Rescued child labourers resume education, score big in life

Coimbatore: When the World Day Against Child Labour is observed every year on June 12, 38-year-old Rumesh revisits his childhood, when he was forced to work to earn bread for his family.
Rumesh was a Class IV dropout when he migrated from Salem in 2001 to work in a button shop in Coimbatore for a measly sum. He says luck was on his side when volunteers of the national child labour project (NCLP) enrolled him in the special training centre (STC) to resume his studies.
“At STC, I was taught Class V syllabus.The coaching at the centre was entirely different compared to that of a school. After Class V, I was enrolled in a regular school. After passing SSLC, I earned a diploma in textile technology,” Rumesh told TOI. He now works for a textile unit in Coimbatore as a quality controller.
N Naveenkumar of Coimbatore had to give up his dreams to pursue higher studies when he was a Class V student. He was forced to sell idlis on the streets that his mother made.
“In 2008, I was mainstreamed into education by enrolling in an STC. Resuming studies became hassle-free as I was able to complete Class VII and later earned a BSc in Mathematics. I am now a Final Year MSc Applied Mathematics with Computer Application student at Bharathiar University,” the 25-year-old man said. “I am looking forward to a successful career in the IT sector.”
A Ruby of Pillayarpuram also worked hard as a child labourer. The 33-year-old woman teaches rescued child labourers and is the mother of a seven-year-old boy. “The Union government has subsumed NCLP under Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). This decision must be nullified and the scheme must be continued to eradicate child labour,” she said.
NCLP volunteers had rescued several children from mills, bakeries, restaurants, and industrial units, a senior district administration official said. “They were given a stipend to resume education. Data from the district enforcement drive shows that 14, five and 16 child labourers were rescued in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively.”
On Sunday, Coimbatore collector G S Sameeran took part in a bicycle rally to mark the day. “The punishment for employing children is a fine between 20,000 and 50,000,” he said.