Kohima: In a significant step to safeguard the rights of underprivileged children, the Nagaland Directorate of School Education has issued a directive to identify and enroll children involved in begging into government schools.
The move comes in response to a broader advisory by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which urged all states to prioritize the protection and rehabilitation of marginalized groups, including children, women, and the differently-abled, who are forced into begging.
Principal Director of School Education, Shashank Pratap Singh, in his advisory, has called upon members of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), Municipal councils, town and village councils, churches, student unions and the general public to report details of such children to the Child Helpline 1098, enabling their enrolment in the nearest government schools.
The department specifically aims to identify out-of-school children aged 6 to 14 years, including those who have never been enrolled or have dropped out before completing elementary education.
Children aged 3 to 6 years whose parents are engaged in begging and are yet to be enrolled in pre-schools, Anganwadi or Balvatika centres are also part of the initiative.
All District Education Officers (DEOs), Sub-Divisional Education Officers (SDEOs), and Senior SDEOs have been instructed to coordinate with the concerned District Child Protection Units and Child Welfare Committees to ensure these children are brought under the ambit of the Right to Education Act, 2009.
The NHRC has emphasized that despite ongoing welfare schemes, begging remains a persistent issue in India.
Citing the 2011 Census, it noted that over 4.13 lakh people—including women, children, transgender individuals, and the elderly—were engaged in begging across the country.
The NHRC has earlier issued an advisory to the Centre, state governments, and Union Territory administrations to develop strategies aimed at eliminating the need for begging and enhancing the quality of life for those involved in it.
ALSO READ: Nagaland’s Kelülü Dawhuo to represent state at Miss Universe India 2025
This new advisory aims to not only eliminate child begging but also offer these children the opportunity for formal education and a better future.
