PMO seeks HRD reply on out-of-school kids

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has sought an explanation from the HRD ministry on a TOI report which cited census 2011 data to show that 8.4 crore children in the country do not go to school at all.
Sources said the ministry may acknowledge gross under-reporting by government agencies which has resulted in the ministry having data on just a little over 60 lakh out-of-school children.“It is a fact that enrolment figures have gone up dramatically but variation in data raises serious credibility question,” an official said.
At the same time, sources said, the HRD is also likely to point out the variation in definition of attendance in various surveys. While census surveys children in the age group of 5-17, under Right to Education, the age group of 6-14 is considered.
The census looks at kindergarten/nursery/Montessori schools to senior secondary and open schools. NSSO looks at formal schools and Class I students. In both, no reference time period is given. If a child is not present on the day of survey, he is put in the out-of-school category.
The ministry admits there are problems with data received from various states. A senior official gives the instance of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. In 2013-14 in MP, when household survey began, it was found that enrolment figures had declined by nearly 20%. In Rajasthan, thousands of schools were found non-existent.