By Debadutta Dash | Secretary Sukarya USA
A SUCCESS STORY, A MILESTONE:
Rahul and 102 other Superstars!
Believe it or not, primary education still remains a privilege for a selected few in this world when others talk about going to Mars, #MeToo campaign and Gen X. As the children from cities gather at bus stops, outside school, neatly clad in uniform, it’s a common site to find a swarm of slum kids somewhere around, gazing at them with yearning eyes, longing for that day to come when fate will grace them with gift of school. Testimonial to this poignant truth is a story thatstands today as a milestone in the path Sukarya has embarked on, under its Education on Wheels (EOW) initiative.
Rahul, a nine-year-old bright kid and a dweller of the Delhi slums, was no less deserving than the others who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. His parents, that could manage him two meals a day, unfortunately couldn’t promise him the luxury of school. The fourth member of the family, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, demanded special care and attention. To ensure a smooth livelihood, the parents worked from dawn to dusk, leaving the girl with his brother. Torn between the responsibility of a brother and school, Rahul made the obvious choice, without much freedom to decide. Since everything works smoothly, Rahul’s parent did not feel the need to send him to school, something that slum parents do without second thoughts.
A ray of hope appeared in the form of EOW, when Sukarya teachers witnessed the shining eyes gazing from a distance at the bus that held classes for the slum kids. A few occasions were enough to convince the teachers of Rahul’s earnest desire for education. They were quick to act.
A visit was scheduled to his house in the very next trip to slum. Teachers, determined to rescue him, met his mother and in an attempt to convince her to allow him to attend school, managing to change her schedule and making time for her daughter as well. The curriculum, the teacher and the classroom had a great impact on Rahul. The change reflected in Rahul's life was noticeable and so was his competency and determination to succeed.
This change inspired Rahul’s mother to find a balance between her work and her daughter. She returned from work before Rahul had to attend the EOW remedial session. She was convinced that her son would come at par with children of his age and reach his true potentials in no time while receiving the happiness of a school goer, he always deserved. And all this happened on the New Year when Rahul and 102 other slum children scored very high in the Open Basic Examination (OBE) conducted by the Government of India and secured admission into local government school into grades ranging from fourth to seventh.
Rahul’s story is yet another achievement of EOW. There is no doubt in the fact that Sukarya is persistent in its approach. With each trip, EOW carries hope for another Rahul, and support for another mother or a sibling.
CURRENT PROJECT
Operational in 4 Slum locations of Delhi through 2 Education on Wheels buses the EOW provides the access of education to 200 children. Each year Children are registered with EOW program and go through the regular curriculum based daily basis classes across the selected locations .On completion of year Children are mainstreamed with formal school for further education through providing direct mainstreaming to government /formal schools and through government’s Open Basic Examination [OBE] system.
Program reaches the unreached children living in vulnerable conditions with poor socio-economic conditions. Most of the children were indulged in child labour activities, rag picking, domestic help, factory labour and other odd works. There are cases of substance abuse and prone to juvenile delinquency as well.
Given the situation, program not only focusing on basic subjects and language studies but also on life skills, behavioral aspects, hygiene issues and latent talent exploration.
Monthly parent teacher meetings, Monthly examination, regular home visits & follow ups are some of the key features of the program which leads for retention, punctuality and effective results.
PROGRESS REPORT (OCT - JAN 2019)
During this quarter, program was focused to mainstream the Children into the government /formal school for further studies. The rigorous and stringent efforts of project team finally paid off and 103 children (65 from Delhi slums and 38 from Gurgaon slums) have been successfully mainstreamed with government school. And another group of 35 children are all set to appear in government’s OBE [Open Basic Examination] which is scheduled to be conducted in February 2019.On successful completion, these children would receive certificates from government and further mainstreamed with School.
EOW bus operational: 2
Project locations are covered: 4
Children enrolled into the program: 200
Children enrolled in NFE [Non-formal Education]: 100
Children are enrolled in Remedial classes: 100
Regular classes organized: 192
Extra Curricular activities organized: 06
Life Skills sessions organized: 06
No. of Parent teacher meeting conducted: 06
Monthly [Internal ]Examination conducted: 24 (in 8 batches)
8 batches [monthly examination]
Children mainstreamed with government school: 65
Students enrolled and prepared for next Open Basic Examination: 35
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