No dropout in schools this academic year in Union Territory of Puducherry, says Director of Education

Rajesh Kumar Singh, Registrar of NCPCR, A. S. Sivakumar, Director of School Education, Puduchderry and P. Muthumeena, Director of Women and Child Development at the ‘National Conference on Child Rights’ organised at IGMCRI in Puducherry on Tuesday.
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KUMAR SS

The Union Territory has achieved zero dropout in schools during the current academic year, Director of School Education A. S. Sivakumar has claimed. 

Speaking at a national conference on child rights, organised jointly by the Education Department and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the Director said the preparatory and middle school levels have achieved zero dropout in the current year. The efforts by the department have helped to improve the academic atmosphere in government schools, he said.

Registrar of NCPCR Rajesh Kumar Singh in his address said the advisory issued by the Commission to install sugar awareness boards in all schools has received good response in the country. The advisory was issued to tackle obesity and diabetes among children. Around seven lakh schools, including 767 in Puducherry, have joined the campaign by putting up boards to promote healthy eating habits in children, he said. 

Sharing details of other initiatives of the Commission to protect the rights of children, Mr. Singh said around 32,800 cases pertaining to child right violations have been disposed of in the last six months. During the period, around 2,300 children were rescued from vulnerable situations by coordinating with various stakeholders, including State governments. Also, initiatives were taken to repatriate 1,000 children staying in different child care institutions in the country to their parent district/State, the Registrar said. 

Plan to use AI tools

The NCPCR was planning to use Artificial Intelligence tools to curb availability of online child sexual abuse materials. The organisation was planning to make it’s website more accessible and user-friendly, he said. “Ensuring accountability in education system is not merely an administrative requirement but a moral and legal obligation to uphold every child’s right to equitable and safe education,” Mr. Singh said.

Director of Women and Child Development P. Muthumeena stressed on the need for strong measures to prevent availability of objectionable materials that could impact the well being of children from social media platforms. Parents and teachers should regularly engage with children to find out their difficulties and make them mentally healthy, she added.