School Chalo Abhiyan: Tripura starts initiative to bring back dropout students

Tripura government will embark on a mission to undertake an extensive survey to bring back all the dropout students to the 4,300 schools across the state as part of the School Cholo Abhiyan.

Back-to-school campaign: Tripura recorded a considerable number of school dropouts amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly, 8,850 students from Classes 1 to 8 had left the schools since physical teaching remained shut for two years due to the Covid pandemic. The Tripura government has decided to bring all the students aged 6-14 who had left the schools due to the Covid pandemic back to their respective classes, according to HT report.

'Earn with Learn’ initiative to help

The government decided to commence the back-to-school campaign after an education department survey revealed the number of school dropouts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department will embark on a mission to undertake an extensive survey to bring back all the dropout students to the 4,300 schools across the state as part of the School Cholo Abhiyan. Third-year students of colleges and volunteers will conduct the survey work under a new scheme called 'Earn with Learn’.

INR 500 per dropout student

The exact number of dropouts will be recorded via this survey and then the volunteers will bring them back to the schools after convincing their guardians. It will start later in July, according to the official. A volunteer will be offered INR 500 if they could bring back a dropout student to the school. The department plans to engage 10,000 volunteers, who will be assisted by accredited social health activists and Anganwadi workers.

Free school bags and other supplies

It has also chalked out a plan to distribute school bags to the students studying in government and government-aided schools from nursery to Class II. "A total of 1, 51,719 bags will be required with a cost of INR 7.58 crore. The tender will be floated shortly," the official said. To encourage girl students, bicycles are given to each girl student once she get promoted to Class IX. This year, around 23,000 girl students will get the benefit.

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