Children - Terre des Hommes

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aged between 6 and 14 years in the state was 350,703 (class
I–V) in 2007. 233 According to Pratham’s ASER 2008 survey,
7.2 per cent of children aged between 6 and 14 years are out
of school in Orissa. 234 Although there has been improvements
in terms of enrolments in the state, the number of drop outs
in Orissa is still very high, indicating that there are serious
problems in terms of the efficiency of the education system.
The rate of drop-out is 34.7 per cent at the primary level and
59 per cent at the upper primary level. 235 This rate of drop-out
is higher amongst girls, SCs and STs.
Lack of access to schooling is still a significant problem in the
adivasi areas—the majority of habitations without a school
are those with a predominantly ST population. 236 Table 2.14
provides information on ST literacy, drop-out and out-ofschool
numbers for districts in Orissa that were a part of the
study sites.
occupations in the state, revealing that 21.4 per cent of all
children in hazardous occupations in India can be found in
Orissa. 238 This is likely to be much lower than the actual figure
particularly as the list of hazardous occupations has been
expanded significantly since 1999. The NCLP is currently
operating in 18 out of Orissa’s 30 districts. In 2006-07, 1,781
children were rehabilitated through the scheme and up to
May 2007, a total of 72,653 children had been rescued from
work and enrolled in the NCLP schools. 239
The state continues to face many challenges in terms of child
health. According to the most recent NFHS-3, published in
2007, 44 per cent of children under 3 years are underweight in
Orissa. 240 The extent of anaemia among children aged 6–35
months is also very high and around 72.3 per cent of children
were found to have some degree of anaemia. The IMR and
under five mortality rate are also significantly higher than
Table 2.14: ST children drop-out in Keonjhor, Sundergarh and Rayagada districts
District Popula- Area Population and Drop-out rate Out-of-school
tion in sq literacy rate children betmillions
km
ween 6-14 years
% of ST % of % of Total % of ST Total % of ST Total % of No of
popula- literacy literacy drop- drop- drop- drop- children ST out outtion
(all) ST out in out in out in out in out-of- -of- ofprimary
primary upper upper school school school
primary primary
children
Keonjhor 15.16 8303 44.50 59.24 40.30 16.76 27.95 20.21 31.31 13.51 13.75 19,645
Sundergarh 18.29 9712 53.40 64.86 52.75 18.95 28.58 23.22 31.29 7.10 7.59 13,293
Rayagada 8.32 7073 52.82 36.15 20.23 5.96 15.01 18.60 36.29 23.76 27.26 22,771
State total 366.91 155707 22.13 63.08 37.37 10.53 22.88 18.05 32.44 8.67 12.93
Out-of-school children Koraput district-25,540
Source: “Multilingual education and other initiatives in Orissa” presented by Sri NB Dhal, IAS, State Project Director And Dr M.K. Mishra, State Coordinator SC/ST
and Minority Education, Orissa Primary Education Programme Authority, Bhubaneswar
According to the Census, there are 377,594 child labourers in
the state (14 years and under). 237 Official statistics show that
in 1999, there were 23,761 children employed in hazardous
the national average—respectively 64.7 (per 1,000 births)
and 90.6, as compared to 57 and 74.3. 241 These figures are
attributed to several factors, including the poor professional
233. Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 576, dated 21.10.2008.
234. Pratham ASER 2008 survey
235. Government of Orissa, Human Development Report, 2004.
236. Ibid.
237. Census of India, 2001.
238. Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2691, dated 9.8.2000.
239. Data accessed on indiastat.com; Compiled from the statistics released by: Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3759, 09.05.2007, Lok Sabha Unstarred
Question No. 994, 20.08.2007 and Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2415, 03.12.2007.
240. NFHS-3, 2007.
241. Ibid