Lok Sabha Question No. 5902 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-10
Subject: Education for Children of Labourers
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA, ANOOP MISHRA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5902 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 TH  APRIL, 2017

## Education for Children of Labourers

†5902.  SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA: SHRI ANOOP MISHRA:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether there are a large number of tribal children do not attend school as they assist their families in labour work in rural areas of the country;
- (b) if so, the number of such children, State/UT-wise;
- (c)  the  scheme/programmes  prepared  by  the  Government  to  ensure  that  these children are educated/attend school; and
- (d) the number of schools opened/ proposed to be open for education of the children of  labourers,  particularly  women  workers  in  the  country  including  Madhya  Pradesh during the last three years, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI UPENDRA KUSHWAHA)

(a) to (b): Data regarding tribal children not attending schools due to their engagement in family labour is not maintained Centrally.

(c) to (d): The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which became operative with effect from 1 st April, 2010, mandates that all children in the age group of 6-14 years shall be in schools for completing elementary education. Section 4 of the RTE Act provides for special training for age appropriate admission of  out  of  school  children.  Those  children  who  have  missed  out  certain  academic years either because they were never enrolled in school or  dropped out of school, have a right to Special Training in residential and non residential mode, subsequently to be mainstreamed in formal schools in age appropriate class.

In order to ensure access to school of all children within willable distance, SSA, since its inception, has provided 2.04 lakh primary and 1.59 lakh upper primary schools for ensuring  universal  provisioning  of  schooling  facilities.  Preference  for  opening  of school  is  given  to  tribal  areas,  and  areas  with  high  concentration  of  SC,  ST  and minority population. In addition, 3609 KGBVs (Girls residential school at upper level) have also been sanctioned to the states for improving access to marginalised girls particularly out of school either drop out or never enrolled.

With the enactment of RtE Act, SSA frame work has been revised and provisions for residential  schools/  hostels  and  transportations/  escort  facility  has  been  made  for children living in sparsely populated areas, children living in areas where schools can not  be  opened  due  to  unavailability  of  land  and  children  in  need  of  care  and protection. A total of 826 residential facilities with a capacity of 90,855 children have been sanctioned to states under SSA. It includes 267 residential Schools for 50,500 children and 559 Hostels for 40,355 children. Out of this, 818 are operational (99%) with  82,267  children  (90%  of  the  capacity)  including  266  Residential  Schools  with 44,717 children and 552 Hostels with 37,550 children.

The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits the employment of children below 14 years of age in 18 occupations and 65 processes and regulates the working condition of children in employment where they are not prohibited.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is implementing the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme since 1988 for rehabilitation of children withdrawn from work. The major objective of the scheme is to withdraw children from work and mainstream them into formal education system. Children rescued/withdrawn from work in the age group of 9-14 years are enrolled in the NCLP Special Training Centres, where they are provided bridge education, vocational training, mid-day meal, stipend, health care etc.  before  being  mainstreamed  into  formal  education  system.  Children  in  the  age group of 5-8 years are directly linked to the formal education system through a close coordination with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).  Presently, the Scheme is being implemented in 270 Districts of 21 States in the country. State/UT-wise details are given at Annexure.

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## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  5902 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.04.2017 ASKED BY  SHRI  PARBHUBHAI  NAGARBHAI  VASAVA  AND  SHRI  ANOOP  MISHRA REGARDING 'EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN OF LABOURERS'

Statement showing State-wise details of National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Special Training Centres sanctioned

| Sl. No.   | Name of State   |   No. of Districts |
|-----------|-----------------|--------------------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh  |                 12 |
| 2.        | Assam           |                  3 |
| 3.        | Bihar           |                 24 |
| 4.        | Chhattisgarh    |                  7 |
| 5.        | Gujarat         |                  9 |
| 6.        | Haryana         |                  3 |
| 7.        | Jammu & Kashmir |                  2 |
| 8.        | Jharkhand       |                  8 |
| 9.        | Karnataka       |                 17 |
| 10.       | Madhya Pradesh  |                 21 |
| 11.       | Maharashtra     |                 16 |
| 12.       | Nagaland        |                  1 |
| 13.       | Odisha          |                 24 |
| 14.       | Punjab          |                  3 |
| 15.       | Rajasthan       |                 27 |
| 16.       | Tamil Nadu      |                 17 |
| 17.       | Telangana       |                  8 |
| 18.       | Uttar Pradesh   |                 47 |
| 19.       | Uttarakhand     |                  1 |
| 20.       | West Bengal     |                 19 |
| 21.       | Delhi           |                  1 |
| Total     |                 |                270 |