Hubballi: A joint survey conducted by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department along with the Urban Development authorities has brought attention to a concerning issue—nearly 150 children in Dharwad district have yet to be enrolled in any school, just 20 days before the 2025–26 academic year begins.
The Out-of-School Children (OOSC) report reveals that some children have never attended school, while others, despite securing transfer certificates, have not been admitted to new institutions. A large portion of these children belong to migrant families, working in agricultural fields with their parents or having moved out of the district.
Navalgund taluk recorded the highest number of out-of-school children at 53, followed by Kundgol with 36. Dharwad Rural had 25, and Hubballi Rural counted 19. Dharwad City reported 10 cases, while Kalghatagi and Hubballi City reported 5 and 2 respectively.
Prakash Bhutali, assistant project coordinator of Samagra Shikshana Karnataka and the nodal officer, stated that the list has been forwarded to the education department. “Our Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs) and school heads will work to reintegrate these children into schools,” he said.
DDPI Shankmukh Swamy Keladimath assured that outreach programmes would be held at the taluk level. “Officials will visit households and motivate parents to enroll their children. Those who’ve never been to school will be placed in age-appropriate classes,” he explained.
Ningappa Hadapad, SDMC president, cited a successful case where a long-term dropout was re-enrolled, urging similar action across the district.
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