avani is running as many as 34 temporary schools across Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur districts. To raise awareness among the beneficiaries, we published and handed over the brochures to the parents living near sugar factories and brick kilns. Villages including Khupire, Donwade, Sablewadi, Koparde, Kuditre, Shiroli, Udgaon and Chinchwad in the district are being covered under the awareness drive," said Sattappa Mohite, a member of the NGO.

He said the dropout rates of children belonging to these migrant families are higher. Hence, such families need to know about the benefits under the RTE Act.

"Education is free and so are other facilities. Moreover, the parents can also continue their wards' education later in the school of their original village. Since these families are very poor, they generally refrain from getting their children educated," Mohite said.He said currently as many as 750 kids in the age group of 3-5 years are learning in KGs. Besides, the NGO has enrolled over 360 children aged six years and above in the nearby Zilla Parishad schools.


"In fact, we have also made transport arrangement for children needing travel assistance to reach schools in far-off places. The private transport arrangement has assisted around 45 students. Any other student facing transport problems too will be assisted in future," he said.


Mohite said the decision to implement the online admission system needs to be reviewed, as many poor families are hardly aware of the process. The administration should rather focus on sensitizing them about the admission process, he said.


On the RTE Act, Mohite said economically and socially disadvantaged children as well as those with disabilities can be admitted in Class I or at the pre-primary stage of private unaided and minority aided schools. These children receive free education, including textbooks, and other facilities, he added.
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