CHENNAI: In an effort to rehabilitate children of seasonal migrants from Odisha, Aide et Action has ensured that 470 children of brick kiln workers in Ellapuram block and Villivakam block of Thiruvallur have been enrolled in mainstream schools in Odisha. The initiative by the NGO began in January this year, to rehabilitate the children in the age group 9-14 years from 7 districts in Odisha, namely Balangir, Bargarh, Nuanpura, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Sundargarh and Raipur. The NGO conducted a baseline survey in the district to identify the migrant children in the 15 brick kilns. Based on this survey, they worked with the support of the SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhayan) to enroll 15 volunteers from Odisha to educate the children in their local language in 15 AIE (Alternative Intensive Education) centres, provided by owners of the brick kilns, according to A Bosgo, Project Mangager, Migration Project,Aide et Action.The children received their migration certificates from the SSA with the help of the NGO and the enrollment in mainstream schools. It began in June and has now been successfully completed, he added.The SSA provided a monthly stipend of `1,600 for three months to 15 volunteers from Odisha, while the NGO paid them a monthly stipend of `3,500 for one year. This included activities like ensuring the admission of the children in mainstream schools, their promotion to higher classes, monitoring their atten-dance in school and enlisting their names into their migration list in the government register, he said.Addressing the problems faced by migrants, Bosgo said that lack of medical facilities, congested housing facilities and unavailability of teachers who speak their own language are the ground realities in the brick kilns functioning in Thiruvalluvar and Kanchipuram district.He also emphasised on the need to reform the academic year norms of the residential bridge course of the SSA from June-March to January-June. The state level consultant of the SSA, Adhiyapadham said that the concerted efforts of NGOs and SSA has helped in the intervention and rehabilitation of the migrant children. This comes after the NGO was involved recently in the rescue and rehabilitation of 522 migrants, including 170 children from the Ponneri Taluk with the help of the education volunteers from Odisha. They helped the migrants convey their problems to the government as well as ensured they received the relief amount of Rs 19,000 from the Odisha government.
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