Eleven-year-old Arun’s day begins as early as 4 am with him fetching milk, cleaning the home, gardening etc. This has been a routine for Arun for the last 3 months since he has been engaged as a domestic worker in Arunachal Pradesh, a neighboring state of Assam to support his poor family.
“I always wanted to study but due to family conditions, I was forced to quit school and work at a domestic maid. I am made to work the whole day and even during nights,” Anil recalls.
Anil’s absence from the school for more than 3 months was brought to the notice of the “Ensuring Quality Education with support the of Information Technology’ project staff – Juna and Sunita in Lakhimpur, Assam during one of their visits to the Dikrong Ghat Lower Primary School to conduct Child Competency Assessment. The staffs visited Arun’s home and discussed with his parents and persuaded them to rejoin their ward in the school for a better life. After many rounds of discussions, Arun’s father agreed to bring his son back home in September. Now, Arun is re-enrolled in the school and has been attending school regularly.
![""]("https://aea-southasia.org/source/Arun%20Bhumij%20with%20his%20parents.jpg")
Post his re-enrollment in the school, Arun is actively participating in the school’s child club activities. “We were told about the importance of education to improve one’s living conditions. I am very happy that he is going to school regularly now,” shares Arun’s mother.
The project takes a holistic approach to improve the quality of education in schools in Lakhimpur district of Assam.
