Bhubaneswar: The new academic year has begun from April 1. The Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) has instructed all district collectors to identify children aged 6 to 14 who have not enrolled in schools or have dropped out midway. They have been asked to submit this data urgently on the Central Government’s PRABANDH portal.
As per the Right to Education Act 2009 and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, children aged 5 to 6 should be enrolled in pre-primary (Balvatika), and those above 6 years should be enrolled in Class 1. The aim of NEP 2020 is to ensure education for every child. Therefore, efforts will be made to identify children who have been left out of school enrolment. The letter from OSEPA mentions that the Central Government will monitor dropout management through the PRABANDH portal. Reports should be submitted after identifying children who are away from school. If necessary, children who have been out of school for 3, 6, or 12 months will be provided with special bridge courses to integrate them into the mainstream education system.
Enrollment Drive
With the start of the new academic year, the Khudichhua (enrollment drive) program and Pravesh Utsav (admission festival) have been launched from April 2. New student enrollments are being done in schools. Parents, local representatives, civil society members, teachers, and students were actively involved in this grand initiative.