KATHMANDU: Children of freed Kamaiyas (former bonded labour) of Naukhari of Kanchanpur are forced to dropout from schools owing to financial crisis.

It has been challenging for the freed Kamaiyas to manage school uniform and education materials for sending their kids to the school. So dropout rate of the children of freed Kamaiyas is very high.

The families of freed Kamaiyas are surviving on daily wages and it is difficult for them to afford children's education, said a local Indra Bahadur Chaudhary. Instead, they have no choice but to send their school-going-age children for labour, he added.

A large number of children (5-13 years age group) of freed Kamaiyas are forced to quit schools in the middle of the session due to financial crisis, according to principal of Janachetana Primary School Pushpa Raj Bhatta. Furthermore, the children who are continuing their study are not regular to school, he said.

The Office of District Land Reforms Programme here in 2057 BS provided five kattha of land to every family of freed Kamaiya for their rehabilitation. There are over 700 families of freed Kamaiyas in the village.