Give a smile to 3000 slumchildren to attend school

In a country where about 50% of children in the age group of 6-14 do not attend school and where half the girls fail to enroll, and those who do are likely to drop out by the age of 12, education is seen as an important tool towards the realization of rights of all children.

There are 81.5 1akh out of school children in the country, according to figures reported by the Minister for Human Resources Development on 24 August 2011. While there are no reliable estimates for each category of excluded children, experience of educators, activists and governments highlights that the numbers could run into several hundred millions. But the large categories of excluded children included in this note face several common barriers in most parts of the country, such as child workers, street children or disabled children

About 10,000 children in Bhubaneswar alone, remain out of school in a country where elementary education is a constitutionally guaranteed right.” We believe that street children matter, and that every child has the right to fulfill their potential.

Ruchika’s Street to School programmes around the world recognize that every child living or working on the street has a right to fulfill their potential. The initiative was started in 1985 when the India’s first platform school was started in Bhubaneswar by Mrs. Inderjit Khurana. The credo was “if the child cannot come to the school then the school must go to the child”. In the campaign thousands of children were motivated and put into the school.

Even in late the campaign was recognized by the Government of Odisha. The government has made it a government campaign and have started sending the street children into the school as per RTE. Following actions have been initiated by the government with our guidance.

1. A rescue team has been constituted with the representatives of the NGOs / Childline, Police, Education Deptt, Labour Deptt., DCPU etc.
2. The rescue team have been provided with special trainings on rescue operation and protocols to be followed during rescue operations.
3. Two Sikshya Raths were moved for a week in the city creating awareness on child rights and punishment for employing the children.
4. Childline logo has been displayed in the education website and other places in the city for the public . Now two toll free numbers (Childline 1098 and Student Helpline - 18003456722) have been displayed everywhere. Any child if found on the street / working in any shop, the people can access the help of these two numbers to help in rescue the child.
5. Government has set up five special hostels for the street children which are well equipped to accommodate 250 children including 50 girls.
6. Counselor, care takers and other staff members have been employed in these special hostels.
7. Food, cloth, recreation and other arrangements have been arranged in all these hostels for the children.
8. 150 children so far have been rescued who are residing in these hostels and going to school.

This program has been replicated by other states of India who have started this kind of initiatives in their states.