Jajpur: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has sought an action-taken report (ATR) within 30 days on the alarming rate of school dropouts, particularly among SC/ST students, in the industrial and mining belts of Jajpur district—specifically in Sukinda and Danagadi blocks. Social activist Mantu Das had drawn the attention of the NCST Chairperson towards the state of affairs through a formal complaint September 7 last year.
Acting on the complaint, NCST Director P Kalyan Reddy April 5 this year directed the Principal Secretary of the ST/SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, the Commissioner of School and Mass Education department, and the Jajpur Collector to submit a factual report on the issue within 30 days of receiving the letter.
Failure to comply may result in a summons being issued to the concerned officials, the NCST warned. As per data provided recently by Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) operating in the Kalinganagar industrial zone, a total of 56,166 dropout students were identified between 2015 and 2024 in the mining and industrial belts of Sukinda and Danagadi blocks. These figures were compiled from 331 government schools across 462 villages in 48 gram panchayats. These dropout students have been rehabilitated under TSF scheme. Further, the January 2024 Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) report by the Samagra Shiksha division of Jajpur recorded 13,010 dropout students.
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However, despite various initiatives by the Education department to reintegrate these children into mainstream education, the efforts have largely been ineffective. Most of the dropouts, who belong to SC/ST communities, are now engaged in menial jobs such as working in liquor shops, agricultural fields, hotels, contract-based labour, and garages, adversely impacting their physical and mental well-being, reports said.
Highlighting the gravity of the issue, Mantu Das had earlier filed a public interest litigation (PIL, No. 1729/2023) in the Orissa High Court, citing that these children were being denied their fundamental rights to education, nutritious food, and healthcare. The High Court had directed the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to investigate and appropriately rehabilitate the affected children January 24, 2023. However, over two years have passed since the issuance of the directive no substantial progress has reportedly been made. Allegations have also surfaced that the failure of the Education department is forcing these children to seek alternatives like job placements under TSF’s rehabilitation schemes.
Despite investing over Rs 168.64 crore in upgrading 249 high schools across the district – and a second phase of transformation currently underway – dropout numbers have not decreased, raising questions about the effectiveness of the Education department’s initiatives. It is further alleged that many ST/SC children have not been brought under the purview of the Right to Education Act, 2009. As part of his complaint, Mantu Das submitted a list of 22 dropout students to the NCST, including information that four underage girls had already married and given birth to children. Given the sensitivity and scale of the issue, the NCST has taken the matter seriously and instructed concerned authorities to file a detailed ATR.
