3 weeks ago
Ahmedabad teachers overcome 'why study?' to bring dropouts back
Every year, some children in Ahmedabad, India stop going to school because their families need help at work or at home.
Teachers like Neetaben Bhadresha worked hard during their summer holidays to find these children and bring them back.
They rode around the city, visiting homes again and again to talk to parents.
Some parents wanted their children to help sell vegetables or do housework instead of studying.
Some families move to different places often, which made the children hard to find.
The teachers explained that school is important and told parents about government help.
Because of their hard work, almost all the missing children returned to school.
In Ahmedabad, 9,036 out of 10,387 children came back, which is 86 out of every 100.
The Chief Minister of Gujarat thanked the teachers for their good work.
This shows that teachers can make a big difference in children's lives.
Ahmedabad teachers re-enrolled 9,036 of 10,387 school dropouts during the summer 'Back to School' campaign, an 86 per cent success rate.
Neetaben Bhadresha, a head teacher in Vasna, made repeated home visits to convince parents who viewed their children as earning members to let them return to school.
Some parents refused to send daughters back, citing social constraints and the need for girls to learn household work instead of studying.
Frequent migration of families working as vegetable vendors and daily wagers made tracking difficult, as addresses and phone numbers kept changing.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel felicitated teachers on July 22 for the drive, which ran under the Samras Vidya Setu campaign.
- Who
- Teachers at Ahmedabad municipal schools, including Neetaben Bhadresha, Suketubhai Yagnik, Sitaben Patel, Sanjay Raval and Pareshbhai Patel, along with the Gujarat State Education Department and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
- What
- A 'Back to School' (Samras Vidya Setu) campaign to track down and re-enroll students who had dropped out of school.
- Where
- Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
- When
- During the summer vacation of the 2025-26 academic session (May-June); teachers were felicitated on July 22.
- Why
- Children had dropped out because parents wanted them to help earn money or do household work, and because families frequently migrated for work.
Parents' viewpoint
Teachers' and officials' viewpoint
Children as earners vs. students
Parents' viewpoint
Some parents view their children as earning members and need them to help sell vegetables or buy goods at the wholesale market, so they pull them out of school.
Teachers' and officials' viewpoint
Teachers argue children should not be treated as earning members and make repeated visits to convince parents to let their children stay in school.
Girls' education and social norms
Parents' viewpoint
Some parents believe that after a certain age girls should not go out to study, and instead train them in household tasks such as cooking, cleaning and washing, citing social constraints.
Teachers' and officials' viewpoint
Teachers try to change this mindset by informing parents about government schemes, especially those for girls, and insist that girls continue their education.
Key facts
- Campaign
- Back to School / Samras Vidya Setu
- Location
- Ahmedabad, Gujarat
- Dropouts re-enrolled
- 9,036 of 10,387 (86 per cent)
- Dropouts identified in Gujarat
- Over 6.41 lakh across 44,000 government and grant-in-aid schools
- Students continuing elsewhere
- 1,357 enrolled in other states or ITIs
- Students who refused re-enrollment
- 266
- Students who could not be tracked
- 853
- Duplicate enrolments, deaths etc.
- 243
Quotes
Neetaben N Bhadresha
Head teacher at Vasna Municipal Primary School number 3
“Parents are of the opinion that after a certain age, girls should not go out and study. Instead, they train them in household work such as stocking water, cutting vegetables, cooking, cleaning and washing. They even teach a 6-7 year old girl all these tasks.”
indianexpress.com
“Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel felicitated our teachers on July 22 for achieving a high success rate in bringing back the dropped out students.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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