Parliament Question: Education of Children of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Andhra Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO – 2759 ANSWERED ON 09/03/2026 Education of Children of Migrant Agricultural Workers in Andhra Pradesh 2759. Dr. Gumma Thanuja Rani: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has data on school dropout or absenteeism rates among children of migrant agricultural workers in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Kurnool and Anantapur districts; (b) if so, the details thereof, year-wise since 2020; (c) whether the Government proposes to include such migration-affected regions under the Samagra Shiksha initiative to ensure continuity of learning; and (d) if so, the steps being taken by the Government to coordinate with the Ministry of Labour to track school-aged migrant children through the UDISE+ system? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) & (b): As per information received from the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, enrollment and dropout of children of migrant agricultural workers in Anantapur and Kurnool Districts of Andhra Pradesh are as under:- Anantapur District Kurnool District Number Number of of Student Student % of Student Student % of children children Year s in s Dropo s in s Dropo of migrant of migrant School Dropout ut School Dropout ut agricultur agricultur al workers al workers 2020 2800 2723 77 2.75 7452 0 0 0 -21 2021 493 470 23 4.67 1826 1650 175 9.58 -22Anantapur District Kurnool District Number Number of of Student Student % of Student Student % of children children Year s in s Dropo s in s Dropo of migrant of migrant School Dropout ut School Dropout ut agricultur agricultur al workers al workers 2022 1450 1479 62 4.28 2027 1980 45 2.22 -23 2023 148 136 12 8.11 3289 3478 9 0.26 -24 2024 0 0 0 0 1775 1768 7 0.39 -25 2025 51 51 0 0 4003 4020 0 0 -26 (c) & (d): Children above six years of age, who have not been admitted in any school or though admitted could not complete their elementary education, are identified as Out of School Children (OoSC), to enrol them to age-appropriate class of regular schools. To ensure that such OoSC admitted to regular schools are integrated into the school system, special training is provided in the form residential or non- residential courses, as needed. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Samagra Shiksha’, financial assistance, upto Rs.6000 per child per year for non-residential training and upto Rs.20000 per child per year for residential training, is provided to States / UTs. At Secondary level, for OoSC in 16-19 years age group and belonging to Socially & Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDG), financial assistance is available to continue education through Open/Distance Learning mode, if it is not possible to mainstream them into formal school. Financial assistance upto Rs. 2000/- per child per grade per annum is provided for completing education through the Open School System at Secondary/ Senior Secondary stage for registration, accessing course material and certification. State Government of Andhra Pradesh has informed that under Samagra Shiksha, convergence meetings are conducted every year with the Labour Department and Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) to identify children of agricultural migrant and other vulnerable families to ensure their enrolment, retention, and continuity of education without interruption. Further, the Labour Department conducts habitation-level surveys and provides the list of children belonging to migrated families, including details of agricultural migrant workers. *****