Pune: In a concerted effort to address the issue of out-of-school children, the primary education department of the Zilla Parishad has initiated a special campaign.

A survey has been launched to identify children aged 3 to 18 who are not attending school. This campaign aims to ensure that all identified children are enrolled in Zilla Parishad schools.

The survey is set to be completed by July 20, with the assistance of primary and secondary teachers, Anganwadi workers, helpers, and various non-governmental organizations, according to District Education Officer (Primary) Sanjay Naikade.

The campaign will focus on children who are out of school, those with irregular attendance, and children from migrant families, bringing them into the educational system.

This decision was made during a meeting chaired by District Collector Dr. Suhas Divase. The search campaign involves house-to-house visits in villages and checks at bus stations, railway stations, footpaths, traffic signals, hotels, eateries, public places, markets, brick kilns, quarries, sugar factories, and locations where child labor is likely.

The initiative is being implemented at district, taluka, center, and village levels with the cooperation of various departments, including Revenue, Rural Development, Urban Development, Social Justice and Special Assistance, Women and Child Development, Labor, Tribal Development, Minority Development, Public Health, Home, and Education.

Data compiled by the state school education department in 2021 revealed that a total of 25,204 children were out of school. Among them, 7,806 children (4,076 boys and 3,730 girls) had never attended any school, while 17,397 children (9,008 boys and 8,389 girls) showed significantly irregular attendance throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.