EDUCATION

Educational Guarantee Scheme/Alternative & Innovative Education

The EGS/AIE is a major scheme for out of school children and has linkages with SSA and overall efforts for universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE). The scheme is aimed at providing free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of 6-14 years. It has clearly defined focus areas:

1. Providing schooling facilities to children living in small, remote habitations, without education facilities.

2. Draw out-of-school children in habitation, which have school to EGS centers

3. Mainstream them

4. Devise innovative strategies for children living in difficult circumstances or with special needs.

Target Groups (Out of School Children)

There is great diversity among ‘out of school’ children. These could range from children living in remote school-less habitations, working children, street children, deprived children in urban slums, girls belonging to minority community, girls involved in domestic chores, sibling care, children of migrating families, etc. across the state. According to needs of out of school children in the state and experiences drawn from schemes implementing for such children, the following five target groups need to be focused in a result oriented manner.

a)    Slum area

b)    Bastis- Ragpickers/children of brick-kiln workers/beggars/Bajigar bastis in rural/urban areas.

c)    Migrating families

d)    Mewat Area (especially the girl child)

e)    Backward area (village in Morni belt)

Strategies

Access is not serious problem in the State as schooling facilities are available within the radius of 1.13 km and various incentives schemes are provided to facilitate education at primary and upper primary level. There may still be a few areas/habitations not having schooling facilities within the required 1 Km to 1.5 Km with ‘out of school’ children in the age group of 6-14 years. EGS/AIE centers shall be opened in school-less habitations where a minimum of 20 out-of-school children are available. These centers shall be run by volunteers from the same habitations.

Project Area : Mewat

Education does not enjoy high priority in the region even though physical infrastructure for promotion of education exists.

Analysis of literacy data in Mewat region indicates lowest literacy rate in the region in comparison to Haryana state and Gurgaon district.

The total literacy rate in region is 33.39% against 63.64 and 68.59% respectively for Gurgaon Distt. and Haryana state. The male literacy level in Mewat is 25.29% against 77.11% and 79.25% respectively for Gurgaon and Haryana State.

9.13% accounts for female literacy level, which is quite low as compared to Gurgaon 48.29% and 56.31% for Haryana state.

In rural area of Mewat Female literacy is very low only 8.08%.

Literacy rate does vary block-wise and case-wise.

Source : District Census Book 2001 Gurgaon District

The low literacy rate particularly among the women population in the region, however, cannot be attributed to lack of educational facilities alone, as the region has sufficient number of schools especially at the primary level.

Fairly good infrastructure exists in the study area, but it suffers from chronic deficiencies ranging from insufficient resources to apathy of the teachers and lack of sensitivity to people’s culture and aspiration. Table below depicts that the number of schools at all levels primary, middle and senior level school.

ACTION PLAN

Considering the above facts with the help of SSA we have started contacting villagers to ensure their participation in SSA Programme.

After survey of Mewat area we have selected two clusters to start the SSA program :

1. Kheri Kalan, Nagina

2. Nuh cluster

Kheri Kalan Cluster

Kherikalan is situated in Nagina block of Tehsil Ferozpur Jhirka district Mewat.

It is almost 8 Km westwards from Alwar highway and nearly 35 kms from Nuh. It is one the most backward region of Mewat and as per cencus record it has lowest literacy rate. Receiving consent and support from villagers and Gram Panchayat of that cluster we have started SSA programme in Kherikalan cluster in December 2005.

Natural’s care clearly stated villagers and Gram Panchayats that they have to select the beneficialries and volunteers who will teach children of their respective area. Villagers will be equally responsible for sending children to the centers and honest working of the teacher as well. This technique helped in running our programme quite smoothly. Hence we are taking all decisions with the help of villagers and are proving all input and training with the cooperation of District Cooridinator Guragaon.

Kherikalan cluster

Nuh cluster

Since our office is situated in Nuh block from last five years. Local people of Nuh block assured as us of full co-operation in our educational programmes. After getting 100% participation we started our SSA programme in Nuh cluster in December 2005. “We believe that without people’s participation no programme can be successful”.

Nuh Cluster

Main Activities of the AIE (Educational) Centres

• Non-formal Education :

All the non school going children in the age group of 6 to 10 years will be given basic education of numerals alphabets, rhymes and moral values.

·        Health :

All the children will be motivate for personal cleanness, hygiene and given deworming anticline treatment etc, bimonthly.

·        Nutrition :

Supplementary Nutrition is provided to every child every day at the Centre under mid day meal programme.

·        Bringing then in Nuclear Schools:

·        Creating the interest for education in the Children and parents.

In these centers we are giving them basic education as well as moral values of life through innovative methods. After providing basic education we get them admitted in nearby primary school. By April 2006, we have admitted nearly 326 children to these primary schools.

Admission of Non School going Children in Regular School

We started our SSA programme in December 2006 with more than 500 non-school going children (age 6-10 years) and through our constant efforts we have been successful to got 326 children admitted in regular school in April 2007 (list enclosed.).

Learning centre for urban deprived children at Kapashera south-west Delhi, supported by UEE Mission Government of Delhi.

Since 0ct-2010, Natural’s Care is providing Non formal education to the 400 urban deprived children including the children of migrant, rag pickers, working children and street children.

Objectives of the Project are to provide counseling and academic support for the out of school children and mainstream their education in the formal schemes. As well as to organize social support system and convergence of schemes for their urban deprived children. Under this project , we are  providing NFE to their children through Activity Based learning (ABL) to make their learning more interesting and  child friendly.

Natural’s care is also providing them food under MID-DAY-MEAL program, regular health checkup and developing and behavioral and academic counseling through qualified child counselor. This year we have mainstreamed 107 children in nearby formal school

MID-DAY-MEAL Program

Learning center for children’s of Rag Pickers at kapashera supported by 

UEEM,Government of NCT of Delhi.

Since oct-2010 we are providing non formal education to 50 children of rag Pickers in Kabadi Basti of Kapashera.

Under this Project we are providing Non formal education, Mid Day Meal and behavioral counseling to their children. Along with academic help ,we are also providing them life skill education and vocational training like book binding, making of handicraft from waste material  etc. to these children

This year in April-2011 we have mainstream 15 out of 50 children of rag Pickers in nearby formal school.

Objectives of the Project is to bridge the educational gap between the children of same group enrolled in regular school and their out of school children enrolled in work site school .Natural’s Care is using multi grade teaching method and specialized teaching- learning method to accomplish their objective.                                                                                        

Till date we have provided NFE  to 312 children .Out of them 182 have been ,upgraded from level one to two and next 130 upgraded from level  two to three. We are also providing Mid-Day-Meal and regular health checkup for these children till date we have mainstreamed 87 children in to formal school

Bhatta Pathshala for children of Brick kiln workers at Jhajjar supported by SSA,  Jhajjar

 Since Jan2011 Natural’s care is running Bhatta Patshala in Jhajjar and Badli  block of distt Jhajjar. In Haryana thousand of family migrate  to brick kilns for 7-9 months with family and children .These children are a helping hand to there family as  child labours deprived from right to education . These children are generally enrolled in school at native village which they rarely attend .

Under this project  we provide non formal education at brick kiln level where there are no formal facilities. The objective of the project is to bridge the education gap between the children of same those out of school children enrolled in Bhatta Pathsala by using multigrade teaching methods and specialized teaching learning /bridging  material.

  NON FORMAL EDUCATION OF BRICK KILN