Education- A basic right

Saath has been working in Juhapura since 2002. Through various programs and interventions, Saath noticed that children in the area don’t go to school due to a lack of schooling facilities. As per a recent survey, out of 6,000 children of age 6, only 2,800 are admitted to 1st Grade. There are a plethora of reasons for parents to not send their kids to school. One of the primary reasons is insufficient government schools in the vicinity. Firstly, it prevents parents to send their kids to school because of the high cost of education in the nearby private schools. Secondly, since these schools are not at an accessible distance, parents prefer not to send their daughters to school due to their safety concerns. Most importantly, the parents of these children are illiterate and hence unaware of the importance of education in today’s world.

To ensure holistic growth and development, it is imperative that children have the right environment and nutrition right from the scratch. Children from the urban slums lack nutrition and an appropriate environment that prepares them for school learning. While working with the community in Juhpura, Ahmedbaad Saath noticed a lack of preschools in the area. There is a huge demand for affordable quality learning for holistic development of children in the era of completely commercialized education system.

Started in 2004, Saath’s Balghars are affordable preschools for the urban poor that address the basic growth and development needs of children like: basic education, health, nutritional and recreation. The curriculum is designed by child psychologists with the assistance of teachers and experts. The teachers are regularly kept abreast with latest trends through refresher training. These teachers also visit the homes of the students regularly for understanding the background of the child and updating parents on their progress. Parent – Teacher meetings are organised on regular basis too to provide continual feedback and also address any queries from the parents. The target impact groups for balghars are children between the age group of 3 to 5 years belonging to the socio – economically vulnerable section of society.

Saath has 7 Balghars in Juhapura area of Ahmedabad. Since 2004, 2,226 children have passed through Balghars and after passing have been enrolled in formal schools.