Once grappling with a significant number of Out-of-School Children (OoSC), the success of the first phase of the Back to School initiative has played a pivotal role in elevating the literacy rate among the Scheduled Tribe community in the district Kishtwar.
In 2021, a survey conducted by SAMAGRA Shiksha Jammu and Kashmir identified thousands of OoSC across J&K UT, including 2,469 in district Kishtwar, marking the highest number in the Jammu Division. As the problem demanded urgent attention, the district administration Kishtwar took proactive steps to bring back all the OoSC to school.
It is pertinent to mention that the term “Out of School Children” is a collective term encompassing dropouts, students who have left their education midway, and those who have never been enrolled and not at all experienced formal education.