‘Back to School' helps over 50 children resume education

The Hindu

2 days ago

'Back to School', a project initiated by Kozhikode city police has helped over 50 children who earlier left school for various reasons to resume their studies in the new academic year. The majority of the 54 students are boys who were found out through a survey and readmitted to schools with the support of the Department of Education and various other voluntary organisations.
The project, claimed to be the first such initiative in the State, became a reality under the social policing division of the Kozhikode City police. The data collected from the office of the Deputy Director of Education helped the police identify school dropouts and address their developmental needs to resume education.
'There were 68 such students who left schools in recent years for various reasons. There were financially backward kids and those who were not properly taken care of by their parents,' said V.M. Abdul Wahab, Additional Superintendent of Police and the Nodal officer of the Project. He added efforts were on to help out the remaining 14 students also to resume their education.
The project coordinators confirmed that the 'Back to School' initiative would extend its support for the migrant workers' children as well. They said a survey was under way to verify the details of a few more children who reportedly left the school with a claim that their parents wanted to go back to their home States.
Police sources said 'HOPE' (Helping Others to Promote Education), a scheme launched by the Kerala Police in 2017 to support the education of school dropouts with a separate learning centre and independent coaching support, was also combined with the 'Back to School' initiative. This year, seven students would be part of HOPE, they added.
Under HOPE, over 500 students were fortunate to resume their studies and attend the qualifying examinations in the past. Some students passed the SSLC and Plus Two examinations, depending on the equivalency programmes implemented with the support of nine trained teachers.
A former trainer associated with the project said HOPE helped over 100 students pursue various graduation courses. 'Several of them later completed technical courses and secured jobs with leading companies. Many achieved their dream job in the army. To be successful in life, we imparted training in life skills education, soft skills development, and communication,' he pointed out.