The District Education Office has reported a significant progress in school enrolment in Palpa district in the current academic session with only 604 students left out of the mainstream of education.

The number is a huge drop from 2011 when 9,200 students were out of school.

According to District Education Officer Mahendra Subedi, the data collected during this year’s admission season showed that 19 students aged between 5 and 9 years are yet to join school. Those aged 10-12 years number 62 while 221 children who are yet to get into school are aged 13 to 16.

The number of students dropping out after primary school is 302. According to officials, 29 of the 62 students aged between 10 and 12 years are receiving informal education. Informal classes are being run in two places—Rampur and Siluwa. This year, 583 students have joined Grade 1 and 47 new students got admitted to Grade 3, taking the total of third graders in the district to 525.

Subedi credited the growth to the annual school enrolment campaign.

As per the 2011 census, the district has 79,555 children in the age group 5-16 years. As many as 73,555 of them attend school. The data does not say what 1,398 children do. It is children mostly from poor and illiterate families that are deprived of education.

The DEO claims that the census data is inaccurate.

Apart from children from the Dalit communities in remote areas, children of Kumal, Bote parents and those from some Magar communities have no access to early childhood development centres too. The centres, which engage pre-school toddlers, have encouraged a large number of children to join school.

The DEO said measures were in place to bring on board children from poor families and those with physical disabilities. “We are working to retain the children who have been brought to schools,” added Subedi. The plan entails building child-friendly schools and regular interaction with guardians.