Bengaluru: Children have lost earning and other activities during the Covid pandemic in the past two years. Online education was only limited to a small section of the students and it created a barrier in between children of well off family and socially as well as economically marginalised communities. These children have faced the issues like malnutrition, child marriage, child labour, beggary, trafficking, sexual violence, depression etc. Many children have dropped out and out of school children’s (OOSC) numbers have increased.
It is a welcoming point that this year schools have started well in advance and slowly children are being exposed to school atmosphere. On the other hand, still many dropout and OOSC children are not coming to the schools. They need special attention in order for them to join mainstream education.
In this background AEAET has been organising “Shaalekade – Nanna Nade” awareness jatha in association with Education Department, Labour Department and CRY in Lingarajapura, KHB Quarters, Janakiramlayout and Hakkipikki slum areas. Around 500 children, teachers and volunteers took part in this awareness jatha. K.J.George, Sarvagnanagar Constituency MLA and Former Minister inaugurated the awareness jatha. Ganeshreddy, Former Corporator, Jayaprakash, Block Education Officer, N3, Shakunthaladevi, Child Development Project Officer, Bengaluru East Project, Women and Child Development Department participated as chief guests.
Children and volunteers carried banners and placards. They also shouted slogans and also distributed pamphlets. It was an effective jatha which created good amount of awareness among the public as well as children.
