More than 3,000 school-age children have been deprived of education here in Makwanpur district. As per the data made available by the District Education Office (DEO), altogether 3,224 out of 71,374 children aged between five and nine are deprived of school education in the district. Assistant District Education Officer Khemananda Bhusal admitted that a considerable number of children have been deprived of school education in the district. He said illiteracy, poverty and food insecurity were the main causes behind the problem. “Food insecurity is the main obstacle that is hindering efforts to make the school enrolment rate hundred per cent in the district,” he claimed. Most of the children deprived of school education are from impoverished and marginalised communities like Chepang and Bankariya. Moreover, a sizable number of children aged between three and four in the district could also not be included in government and community-run pre-primary classes, known as Early Childhood Development (ECD). The data at the DEO suggests that about 30 per cent of total 25,667 children aged between three and four are out of the government-launched ECD programme. Chief District Officer Ganesh Poudel said the DEO has launched various programmes to ensure hundred per cent enrolment rate of school-age children.