Out-of-school kids in BJP States high

Uttar Pradesh tops the chart with 3,96,655 OoSC; Telangana fares much better with only 4,556

Hyderabad: All the tall claims of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government over double-engine governance have a different story to narrate if the Out of School Children (OoSC) statistics at the elementary level are considered.

Uttar Pradesh, which has a BJP government for the second consecutive term, has a staggering 3,96,655 OoSC — the highest in the country in 2022-23. With 1,06,885 OoSC, Gujarat, also governed by the BJP, is no better. Bihar is second on the chart with 1,34,252 OoSC at the elementary level for the same year.

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On the other hand, Telangana has just 4,556 OoSC and fares better than several BJP-ruled States such as Assam (80,739) Madhya Pradesh (18,678), Maharashtra (15,707) and Karnataka (5,945). In fact, Varanasi district, which is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Parliamentary constituency, has 5,788 OoSC, which is far higher than Telangana.

The survey’s statistics were recently presented in Lok Sabha by union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi to a question raised by MP Bholanath (BP Saroj).

OoSC refers to children who have not enrolled in a school or dropped out at any stage before completing elementary education (age six-14).

Taking a jibe at the BJP’s double-engine governance campaign, Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy recently tweeted stating that UP and Gujarat were competing for the top spot in the OoSC list. She further said it was not a double engine but trouble engine governance.

Under Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s rule, initiatives such as Mana Ooru-Mana Badi were helping increase enrollments in government schools across Telangana. According to a senior official of the School Education Department, various initiatives of the State government, including Badi Bata (enrollment drive) and infrastructure development at government schools under Mana Ooru-Mana Badi, were one of the main reasons for the low OoSC.

During the enrollment drive, teachers are entrusted with the job of identifying OoSC and enrolling them at government schools as per their appropriate age. Remedial classes are held for students who dropped out of school and are mainstreamed, the official added.