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Education
Although
the literacy rate in Rajasthan is gradually rising, over half of girls
here still miss out on even a basic education. Persistent gender
discrimination in our society means that girls are the last to be enrolled
in the schools and the first to be withdrawn when times get tough. The
situation is worst in rural areas, where less than 40% of women are
literate.
The negative impact that this low level of literacy has on the lives of
Rajasthani women should not be underestimated. Numerous studies show that
an illiterate woman has a shorter life expectancy, poor nutritional
status, low earning potential, little control over her fertility, a lack
of ability to protect herself against violence and little autonomy within
the household. What's more, her lack of education also affects the health
and well being of her children. A recent survey in India found that as the
educational levels of mothers decreased, the likelihood of their children
dying rose at a worrying rate.
To put
pressure on the government to ensure all children aged 6 to 14 years
receive the quality elementary education that is their right. |
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To
implement a model of child-centered, gender-sensitive teaching in
schools, thereby setting an example for government schools to
replicate.
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To
generate a positive attitude towards girls' education among the
community. |
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To encourage local communities to participate in the way schools function so that they foster a sense of ownership and responsibility. |
1. Programme for Universal Elementary Education of Girls:
Workshops with local communities to promote the value of girls' education as having the potential to change poverty-stricken lives. | |
Monitoring of girls' attendance in schools and regular dialogue encouraged between teachers and the community (especially with the parents of school drop-outs). | |
Life skills workshops for grown-up and non-school-going girls, covering topics such as reproductive health, gender equality, legal rights and access to public services. | |
Facilitating local education committees made up of representatives from the villages. | |
The committees are responsible for decisions about how their local school is run. The presence of women representatives ensures that promoting girl's education remains a top priority. |
2. Programme to improve the quality of education in schools:
Promoting creative, child-friendly and gender-sensitive teaching methods.
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Improving facilities in schools such as safe drinking water and toilets
(the absence of the latter being a major reason why girls don't attend
school). |
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Training teachers to adapt the curriculum so that it deals with local
problems regarding health and gender issues. |
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Promoting a lively environment in schools where children can express their
own opinions, learn at their own pace, and be free from the fear of being
punished. |
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Encouraging a positive attitude among teachers towards children from
disadvantaged backgrounds. |
3. Shiksha Mitra Schools
43 schools have been set up to provide primary education and basic
health check-ups to marginalized children in areas with low school
attendance. Approximately 1,300 pupils are studying in these schools.
Among them are the children of the brick kiln workers in Bharatpur, who
are a particularly deprived, poverty stricken social group.
4. Alternative learning centres for girls who have dropped out or have
never attended school
These centres offer girls a basic education, life skills training, and
the possibility of reaching an academic level where they can enter into
mainstream schools. Learning materials are specially geared to the local
context to help girls handle the challenges they face in their lives.
Topics such as reproductive health, laws against domestic violence and
gender equality are covered.
5. Aflatoun Social and Financial Education Programme
This programme is an innovation to ensure quality of education. The
project focuses on inculcation of personal values among children at one
end and enabling development of financial management skills among them on
the other hand. Education of children on child rights and responsibilities
is at the core of the project and it tries to provide model for such
education through development of children’s institutions (called Aflatoun
Clubs and Banks) at school level. The programme is being implemented in
300 government schools in Dhaulpur block of Dhaulpur district of Rajasthan
since September 2008 and is also being implemented in 100 government
schools in Cholapur and Chiraigaon block of Varanasi district of Uttar
Pradesh since July 2013. The programme is being supported by Meljol,
Aflatoun International and Citi Foundation. The project envisages a
balanced social and financial empowerment of children enabling them to
break the cycle of poverty.
6. Bridge Course for the children
Residential Bridge course is implemented with the motive of ensuring
universal elementary education to out of school children in the age group
of 10- 14 years in order to mainstream them in the government schools.| |
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To prepare them for the age appropriate classes as well to retain their
continuity. |
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The residential bridge courses will prepare the children for age specific
classes and get them enrolled in formal schools. |
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In the bridge course the teachers would be adopting group teaching
processes and child friendly teaching learning processes. |
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There will be a regular assessment of the learning level of these children
to review the strategies time to time. |
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Children are also engaged in Recreation activities like singing, dancing,
drawing, clay toy making etc to develop their personalities. |
7. 'Prabhat' Initiative
Prabhat Initiative is implemented with the motive of ensuring universal
quality education to out-of-school girls in the age- group of 9-13 years
in 20 villages of Dag Panchayat Samiti of Jhalawar district and
facilitating their mainstreaming in the government schools.
A ‘Prabhatshala’ (an alternate education center) was opened in each of the
20 habitations and a local educated energetic female was selected as
teacher and provided training in joyful methods of learning and community
mobilization.
The teacher imparts life skill education to girls as well. She tells them
about the importance and means of maintaining their health and hygiene.
She makes them aware of their rights and facilitates them in raising voice
against social malpractices like dowry, child marriage, child labour,
child trafficking, domestic violence and gender discrimination. She makes
them aware of opportunities available to them for development like the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. A separate meeting with
adolescent girls is also organized to educate them about the changes that
take place in body during the age, menstruation, ill effects of early
pregnancy, contraception and family planning, anaemia and nutrition.
514 girls are enrolled in Prabhatshalas at present 77 % of whom belong to
Other Backward Classes (mostly Sondhiya Rajput, Gurjar and Luhar
communities) and 21 % belong to Scheduled Castes (Meghwal and
Mehtar
communities).