The Indian Express 03.07.2013
BMC to study impact of SRA schemes on children’s education
planning to study the impact of increasing slum redevelopment schemes
(SRA) on children’s education.
“We are planning to conduct a study to gauge the impact of
slum redevelopment schemes on children’s education and their progress,”
said Manoj Kotak, BJP corporator and education committee chairman.
“Due to SRA schemes, children who have shifted to different
residential areas are unable to go to their previous school and are
forced to study in schools near the transit camps,” said Kotak.
According to him, this crucial issue is contributing to the increasing
number of school drop-outs.
Corporator from Chembur East Vitthal Kharatmol said,
“Currently a large number of slum-dwellers have been shifted to other
locations because of development work such as road widening,
construction of flyovers and implementation of SRA schemes. When this
occurs, the number of school drop-outs increase.”
According to NGO Praja Foundation’s white paper on the
“status of municipal education in Mumbai”, the drop-out rate has risen
from four per cent in 2010-2011 to seven per cent in 2011-2012. The
report also states that less than a decade ago, the municipal education
system used to cater to over 7.5 lakh students, but now attracts less
than 4.5 lakh students.
A senior education department official said, “If one looks
at civic schools near the Mankhurd-Kurla belt, they are filled beyond
capacity as many PAP transit camps are situated in these suburbs. There
is a dire need to improve and increase school infrastructure in those
areas,” he said.
With civic schools reopening for the new academic year
last month, the civic administration has also planned a range of other
measures to ensure low drop-out rates. These include the need for semi-
English schools, school buses and free bus passes for children who have
to walk long distances, curtailing the misuse of schools not fully
occupied and have been given to NGOs and private schools to use,
monitoring activities of government aided private schools and exposure
visits for public school teachers to private schools.