Ramechhap, April 15

More than 500 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years are out of school in Ramechhap district. Local authorities have launched a school enrollment campaign aiming to bring such kids back to school.

The campaign with the slogan ‘Accessible School Education, Our Commitment’ was launched yesterday and will last till May 12. As a part of the campaign, kids who return to school for admission by April 26 will be welcomed with vermilion and garlands.

According to District Education Officer Khubiram Adhikari, his office has written to every government school in the district, asking them to do the needful.

“It is a sad thing that hundreds of kids from indigenous communities like Hayu, Majhi and Thami are out of school. Although some of them come to study, the schools have failed to retain them. So, we’ve directed the schools to devise a special action plan to attract and retain such kids,” said DEO Adhikari.

“If kids don’t get admitted to schools by April 26, authorities from various nearby schools will visit the concerned households and counsel the guardians in the next phase of the campaign from April 27,” said Adhikari, adding that the kids admitted during the week-long celebration of Book Distribution Day from April 17 to 24 will be provided with textbooks free of cost.  To make the campaign a success, the DEO has planned to mobilise people, including chief of the office, guardians, teachers, political leaders as well as social workers.