The Department of School Education (DoSE), Nagaland has issued an appeal to NGOs, municipal/town/village councils, churches, student unions, and the general public to report children in vulnerable conditions, particularly those engaged in begging, to the Child Helpline 1098.
The directive is in response to an advisory from the National Human Rights Commission dated July 5, 2024, on the protection and rehabilitation of impoverished, uneducated children, women, and differently-abled individuals involved in begging.
The Department has requested the reporting of the following categories:
Out-of-School Children aged 6–14 years, including those involved in begging or those who dropped out before completing elementary education.
Children aged 3–6 years whose parents are engaged in begging and who are not enrolled in Pre-School, Anganwadi, or Balvatika.
All DEOs, Sr. SDEOs, and SDEOs have been instructed to coordinate with District Child Protection Units and Child Welfare Committees to ensure that such children are enrolled in nearby government schools as per the RTE Act, 2009.