Nagaland government calls for enrolling begging children into schools

DIMAPUR —  In a move aimed at safeguarding the rights of underprivileged children, the Directorate of School Education (DoSE) has issued an advisory calling for the identification and enrollment of children involved in begging into government schools.

According to an update, the notification, dated June 17, was issued following an advisory from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) concerning the protection and rehabilitation of impoverished children, women, and persons with disabilities engaged in begging.

The department appealed to NGOs, municipal, town and village councils, churches, student unions, and the general public to report such cases to the child helpline number 1098 to facilitate the enrollment of these children in the nearest government schools.

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It stressed the need to identify out-of-school children aged 6 to 14 years who are either not enrolled or have dropped out before completing elementary education, including those found begging. It also highlighted the need to identify children aged 3 to 6 years whose parents are engaged in begging and who are not enrolled in pre-school, Anganwadi, or Balvatika centres.

To ensure the successful implementation of this initiative, all District Education Officers (DEO), Sub-Divisional Education Officers (SDEO), and Senior SDEOs have been directed to coordinate with the respective District Child Protection Units and Child Welfare Committees. The department said the enrollment drive will be carried out as per the provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2009.