Fund crunch hits NCLP schools

CUTTACK: Lack of funds has hit functioning of schools under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) in Cuttack district.NCLP sources said the teachers and other staff members of the schools in various blocks are not regularly getting their salaries resulting in resentment.The district has 22 schools in which hundreds of rescued child labourers are undergoing a bridge course.Besides salaries, funds for monthly stipend to students are not regularly released.According to the practice, the monthly stipend of Rs 100 is credited to the individual student’s account and handed over to them when they are admitted to mainstream schools. Official sources attributed the sorry state of affairs to procedural delays in the Ministry of Labour.The schools are run either by NCLP Societies formed by the district administration or by non-government organisations. Sources said if the trend continued for a couple of months more, the very purpose of the project will be defeated which is to curb the menace of child labour.Stating that NCLP schools have an important role in rehabilitating child labourers, District Labour Officer P K Mohapatra said besides the bridge course, the children are motivated in these schools to pursue studies and give up work at school-going age.The officer added that the authorities concerned at the Ministry-level have beenapprised of the situation and the department is awaiting release of the first tranche of the grant-in aid for 2011-12 financial year by next month.Besides, efforts are on to reopen the 18 NCLP schools that were closed down in August last year for various reasons, Mohapatra said and added that applications have been sought from interested NGOs.