Gujarat launches statewide drive to bring 80,000 school dropout children back to classrooms

The Gujarat government has launched a statewide enrollment drive to bring more than 80,000 school dropout children back into the education system, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announcing an ambitious target of achieving "zero dropout" across the state.

The initiative, titled the 'Samras Vidya Setu' Mega Campaign, was launched from Ahmedabad on Wednesday. The government said it has identified over 80,000 children who are currently out of school and plans to re-enroll them in age appropriate classes while providing academic support to bridge learning gaps.

Addressing the launch event, Patel said Gujarat's school dropout rate has declined to 2%, and the new campaign is aimed at ensuring that every child returns to the classroom.

District-wise lists of school dropout children have already been prepared, he said, adding that teachers, local public representatives, and community leaders will work together to reach out to parents and encourage them to send their children back to school.

"Every child will be admitted to the appropriate class according to their age, while special academic support and bridge learning arrangements have been made for children who have fallen behind in their studies," he said.

In a post on X, Patel emphasized that ensuring education for every child is both a constitutional obligation and a social commitment.

"Ensuring that every child from 6 to 14 years gets the fundamental right to free and compulsory education is our constitutional and moral responsibility," Patel said.

The Chief Minister stressed that achieving the goal of "zero dropout" would require coordinated efforts from the government, teachers, parents, and society.

He said regular school attendance is essential, particularly as Gujarat continues to emerge as one of the country's major destinations for business and employment, making quality education increasingly important for future opportunities.

Highlighting the role of teachers in retaining students, Patel said educators regularly monitor attendance and intervene when prolonged absences are reported.

"If a child remains absent from school for two consecutive days, the teacher visits the child's home to understand the reason for the absence," he said.

Patel also said improvements in the quality of education offered by government and municipal schools have led many families to shift their children from private schools to government institutions.

State Education Minister Dr. Pradyuman Vaja described the initiative as "not merely a government program but a people's movement to ensure every child's Right to Education."

He said Gujarat has introduced several initiatives to strengthen public education, including Mission Schools of Excellence, smart classrooms, upgraded educational infrastructure, and student-centric welfare schemes, which have helped improve public confidence in government schools.

Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Vaja said the campaign would adopt a comprehensive strategy to identify out of school children, facilitate their re-enrollment, maintain regular contact with parents, conduct home visits, provide mentoring, and organize bridge courses to help students transition back into mainstream education.

"The campaign would focus on identifying school dropout children, re-enrolling them, maintaining regular contact with parents, conducting home visits, providing mentoring and organizing bridge courses to help them return to mainstream education," he said.

According to the minister, the campaign's success will depend on the participation of teachers, School Management Committees, district and taluka administrations, Cluster Resource Centre (CRC) and Block Resource Centre (BRC) coordinators, voluntary organizations, community leaders, elected representatives, and local communities.

Vaja added that districts, teachers, and School Management Committees demonstrating outstanding performance during the campaign will be recognized on Teachers' Day.