From: Multiple Contributors <se-ed@solutionexchange-un.net.in>
Date: Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: [se-ed] QUERY: Status and Challenges of Educating Children inUrban Slums - Experiences; Examples. Reply by 4 March 2010
To: Education Community <se-ed@solutionexchange-un.net.in>
Moderator's Note: Please find below responses from Umesh Chandra Gaur, Hiren Dharamshi and A. R. Vasavi on the query "Status and Challenges of Educating Children in Urban Slums"
Umesh Chandra Gaur, Confederation of Community Based Organizations of India, New Delhi
I want to say that the situation of slum area's children is very undesirable. It is sad to say that our Government started many programme for the children but it can't reach to them. The Government of India regards education as the basic element for overall development of its citizen.
Confederation of community based organization of India (CCBOS) an apex body. It is working for grass-root level development. CCBOS will make a Education community for needs of education to all special children and girls child.
CCBOS desire to ensure that the Government commits 6% of the gross domestic product (GDP) to public expenditure to education. My suggestion is that we should make a Child Welfare Committee in every district. By this committee the government can easily know that the actual condition and growth of the children of the each district.
In opinion government should be give some attention to these following points and trying to solve the problems:
· Quality of education and performance of teachers are two areas of urgent concern.
· Number of schools has increased yet facilities are far from satisfactory.
· The Public Private Partnership being proposed by the government will make education more and more inaccessible to the poor and also undermine the present govt. school system as only the poorest who will have no way of ensuring a quality education, will be attending the government school.
The big problem is only this that in slum area the poor people have not shown there interest for education. They sent their children to Aanganwadi only for food provided by Government. In the end I would like to say that the all government programme will only be successful by the cooperation of people who live in slum areas and the social workers of that areas.
Hiren Dharamshi, Janhit Drishtee Foundation, Mumbai
There is lot done but more required as the fast growing child population in and across Metros in India is poising challenge to the Education system.
Further, the bulging cost of education due to influx of sophisticated studies has resulted in education being for the class & mass is still deprived at large. The scenario has become more of a challenge for parents on how to get the reasonable & efficient education for their ward. In the event of specialization of education & government's limited reach it becomes of paramount importance for various institutions to come forward to the part responsibilities.
The issue for Metros is most challenging as huge number of migrant is getting settled in & around these metros due to abundance in employment opportunities. But there is limited or no access to basic education, also difficult to have a place where a Child can enhance/explore & widen his thought process.
We have personally experienced that there is willingness of the family to send their ward for primary education. But the next stage of education & its cost is a huge setback. Most NGO's want the kids to start the educational process & they have the required funding to run the basic of everything, but the challenge here is whether what percentage enters the stage 2 & further.
One problem we faced was of local politicians who wanted us to give books, Computers, Sewing machines etc to their own people and not to the children from migrant communities. Also they wanted a job post Computer and sewing classes. We really had a difficult time till we mend the situation.
A. R. Vasavi , National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore
This is in response to Ms. Amita Tandon's query related to education of children in urban poverty areas. Many of the questions she raises are pertinent and indicate the lack of comprehensive research and innovative programmes in such areas. Based on our research in some of the poverty areas in Bangalore and in one district town (Chamarajnagar), I strongly feel that the larger pool of Out of school children and those with education deprivation (and related problems of disadvantage) will be in the urban poverty areas. The problems emanate not so much from the inability of families to pay for schools or schooling as much as from the sharp deterioration in the administration of government schools and the failure to provision adequate and relevant schooling (even as cities expand) to people who are the working poor. In addition, the urban poverty areas are now home to an odd and very disturbing trend; that of literate parents but non-literate children.
There is a detailed study titled "Urban Poverty and Basic Education Deprivation" Local Education Report, 2002, Bangalore City, Karnataka, on the research conducted by National Institute of Advanced Studies, available with the Resource Team which can be shared with the interested members' on request . I do hope it helps answer some of the key questions raised by Ms. Tandon.
Moderator's Note: Dear Members, we are posting this query to understand the status and challenges in education of Urban deprived children. With the ever growing urban population and the emergence of urban slums in a more rapid manner than ever before as a result of increasing migrant population, the challenges of offering the basic essential services has become huge. Education is of course one of the important essential service to be provided to all children irrespective of their place of residence. It is a major agenda for planners, policy makers, implementers and larger civil society. This query is intended to add to the knowledge base required to plan for effective educational interventions for children living in urban slums.
Amongst you, quite a few members and their organizations are working towards this goal. We would like to hear from you. Do share with us your experiences of work in this field and the challenges you are faced with. Strategisation of the education of urban deprived children is bound to get the priority in the coming years as there is no escape to the fact that they exist in huge numbers around us.
We look forward to your active participation in response to this query. The last date of the current discussions on " replicating innovative experiences in India to implement RTE" has also been extended till 10th, therefore till 10th both these queries will run simultaneously and we are sure, on both the issues our members' have lot to offer.
Shubhangi
Dear Members,
I work with Katha, a nonprofit organization that works for education of children living in urban poverty. We run 96 schools in slum communities and work with the government to bring the joy of reading to more than 200,000 children and bring communities into safeguarding child interest's vis-à-vis quality education and preventing dropping out etc.
Today, we help bring positive change into the lives of children and their mothers, living in 72 slum and street communities across Delhi; and in the tribal villages of Arunachal Pradesh. As a result, 52,242 children have come into the fold of sustainable education through Katha Schools and 39,846 children have been weaned away from labor into quality education.
A 2008 sampling of salaries show 430 Katha alumni earned a total of Rs. 42 million (their family incomes were Rs. 600-800/month in 1990, according to a government survey).
Since last year, at the invitation of the Delhi Government, we have been working in a 100 schools, helping students gain reading skills for fun and for better grade level academic performance.
Over the last many years we have realized that sharing best practices will make the work of nonprofits and people in the voluntary sector better and more effective. Katha shares its own practices through capacity building workshops, thus avoiding too much time being spent on reinventing every single wheel that turns our commitment to children and communities and curriculum. But many questions do constantly come to mind:
Hence, I request members of the Education Community to share their thoughts and experiences on the following:
- What is the current scenario of education for urban disadvantaged children especially living in slums?
- What are the measures have been adopted by government to prevent children living in urban areas or who are disadvantaged from dropping out of school?
- What do you fee the role of civil society organizations (CSO) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be in preventing children living in urban slums from dropping? Please also share any successful experiences from CSOs and NGOs.
Also, we are looking for evidence/documentation showing a clear co-relation between increased income of urban poor families and education of their children?
Your examples and experiences will help us in developing our strategies further in relation to sustainable education of urban slum children. It will also better understand the kind of work, which can be undertaken to ensure that children living in urban slums receive education that empowers them and gives them skills for future employment after they complete their studies in enter in labor market .
We thank you in advance for supporting our research and action on child education and urban poverty reduction.
Regards,
Amita Tandon
Katha
New Delhi
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Ch.Santakar
Pujariput
Koraput-764020
Orissa
Mob:09437192553
e-mail:santakar@gmail.com
web:www.koraputonline.com
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