According to a notice shared by the school education department, the economic and social difficulties faced by single mothers in the state often compel them to pull their children out of school
An awareness camp conducted by Sau Ekal Mahila Samiti, an organisation that aids single women. PIC/By Special Arrangement
Maharashtra’s Maharashtra School Education Department has called for a census of all the children of single mothers studying from Std I to Std XII. According to a notice shared by the school education department, the economic and social difficulties faced by single mothers in the state often compel them to pull their children out of school. In an attempt to aid these women, the state now intends to collect data on the number of these students to pay special attention to their education. The data is then to be used to plan out future schemes that aid these students.
“Single women, be it widows, abandoned women, or divorced women, face a lack of employment resources and support from their in-laws. This often leaves them with no other option but to take their children out of school, due to time and financial constraints,” said Herambh Kulkarni, state convener of Sau Ekal Mahila Samiti, an organisation dedicated to aiding single women across the state.
Talking to mid-day, Kulkarni explained that there is no exact data from an educational angle to estimate how many such students are there across the state. “Since the exact number was not available, no decisions, such as fee waivers, benefit schemes, could be made for the education of these children. With this move, teachers can look at the number of such students at their schools more consciously and aid them with educational materials, fee waivers, trips, etc.”
The activist also stated that many single, destitute women across the state don’t have full knowledge of the kind of childcare facilities available, which is why they often don’t take advantage of them. Kalabai Chavan, whose husband passed away two months ago, is one such individual. “My daughters are in Std V and VI, but they have not been to school since their father passed away. I cannot afford to buy notebooks and pencils, as I work on someone else’s farm. I don’t know how to go about availing of any scholarships or benefits,” said the Banglewadi resident.
Officials from the education department told mid-day, “The process of collecting data is already underway, and we have the numbers for a few districts already. We are trying to close the process at the earliest.”
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