Education on hold: Refugee children near Delhi face dropouts amid documentation hurdles

Five years after fleeing Pakistan’s Sindh region, families living near Delhi’s Signature Bridge continue to face hurdles in securing education for their children due to documentation issues, forcing many to drop out after 5th grade.

Daulatram, who runs a roadside stall, has 5 children, but only one attends a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) primary school near Majnu ka Tilla.

His daughter Sandhya, currently in 5th grade, is expected to leave school next year.

“We came here with all our heart and money. We don’t see any growth, we don’t have a proper place, and we are just working hand to mouth,” he said.

The settlement is home to nearly 230 Pakistani Hindu refugee families. Residents say seven families have already returned to Pakistan, and around 50 more are planning to leave.

Children aged 12 to 18 often drop out after primary school because they lack an Aadhaar card.

In local schools, refugees make up roughly 50 of 579 students in an MCD primary school, 50 of 758 in the Directorate of Education (DoE) Government Boys Senior Secondary School (GBSS), and 40 of 1,322 in the Government Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya (SKV).

Although a 2017 DoE circular stated that lack of Aadhaar should not prevent admission, many schools reportedly required it, leaving students no choice but to leave.

Other documents like birth certificates and Long Term Visas (LTVs) were listed as alternatives, yet some schools have admitted students on Short Term Visas (STVs) as well.

Krishna, a student who had to drop out two years ago, would have been in 7th grade.

“We are working our tails off trying to teach them,” said Jamna, a 30-year-old mother of three, whose sons attend GBSS.

To fill the gap, NGOs like Sewa Bharti have organized tuition classes for students from nursery to 12th grade.

Bharat Rajput, who works with the NGO, said volunteers teach children in the settlement, often under difficult conditions.

Ram Das, a 27-year-old resident and volunteer, said, “I want my kids to study and have a bright future. I do not have the place to teach children; I am teaching them in the worst possible conditions.”

Parents have requested schools to accept passports for admission, but officials have maintained that children can only continue if they have an Aadhaar card.

Thirteen-year-old Govind, for instance, was turned away last year. Families report filing for citizenship but receive vague responses, such as “the card will come in a month or two.”

School officials say admission rules have become stricter. MCD-run primary school principal Rajesh Thakur said, “We have received guidelines from MCD to consider either an Aadhaar card or a birth certificate for admission.”

“If either of the two is not there, we can consider a long-term visa for the parents. The children are very devoted to studying, but the problem is the official documents; most of them are on short-term visas,” Thakur added.

At GBSS, principal Sunil Kadian explained, “From this year, every student has to submit an Aadhaar card; if they do not have it, they are required to register for it because without it, their UDISE code cannot be made and is required for their admission.”

The UDISE code is an 11-digit identifier for schools, and the APAAR ID is a 12-digit code tracking each student’s academic record.

Some children also face bullying. Thirteen-year-old Satish said classmates call them “Pakistani” or “Khatarnaak” and beat them.

Mukesh Kumar, a 6th grader, added that older students threaten violence. Teachers reportedly issue warnings, but the harassment continues.

The recent Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, allows religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh arriving before 2025 to live in India without passports or other documents, but it does not guarantee citizenship.

Many families feel trapped, with uncertain educational futures for their children. Tulsi, a father of four, said, “All our expectations are proving to be wrong.”

Parents and children remain at a crossroads, caught between the hope of education and the challenges of identity and bureaucratic obstacles.