In Bihar, we continue to support the reintegration of twenty children into education. They are the sons and daughters of migrant workers in Maner, Patna. In February the team from SARTHI held a community awareness meeting to take stock of the situation regarding COVID-19 and to assess the parents’ readiness for their children to be admitted to school. All the families present agreed that they were fully prepared to apply for admission and wanted to send their children to school as soon as the situation allowed. 

The team also talked with the parents as a separate group, about the type of family issues that may impact on the future lives of the children if they neglect to send them to school. In addition, families shared their thoughts about the rights of children and the role of parents in a child’s development. It was reassuring to note that the parents are becoming more aware about the rights of their children and their role in supporting their education. Since March, schools have been able to reopen which allow for 50% attendance by children on alternate days. On the 9^th March, twelve children out of twenty were admitted to the school and the admission of the other children is currently being processed.