Aizawl, Apr 2 : Despite having one of the highest literacy rates in the country, 8,221 children (between ages 6 and 14) in Mizoram do not attend school.
“According to a state-wide census conducted from September to November last year, it was found that 8,221 children don’t have access to school education,” said T Rohmingliana, state project director of Mizoram SSA mission.
The official informed that majority of the out-of-school children belong to migrants near the inter-state borders of Assam, Tripura and Manipur and near Bangladesh and Myanmar borders, who engaged in shifting cultivation that made them move from one place to another in the remote areas.
“These migrants have also pushed down the literacy rate of the state,” he added. Specially-designed study materials for these children were launched by school education minister Lalsawta here today. He praised the tireless efforts of the state council of educational research and training (SCERT) that made Mizoram one of the first states to complete the study materials.
Pointing out that 95 per cent of criminals in Mizoram jails are under matric, Lalsawta said, “By opening the door of education for children, we close the door of jails for them.” The special course will cover children from class one to seven. It includes Mizo, English and mathematics for class one to seven, environmental studies from class three to four, and social science for class six.
“The special training, which is a fulfillment of the Right to Education Act, will ensure that the out-of-school children get special training for a minimum of three months and a maximum of 24 months,” said Vanlalchuani Khithie, coordinator for ‘alternative schooling’ under SSA.
After completing the special course, the children will be attached to normal schools in different classes based on their age. Under the SSA mission, 48 residential special training centres and 19 non-residential special training centres have been set up in Mizoram. The SSA mission has employed education volunteers as mobile teachers in the interior villages to cover the non-school-going children.
Lunglei, Lawngtlai and Saiha of southern Mizoram and Mamit in the west the worst affected districts. According to Census 2011, the Christian-dominated state attained 91.58 literacy percentage, falling short of its ambition to become cent per cent literate state, and ranked number three behind Kerala (93.9 percent) and Lakshadweep (92.3 percent). The high incidence of illiteracy among the minor communities like Chakmas and Brus is attributed as the major cause of Mizoram’s inability to achieve the top rank.