Bridging the Educational Gaps for the Slum Dwelling Children in Patna

The situation of the urban slum dwellers in Patna is that the majority of poor men and women of this section can be found working as a daily wage labourer, domestic workers, sweepers, construction workers, rag pickers, and beggars. Other employments include load rickshaw pulling, passenger rickshaw pulling, garage workers, cobblers and street vendors. There are many more who remain unemployed. The growing number of slum dwellers has been increasing year by year, due to dearth of employment opportunities at large in the rural areas of Bihar as well. Mostly they are migrants who stepped into the city along with family in search of livelihoods. All these people end up either on pavements or slums in different areas of Patna. The major problems to be addressed through this project could be briefly summarized as:

1. Children of the urban poor and slum dwellers are neglected of education as the priority is on breadwinning and income earning.

2. Urban poor are discriminated and children have less access to the educational institutions.

3. Parents of the urban poor children strongly desire to send their children for earnings to support the family as child labour opportunities are higher in the cities.

4. The slum situation is not education-friendly or motivating to the children as well as parents to send their children to the schools.

5. The community has very little interaction with the schools in the vicinity and as a result, the slum dwellers and the school administration fosters a huge communication gap.

7. The slum situation and peer group dynamics are so adverse to the retention of slum-dwelling children in the schools.

8. The lack of involvement of the Local Self Governance System in the monitoring of the functioning of the schools catering to the educational demands of the urban poor and slum-dwelling communities.

1. The Child Care Centre shall operate 15 Non-Formal Education Centres exclusively dedicated to educating, bridging the gap and facilitating the mainstreaming of the slum-dwelling urban poor children residing in the slum areas of Patna.
2. The project shall train 15 Teachers/Instructors from the respective slum areas and deploy them at these proposed centres for educating the children.
3. The project shall design, collate and provide teaching and learning materials to the enrolling children in these Non-Formal Education Centres.
4. The project has imparted regular schooling to these children in the method of ‘Bridge Course’ and prepares them to attend exams as in the regular schools.
5. The project shall periodically assess the progress and learning competencies of the children and give them encouragement and promotion.
6. The project shall liaison with the formal schools in the project area and enrol these children with the mainstream education process ensuring continued education of these children.
7. The project shall provide vocational education and skill training for these children so that along with the education they are ready for better livelihood options.
8. The project shall conduct sports events, arts events, competitions and personality development interventions for the holistic development of these children.
9. The project shall constitute and nurture parents committees and other community structures for maintaining a favourable environment for continued education of the slum-dwelling children.

The Child Care Centre's target is to reach out to 500 children from the urban slum areas identified for the implementation of this project and enrol them as well as educate them through the Non-Formal Education Centres with the objective to mainstream these children into regular schools ensuring their continued education at a later stage.

The quality of life and access to better livelihood opportunities shall improve for the 500 children and their families in the most sustainable manner. Low level of literacy and education is an index of the socio-economic backwardness in an urban poor community. The project shall directly impact to make a positive change in this index.