PA8SHAALA - an initiative to educate and enroll slum children in schools

The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A & Right to Education in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right. The reason being, the fact that India’s literacy rate is still 76% after 70 years of Independence. This is just a literacy rate and not educated rate, which is even low than this.

As Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education is the key to eliminate gender inequality, to reduce poverty, to create a sustainable planet, to prevent needless deaths and illness, and to foster peace. And in a knowledge economy, education is the new currency by which nations maintain economic competitiveness and global prosperity. Education is an investment, and one of the most critical investments we can make. Every human being needs oxygen to survive in the world and education is as important as oxygen because education gives people the knowledge and skills they require. Education is important to people of all ages and it has no limit, but considering children our future of the nation they need it the most.”

Parivartan “The Change” started the Project Pa8shaala on May 06, 2017, with a belief that securing our future generation can lead to securing a family, society and nation at large. In Moradabad, where we started our NGO, we witnessed several issues related to children. We saw children who are more prone to drugs, tobacco, begging and child labour. These children were deprived of their basic right to learn and be educated to lead a life where they are empowered to fulfil their aspirations and dreams. The question that came in front of us was that despite having primary schools, convent schools, private aided schools why these children deprived of the basic right to education and live a dignified life at large? Thereafter, we all decided and pledged to work for these deprived kids who need our utmost care and this gave birth to our Project Pa8shaala.

Under Pa8shaala we put thrust on the overall development of the child through various activities and tasks to generate the spark and make them a good and responsible citizen. We believe society and nation can only progress if our youth and future generation are well aware of their duties and responsibilities as a sincere citizen of the nation. So not only academic education but also moral, ethics and personality grooming is our focus. A regular syllabus and schedule is our basic methodology to teach them 6 days a week. The activities that are being done in the classes include:-

• Star of the week - For choosing one best kid within a week, in order to incentivize kids.
• Health check-up camp for their well being and health issues.
• Digital Learning with the help of Laptop to show them stories and clips related to morals & science.
• Sports and Dance activities for overall development.
• Creativity and Arts class for creativity enhancement and fun.
• Distribution of study material & other essential things.
• Celebration of cultural events, fests to make them understand about their Nation & its various cultures.
• Farewell to Pa8shaala kids for making them feel a sense of emotional attachment with our team.
• School Visits and educational tours to local places to make them understand how the outer world looks like.

These classes are being organized in slums at any open place but due to the growing strength of kids, we are planning to execute it in a closed rented space where the kids can get focused education as well as overall development. Last year, in August 2019, we launched a Smart E Rickshaw that goes in these slum areas to provide education and generate more interest in them.

The major impact will be on more enrollment of slum /underprivileged kids in government primary schools, thus having a greater impact in mainstreaming education of these kids. When we started our project Pa8shaala, they had no idea, interest and engagement in the education field. They did not know about themselves nor were aware of the basic details about their families and the society they live in. Within a month or two the ones who were below the line of self-consciousness, today can show respect towards the elder, and behave with juniors. They are mannered children who can proudly introduce their parents.

Moreover, they now know as to how they can serve their surroundings and nature. The ones who don't know how to speak now they are able to write, not only their names but basics of Hindi, English & Mathematics. They can at least check whether they are being cheated by the local shopkeeper or not. This for us is a huge transformation but we all long that we have a long way ahead!

Instead of having a life without colours now they can enjoy the rainbow of life with multi colours and have a standard (learning) form of games to play, through craft activity they can form the base of their dream house not with bricks and cement but with paper and clay (as it is said something is better than nothing). Many of them now want to be a singer or dancer, as they felt it is one by which they can enjoy their lives more freely or can have it in a better way. Now they know, the place where they exist, they know about a planet called Earth, they visualize little stars like them who now are twinkling, they feel proud about their nationality to whom they belong and feel proud to say "Jai Hind" with a roar and thunder.

When it comes to education, girls lag behind boys significantly. This situation arises due to the patriarchal mindset of a lot of families in India. Girls are often viewed as future housewives and family caretakers. They are often deprived of higher education and in some cases even school education. Being educated gives an equal opportunity for women to be skilled workers who use their learning as a boon that will help better the future of their families and their communities. But here we are focusing equally on girls and boys irrespective of the gender issues and indeed the focus towards girls are even more as we believe that a girl alone is able to sustain two families through one life both in-laws and her own family so making her independent and educated is our foremost duty. It’s quite disheartening to see many children are involved in activities like child labour, working in shops, living in villas as guards, working as domestic labourers in apartments, homes and even some are addicted to tobacco and begging.