EDUCATION 2014-2015 · through the municipal health centre and the Integrated Child Development Service of the state government. 2) Udaan Centre, Mumbai The ‘Udaan Center’ aims

EDUCATION 2014-2015

1) Day Care Centre, Mumbai

This programme works near the Anand Nagar slums in Thane. With a large population of

migrants engaged in daily wage earning, both parents of the children work to supplement the

family income. While the fathers engage in odd jobs, the mothers are domestic workers. This

leaves them with little time to spend with their children especially after long hours of work. The

programme provides education for children between the ages 3-6 years. The goal of the

programme is to main-stream the children into primary schools. It runs a day care centre to

cater to their educational needs and conduct learning sessions to motivate children to pursue

formal education. It also provides them with nutritional and vitamin supplements and primary

health care. As a result of its work with the children, the programme has gained the confidence

of the community and is addressing the health and nutrition needs of women and children

through the municipal health centre and the Integrated Child Development Service of the state

government.

2) Udaan Centre, Mumbai

The ‘Udaan Center’ aims to provide education support to the underprivileged children living in urban slum communities. The programme runs study classes for children from the 1st- 10th standard. Since most of these children are first generation learners, these classes help the children cope with their academics by providing them the required support and help. It also allows them a space where they can study

peacefully, away from their often cramped and bustling homes. The programme is in regular touch with the parents in order to keep them updated about their child’s progress as well as understand any problem that the child or family may be undergoing. Through numerous activities like additional education support, supplemental nutrition, arts and crafts, dance, sports, exposure visits, festive celebrations, theatre and health camps, the programme aims to holistically develop each child’s personality. For preschool children, it runs Montessori classes. The Montessori system provides a playful and learning environment which helps the children

develop both their personality and basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics, so that they can cope with academics when they join primary school. 3) Unnati Kendra, Mumbai The programme operates a school for the developmental and social integration of children and adults with mental disabilities. They follow a system of individual educational plans, as children with cognitive disabilities tend to learn at varying rates. Children are divided into grades as per their ability to grasp concepts and assigned tasks accordingly. The main focus here is to enable these individuals with skills that will make them contributing members of society. The school runs an early intervention centre that provides therapy for children below the age of 5. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy is used to develop hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills among children. Once the child is 15 years old, a special teacher starts training them as per each child’s ability and interest. The transition to a full time vocational training class is gradual and the child finds it easy to adjust to the activities. It also allows them to gradually contribute by taking up the responsibility of doing minor household tasks. The centre provides training in weaving through semi-automatic looms to make floor dusters, doormats and yoga mats. Sewing training is provided to stitch table napkins, aprons, sari covers and bed sheets. Different types of colourful Rangolis, Diyas and Thorans are produced during Diwali and other festivals when the demand for these products is high. Exhibitions are also conducted in partnership with other organisations to display their work. A part of the profit earned by selling the products produced is distributed among the beneficiaries as stipend. This helps the beneficiaries and their family to feel confident and independent which helps them to develop their personality. 4) Support Classes for Children studying in Municipal Schools, Mumbai Many students who attend municipal schools come from underprivileged backgrounds wherein they lack adequate support from their family and school environment. This programme was established with the purpose of creating opportunities for underprivileged children in Mumbai and rural Maharashtra. The programme has a clear outline – to provide a strong educational foundation along with the required integrated support in order to equip children for a better future. It focuses on bringing about an improvement in the academic performance as well as overall positive growth of

children. Concern India Foundation supports their centre at the Vile Parle School. Tutorials for all subjects are provided to children in grades 8-10 who regularly attend school but come from economically depressed families. 5) Child Development Centers, Mumbai The recent boom in real estate has seen numerous construction projects emerge in the city. As would be expected, the sites require a huge labour force of men and women who migrate from interior villages of various states. The children of these labourers are left vulnerable as their parents work long and tiring hours, during which the children are left unsupervised. This programme has been running day care centres on construction sites in Mumbai since 1972. At present they have 23 centres in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane. Their main focus is on the holistic development of children of all ages. Concern India Foundation supports two day care centres in Mumbai. The overarching aim of the programme is to support the intellectual, emotional and physical development of the young child (1 to 5 years). This is achieved through the following interventions: I) Crèche - It runs a crèche facility for children between the ages of 1-3 years. II) Balwadi for children aged 3- 5 where music, dance and the “play way” method are used to develop preschool skills like reading, writing and maths. III) Health care and Nutrition – The children are provided with breakfast and lunch, as well as multi-vitamins and nutritional supplements. IV) Parents Meetings - The aim is to keep parents involved and informed about the growth of their children. 6) Prayaas – Remedial education for children residing impoverished localities, Delhi As a first step towards eliminating child labour, access to quality education for all children is imperative. Silokhra village, where the programme was started in April 2009, is a huge slum in Gurgaon. The residents are migrants from Bihar, UP and Bengal. They are illiterate or semi-literate and work as domestic workers, rickshaw-pullers, street vendors and so on. Their children mostly drop out of school and join the work force to contribute to the family income. The programme aims at removing children from the web of underage employment and convinces children and their parents to complete their education. The programme provides for quality education from Nursery to class V and enrols children into formal schools, class VI onwards. They follow the NCERT curriculum where they are taught through “play-way” techniques and interactive sessions.

The programme emphasises extra-curricular activities and conducts many such as diya making, dance, music, picnics, sports, and drawing competitions. The programme also sensitises parents and the community on various issues such as child rights, sanitation, the benefits of yoga, and more. 7) Non-Formal Education Programme for Children, Delhi

Free and compulsory elementary education is a constitutional commitment and a fundamental right in India. Despite all round improvement in school education, there are still a significant number of out-of-school children and those who either dropped out or never enrolled. The programme works for the education of children from marginalised sections of society in Noida and Bihar. It works with children of daily wage earners. Most of them are first generation learners.

The objective of the project is to introduce children into a healthy cycle of education and support them academically and financially till the time they opt for a career of their choice and thus are equipped to support themselves and their families. The programme intends to bridge the gap for those children who need education but lack access to the available opportunities. All subjects are taught through a variety of exercises so that children get the opportunity to develop their logic and creative skills. The programme regularly interacts with the parents to build long term relationships and seek support for the next 12 to 15 years for the child. The programme is focused on building a strong educational base for the child to be able to cope with the formal schooling system after Class V. 8) Integrated Digital Learning for Children of Non-Formal Education, Delhi Many children enrolled in schools are unable to complete their secondary education. This specifically holds true for children residing in urban slums, where the education facility might be available but not accessible due to various factors such as poverty, low educational level of parents, and lack of pre-school experiences. This programme understands the importance of completing the education cycle; it continues its association with the child from class 1 to 10 by facilitating their higher education and creating a strong base for students to complete Class 11th and 12th and preparing them for career-oriented education.

The programme provides mentoring, tutoring, and financial support to children to complete class 11 and 12 and provides coaching for competitive examinations for courses that they wish to pursue. They provide regular career counselling and life skills sessions. The programme believes that proper exposure and constant guidance to children is necessary to enable them to choose the right career path and helps in sustaining the same in the long run. Through its interventions, the programme reaches out to the entire community of Harijan Basti and under its purview provides support to about 20 youth. 9) Enhancing Employability and Soft Skills of Youth from Migrant Communities, Delhi This programme is operational in Khandsa village of Gurgaon which largely comprises of migrant populations. Its interventions target a population of about 10,000 people. The education status of these migrants is grim; many of them have not studied beyond class 8 and

end up working in the unorganised sector. The village is in close proximity to many garment manufacturing companies. While there are huge employment opportunities in this sector, incomplete education holds back the employability of a large number of youth. Two profiles that are in demand in this trade are that of garment checkers and machine operators. The programme aims to bridge the gap by identifying the unemployed youth and giving them an appropriate skill based education. Candidates undergo a selection

process to qualify for the training programme. They are given lessons on soft skills, covering topics of Work Readiness, Financial Literacy and Digital Literacy. Technical training is also provided with the support of Apparel Skill Development Agency (ASDA), which is a training unit of Matrix Clothing Company – a garment manufacturing export house. The duration of the training programme is 45 days. 10) Sai Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi Children with disabilities need special training, attention and specialized education. Many of them cannot be integrated into mainstream institutions. This programme runs a school for children with visual impairments and multiple disabilities aimed at providing meaningful social and educational opportunities to them. By developing their abilities, enable them to be participative members of society and lead a dignified life. The school is manned with special educators, speech therapists, occupational therapists and equipped with functional assessment and stimulation rooms. It provides nutritional support and transportation facilities for all the children. The school utilizes a child-centric approach. Intervention typically begins with functional assessment, following which an individualized program is designed to meet the child's unique needs. Children who are confident and well prepared academically are integrated into

mainstream schools and those who are not as strong are provided functional education in all subjects and enrolled in the National Institute of Open School. The programme also addresses the development of orientation and mobility, communication skills, motor skills and sensory efficiency of the child. Extracurricular and leisurely activities are built into the curriculum to help develop their creative faculties. Aiming at holistic development, the programme focuses on building daily skills of the child and providing for vocational training. They continuously tap technological innovations to facilitate easy learning and development of their beneficiaries. In the current year the project reached out to 83 children. 11) Enhancing Employability through Vocational and Skill Development Training among Women, Adolescent Girls and Dropouts, Bengaluru This programme seeks to increase the opportunity of meaningful employment for urban youth in Bangalore. The project imparts formal education to children and empowers the youth with appropriate job skills, especially computer literacy, to be able to acquire gainful employment. The core objective of the computer training programme is to provide the facility and opportunity to become more familiar with and master computer usage. Learning and making use of technology will further enhance their capabilities and support them in their academic requirements. 12) After School Support, Bengaluru The programme works out of an urban slum community and runs an evening tuition support programme for children living in poverty. These children are often victims of abusive parents or born into unfortunate circumstances. The project intervenes through awareness programmes for the parents and encourages them to enrol their children in the evening tuition programme. The parents work for daily wages or as domestic helpers and are unable to support the educational needs of their children, most of whom go to government or corporation schools. The project provides regular tutorial support and mentors and guides the children through the evening tuitions classes that are located within the community. The project provides educational support to children from classes 1 to 12 and focuses on English, Kannada, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Moral Education and Physical Training. The project ensures regular attendance and helps the children complete their basic schooling. The project benefits children of migrant workers from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. 13) Bridge School for Children of Migrant Workers, Bengaluru The project is a bridge programme for children of migrant workers from Bengal, Bihar, UP and Odisha, living in slums on the outskirts of Bangalore city. Most of them are engaged in rag picking, construction work, maintenance work in apartments/malls, domestic work, carpentry, plumbing, etc. These children cannot attend local schools as the nearby government schools are unable to meet their diverse linguistic needs.

The bridge programme located within a prominent urban slum community caters to the out-of-school children of migrant laborers in a multilevel and multilingual atmosphere, providing basic education and integrating them into mainstream education by partnering with neighbourhood English medium schools. The project also supports the children who are mainstreamed into the English medium, enabling them to cope up with difficult subjects like Mathematics and science and Kannada which is an alien language for the children.

14) School for children with Down syndrome, Bengaluru Down syndrome occurs as a result of a chromosomal abnormality present at birth and is the most common cause of cognitive disability. Children with Down syndrome usually learn and progress more slowly than most other children. This programme is an exclusive centre offering training and rehabilitation to individuals with Down syndrome. It offers special education, speech therapy, physiotherapy, vocational skill training and computer skill training to enable the individual to become independent and be comfortable in their surroundings. The project identifies students who have completed education from different special schools for the expanded Vocational Unit. Depending on their abilities and potential, appropriate skills trainings is offered, that helps generate employment opportunities for the trainees. The project also conducts quarterly assessments to measure the progress level of these children.

15) Vocational Training Centre for the Differently Abled, Bengaluru This programme runs a vocational training centre that provides training and employment opportunities for the differently abled. The vocational training project is an answer to many parents’ desperate plea for a sheltered workshop providing vocational training after completing basic functional education. There is a dearth of specialised vocational training units that help empower the differently abled to learn skills and earn a living. The centre offers specialised training based on aptitude. Courses include candle making, chocolate making and paper product making, screen printing, gardening and computer data entry.

16) A Home for Deserted Children, Bengaluru This programme is dedicated to the welfare of abandoned and destitute children. These children belong to marginalised families with disturbed backgrounds. Some have been deserted after the death of their parents; some are children of HIV infected mothers who have been abandoned by their families.

The project strives to ensure that each child’s needs are met so that he or she can develop into a self- sufficient adult who is then able to become a participative member of society. The children from the home are pursuing their education in the nearby schools. The programme aims at addressing the overall needs of the children. The project’s intervention is built around identification of missing children through the missing child bureau and through community visits, preparing the children and enrolling them in schools. Regular follow-ups are conducted of children enrolled in the school. Other activities include counseling, evening tuitions, extracurricular activities, awareness programmes for children on health, hygiene, and life skills, and regular medical check-ups.

17) A School for Special Children, Hyderabad The focus of this programme is to integrate differently abled children with their families and society to the maximum extent possible by intensive training, adopting innovative techniques and methodologies and using teaching aids made by qualified special educators based on the needs of the children, their age groups and the different challenges they face. The programme focuses on: a) Helping the children develop motor skills, self-help and social skills whilst engaging them in other activities which contribute to personal hygiene and grooming. b) Teaching academic skills like reading, writing, simple mathematics and enhance their group and interpersonal interactions. c) Activities like yoga, music therapy and meditation to enhance the children’s learning experience. The programme has so far touched 150 lives and families and continues to work for children with special needs.

18) Learning Centres for Slum Children, Hyderabad The programme was started in 2005 by Sr. Lissy who was working for the rights of domestic workers. While working with women it was noticed that nearly 90% of domestic workers are women, girls or children, ranging from ages 12 to 75 and it was estimated that 25% are below the age of 14. The programme envisages setting models of services on child rights by organizing learning centres for children out of school in various slum pockets and to promote the concept of a child’s right to education. The centres have children from 4 to 14 years and the medium of instruction is English and Hindi along with the local language. The programme engages staff from within the community, who is in a better position to deal with the children and their circumstances. The children are taught the bridge course curriculum and are eventually mainstreamed into Government schools. The programme ensures a thorough follow up on each case. Books and other learning materials are provided for by the programme.

The programme has been able to mainstream 50-70% of the children into Government schools in their community.

19) Educational Support for Marginalised Government School Students, Hyderabad The programme primarily works with underprivileged schools and deserving students in the existing government schools in and around the Hitech City area of Gachibowli, Hyderabad to promote qualitative learning. The aim of the programme is to run the Government school in a more focused manner, where the staff, volunteers and mentors can fruitfully contribute towards the vision of providing qualitative holistic education to the students. The programme started its operations in 2010 when the student to staff ratio was 350 students to 3 teachers. The programme concentrates on a structured approach to teaching and conducting activities as per the baseline assessments. Through co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, the programme was able to meet the two important challenges the students faced: irregularity and parental non-involvement. The programme has enhanced qualitative learning through different programmes like the literacy programme, life skills programme, and value based education through sports and activity-based learning and extracurricular activities like dance and theatre. Overall reading comprehension, writing skills and communication skills of the students has improved drastically.

20) Home for the Girl Child, Hyderabad This is a shelter home for girls who are away from their own homes due to poverty, exploitation, destitution, abuse, child labour or delinquency. The home is being run by the Sisters of the JMJ Social Service Society. The programme focuses on holistic rehabilitation and mainstreaming by providing:

Counseling

Education

Shelter and food

Helping them build capacities for independent living The programme has rescued 83 girls from exploitative environments and rehabilitates them by providing education, livelihood skills and residential care that is directed towards their overall development. The children are mostly orphans, runaway children, child labourers or children of single parents who have been rescued from streets, railway platforms, and juvenile homes. They are enrolled in English and Telugu medium schools in the vicinity of the home. Evening tuitions are conducted at the home to polish their skills and motivate the children to improve their standard of education.

21) Educational programme for children of domestic workers in 5 slums around Chennai, Chennai This an after-school support programme that runs evening tuition centres for children of domestic workers and unorganised workers from 5 slums in the city of Chennai. It provides tutorial support for those children who are first generation learners, to assist them in their daily study. The parents work as domestic help and are unable to support the educational needs of their children. Most of the children go to government or corporation schools and the inability of parents to guide their children coupled with their illiteracy adds to the poor performance in their studies. Most of the domestic workers are single parents and the sole bread winners in the family and are unable to send their children to paid support classes that can mentor and coach them in regular studies. The programme runs centres in the major slums including Choolaimedu, Thomas Road, Vyasarpadi, and Mylapore in Chennai. The programme works very closely with the parents and organises training programmes on different issues faced by children, various activities as part of children’s club and workshops for the children to develop personality and leadership qualities which aims at bringing down the drop out ratio of children from the slums. 22) Remedial Education for Rural Children, Kolkata The community in Madhubati village is a mixed one, with minority communities dominating the population. Most men are farmers, a few pull rickshaws and vans, while a handful of them work as daily labourers. The Chairperson of this programme noticed that the standard of education in the Government schools in the village was very poor and due to migration to other states, the drop-out rate was high. He wanted to set up a remedial school for the children of the village, to ensure that they get proper education. Thus, in 2006 the organisation started a remedial school for the local children attending Government Primary Schools. This support was crucial as most of these children are first generation learners. A survey is conducted to identify underprivileged children in the locality and enrol them in the centre. The teachers are trained through resource persons from a convent school in Kolkata. Material is developed by teachers with the aim of making learning interesting and joyful. On Saturdays, they play various games, sing, dance and practice art & crafts. They celebrate all the national days in their education centre. Regular parent-teacher meetings are conducted, where the progress of the child’s education is discussed. The regular meetings and the activities in the centre has made the parents aware of their children’s future and as a result, enrolment has increased. 23) Non-Formal Education for Children, Kolkata

Eminent documentary film maker Mr. Sinha started an English medium school for the underprivileged children of the Tangra slum, on the eastern fringes of Kolkata, reaching out to children from the communities who lost their livelihood due to the relocation of the tanneries. The population in the slum comprises of former workers –mostly migrants from Bangladesh, who live in abject poverty. Since they do not have alternative skills, it is difficult for them to find employment elsewhere even in the informal sector and education of their children is not a top priority. Through the programme, 200 children are enrolled from Montessori to Kindergarten (KG) in the school. The primary objective of the project is to provide quality English medium education at a nominal cost to the children from the families living within its catchment area up to higher grades. 24) Rural Education Programme, Pune This Rural Education Programme consists of setting up school-based education, health and nutrition programmes in the Wai Taluka of Satara District, Maharashtra. Majority of the children who attend the local government schools or government-aided schools of Wai Taluka come from small farmer families. School dropout rates are high due to a lack of interest in academics or increased involvement in agricultural jobs. Through the school adoption programme, the organisation aims to strengthen and improve the quality of education in government schools to ensure a reduced school dropout rate. The programme provides for educational support classes and conducts computer classes for class 1 - 7. The programme works with teachers to build the capacities of teachers to support the quality of education imparted. Community surveys and school visits are conducted to identify children who are slow learners and have dropped out of school. 25) Rural Computer Literacy Initiative, Pune Computer education not only helps children to know more about the world, but is also absolutely essential in helping them secure better jobs in the long run. The rural computer literacy initiative operational in Wai Taluka of Satara District, comprises of operating a computer and soft skills training centre for the youth. The programme provides opportunities for rural youth to be trained in various computer related software that will enhance their job prospects. The programme is carried in coordination with local colleges. Spoken English, personal grooming, presentation skills, and preparing effective resumes are part of the training. They also help the youth to prepare for government certified programs such as Master of Science in Information Technology (MSCIT) and Tally are made available to underprivileged students at concessional rates.

26) Educating Children of Construction Workers, Pune The construction industry is the second largest employer in the country, but workers who toil ceaselessly to build Modern India are virtually invisible. While the parents change the skyline of our cities, their children are left to fend for themselves among piles of rubble and construction material. They have no access to schooling, health care and above all, to a carefree childhood. To address these issues the programme provides non-formal education to children of migrant construction workers in close collaboration with the parents, construction companies and the government schools. The programme aspires for holistic development of all children between the age groups of 0-14 years through establishing centers on construction sites to provide for the safety and security of the children. The programme runs a Crèche, Balwadis and support classes. Since these children are constantly on the move, they miss out on many opportunities available to settled children. Language is another barrier. The exposure period to any educational initiative is very short. Taking these factors into consideration, children are oriented towards basic health habits, social attitudes, motor skills, group participation, emotional maturity and creativity, through various activities. Language and concepts are developed through first hand experiences, storytelling, dramatics and games. To enhance the status of these children, the programme also provides for nutrition and health monitoring services for the children.