The Britain-India Marathon Race Challenge

Salaam Baalak Trust

Education Programme

Education forms an integral component of SBT’s comprehensive  package of services for street children. Recognising the right of every child to education SBT has envisioned a multi-faceted education programme for children who once lived on the streets. With the perceptive understanding, children living on streets, most often have no access to education or regular schooling SBT has a multi-faceted and pliable education programme. The aim of the education programme is to cater to individual needs and capacities of children so that they enjoy their right to education through a mode of education best suited to his/her capacity. In this way, every child within SBT’s ambit is self-motivated to earn a high school degree, as it is by choice and not by force. SBT envisions education and knowledge as a great deal more than literacy, as a holistic way of living for every child. Thus, education at SBT is not confined to school curriculum, but includes training in life skills, the performing arts, computer literacy, and exposure to tourist-sights and the outdoors.

The education programme of SBT has evolved over years. Post the enactment of the Right to Education Act, 2010, SBT has encouraged children to choose formal schooling i.e. regular private or public schools as a preferred mode of education. Apart from this, some children who are not admitted to school are also provided non formal schooling through structured non-formal education modules and interesting pedagogical techniques. SBT’s flexible non-formal education modules provide basic education and literacy, and cover child rights, computer literacy, general information, reading and recitation, health and hygiene, social skills, moral values, basic mathematics, and money management.

Education is a major casualty when children flee their homes dropping out of schools. The children find it difficult to get admission, especially in higher classes after a break in schooling. Bridge courses & remedial education help children to make up for breaks in their education. Bridge courses enable them to cover the missed portions of the syllabus and make up for the lost time with intensive study and concise courses. Children who have missed a few school years and find it difficult to start with regular schooling are linked to mainstream education through National Institute of Open Schooling.

To effectively implement the education programme at SBT an education coordinator has been appointed who oversees and monitor the in-house academic activities of SBT. Qualified and dedicated teachers have been appointed at all SBT centres and contact points to assist children in their homework and school assignments. In cases where children find a particular subject or topic difficult they are provided extra tuition/remedial classes. The teacher-pupil ratio in these classes is maintained at 1:25 to provide individual attention and care to each child. Teachers facilitate every child’s learning through small groups of interaction. Another important aspect of the SBT’s education programme is to motivate and reward academic achievers. Those children who do well in their studies are offered scholarships to schools and academic institutions of excellence. A number of SBT girls and boys get through Lawrence School, Sanawar and CQ University, Australia. Further, all children are motivated to participate in extracurricular activities including debates, quiz and essay writing competitions, elocution among others. 

Achievements at a Glance SBT, 2013-14 

• 7 children have moved to higher education programme
• Hemant got opportunity to study at Lawrence school , Sanawar
• 20 boys have been moved from NFE/OBE program to formal education
• 3 boys won quiz competition organized by Metro Museum.
• 23 medals have been won by the boys in an inter children home competition organized by NGO Bhumi.
• 70 children spent 8 days in Manali under their annual tour