GUWAHATI
Some out-of-school children share the dreams of their more fortunate counterparts: to become doctors, engineers, or pilots if they get the opportunity to study.
A few who attended three 10-day motivational camps in southwestern Assam’s Goalpara district want to become MLAs. They are not awed by the status or lifestyle of legislators but seek the power of elected representatives to change the lives of those around them.
Others want to become teachers to educate those who cannot afford to go to school or cannot manage time after working to earn a living. The remaining children want to become entrepreneurs to create jobs and ensure that no one goes hungry.
On Thursday (July 16, 2026), the last day of the motivational camps, 12-year-old Nishanta Rabha and 44 others underlined their ambitions after resuming their educational journey. “Apart from helping with household responsibilities, I have to search for work to augment the family income. But I learned there is always a way if there is a will,” said the youngest of three siblings.
The son of Lankeshwar Rabha, a daily wager, and Boiti Rabha, who is chronically ill, Nishanta dropped out of Bordamal High School almost a year ago.
A few days ago, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said that school dropout rates in Assam had declined significantly over the past few years to 3.8% at the primary level, 5% at the upper primary level, and 17.5% at the secondary level. However, the dropout rate at the primary and secondary levels remains higher than the national averages of 2.3% and 8.2%, respectively.
To address the issue of school dropouts, the Centre for Microfinance and Livelihood (CML) organised the motivational camps for out-of-school children in Goalpara’s Balijana Education Block from July 6 to 16. CML is a Tata Trusts initiative to empower communities in the Northeast through sustainable livelihoods, capacity building, and grassroots development.
Before the camps began, 15 education facilitators conducted a door-to-door survey across remote villages, covering the chars (sandbars) and hilly areas of the district. They identified 46 out-of-school children between the ages of 7 and 13 for the camps at three locations: Khasumari Lower Primary School, Pun Pandoba LPS, and Abrarbhita LPS.
Child labour and migration
Kuldeep Das, CML’s district lead for Goalpara, said that the camps were designed to create a joyful, artistic, and child-friendly learning environment. The children were provided with breakfast, lunch, and lemon juice after outdoor activities.
“The primary objective of these camps was to motivate out-of-school children to return to formal education through meaningful, interactive, and enjoyable learning experiences. Parents were also actively involved in the programme to help them understand the importance of education and to support their children’s aspirations,” he said.
Mr. Das said that the major reasons for children dropping out of school in Goalpara are child labour and seasonal migration. Limited parental awareness of the long-term value of education also contributes significantly to the problem.
Mintho Sangma, one of CML’s education facilitators, said that an inspiring outcome of the camps was the confidence with which the children shared their dreams during storytelling sessions and interactive discussions. Their aspirations ranged from becoming teachers, doctors, engineers, pilots, and entrepreneurs to serving as MLAs and community leaders.
“We hope these camps will inspire children to believe in themselves and help them build a brighter future through education,” he said.
Dipanwita Kalita, CML’s mathematics coordinator, said that the children who participated in the camps would be mainstreamed into nearby schools. “To support their transition, each child will receive a mainstreaming kit containing essential educational materials, including a school bag, notebooks, pens, pencils, geometry box, umbrella, water bottle, and educational posters,” she said.
“Our goal is not only to bring children back to school but also to ensure they are equipped with the necessary learning materials to continue their education confidently,” she added.
CML is currently implementing the Developing Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and Reducing School Dropout Programme across three rural blocks in Assam, Balijana, Srijangram (Bongaigaon district), and Tamulpur (Tamulpur district), in collaboration with Samagra Shiksha.
Published – July 16, 2026 03:42 pm IST
