What We Do?
We run ‘Baal Sanskar Kendras’ (Non-Formal Education Centers), before or after the school hours for two/three hours for about 600+ slum children; so that they first acquire non-negotiable ‘Foundational Literacy and Numeracy’ as a basic learning skill. They do their home-works, solve their difficulties, spend their quality time for learning and growing together, and imbibe positive values like personal cleanliness-hygiene and how to live a decent life. We also give them civic training so that they become change agents in the community, become enlightened citizens and contribute to the nation’s development in their own way.
Why We Do?
Slums are sad reality of developing cities. We want to build the future of ‘RamaPirNo Tekro’ and nearby slum areas by real human resource development. Only developed citizens can develop the nation. We want to inculcate values of basic learning skills, decent living, positive attitude towards society and rules of the land, freedom from addiction and criminal mentality in the young minds so that they not only develop themselves and their families but also be the change agents in community and contribute in their own way in nation development.
Problem Statement:
Underprivileged children from socio-economically-educationally deprived community go to school but really do not learn much because of many reasons. This ‘Virtual Exclusion’ sooner or later pushes them out and they join early in job market as un-skilled laborers. Early responsibilities of earning a daily bread puts them in vicious cycle of exploitation, miseries, and sub-human life. They are deprived of equality, justice, and basic human rights. They lost scope of becoming enlightened citizens.
Theory of Change:
If children coming from socio-economically-educationally deprived communities are given basic love and care, learning skills, civic training, motivation to live a decent life with values; their inner potentials bloom and by acquiring right knowledge, skills, and attitude; they develop positive mindset about themselves and society, and instead of becoming liability they become asset to the nation.
S
DG-4: Quality Education is the Need of an hour:
As per SDG Target 4.1: Free primary and secondary education UN definition: “By 2030, we want to ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary education leading to relevant and effective outcomes.”
India is a country of “Young Age.” The demographics of India are remarkably diverse. India is the most populous country in the world with one-sixth of the world’s population. In 2023, the median age of an Indian was 29.5 years, compared to 39.8 for China and 49.5 for Japan; and, by 2030; India’s dependency ratio will be just over 0.4. If India wants to benefit from population being added to the labour force, it must prioritise substantially higher spending on both education and health, says Krishna Srinivasan, who directs the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department. Education is a catalyst for development. Education can enhance productivity, creativity, and entrepreneurship, which can lead to sustainable economic progress.
Education as a continuum: New Education Policy 2020
The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India organizes education into a continuum of stages that reflect the cognitive development of children:
• Foundational stage: Ages 3–8, with three years of preschool or anganwadi education and two years of primary classes. This stage focuses on play-based learning and language development.
• Preparatory stage: Ages 8–11, with classes 3–5. This stage focuses on play-based learning, language development, and numeracy skills.
• Middle stage: Ages 11–14, with classes 6–8.
At Jeevantirth, we align our activities with ‘Global SDGs’, ‘National Priorities’, and ‘Local Needs’ we design and customize our educational interventions.
We at Jeevantirth, humbly believe that in a democratic society; we need to support Government’s efforts by ‘Bridging the Gaps’ and ‘Adding the Values’ to the pro-poor, pro-people policies and programs as a civil society initiative.
At present we are running four types of Non-Formal Education Centers in slum areas as under:
|
KALARAV Early Childhood Care and Education |
BALVATIKA As per NEP: Part of Foundation Stage |
BSK: Lower-Primary As per NEP: Part of Preparatory Stage |
BSK: Upper-Primary As per NEP: Part of Middle Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Age: 3 to 5 Anganwadi Stage |
Age: 5 to 8 BalVatika + Std. 1 & 2 |
Age: 8 to 11 Standard 3 to 5 |
Age: 11 to 14 Standard 6 to 8 |
|
Strategic Thrust for Kalarav: The focus for ECE-Kalarav is set on mainly two components:
NCERT has developed a ‘National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework’ for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8. These themes are: 1. I and My Family 2. Neighbour and Society 3. Trees-Plants 4. Food 5. Vegetables 6. My Body 7. Animals 8. Birds 9. Safety 10. My Country 11. Seasons 12. The Earth and Nature 13. Air 14. Fruits 15. Water 16 Vehicles 17. Cloths. |
Strategic Thrust for BalVatika: BalVatika and 1st and 2nd standard include children 5 to 8 years for pre-learning skills and school readiness. Students will be introduced to good behaviour, hygiene, ethics, and teamwork, to name a few. These will help them become better citizens.
School Readiness Concepts: Like small-big, smooth-rough, soft-hard, smallest-largest, more-less, up-down, left-right, front-back, long-short, thick-thin, same-different, ascending-descending order, basic shapes & colours, etc. |
Strategic Thrust for BSK Lower-Primary:
Our Strategic Thrust for the Preparatory Stage is to give basic FLN – Foundational Literacy and numeracy as a Learning Skill. This is in alignment of Nipun-Bharat Initiative of Government of India. The focus would shift to play, discovery and activity-based and interaction classroom learning. The process will be based on experimental learning. Std. 3: Around Me (Me and My Family); Std. 4: Around Us (My Village/Biosphere); Std. 5: Around All (Expanding Horizons) |
Strategic Thrust for BSK Upper-Primary: The introduction and discussion of abstract concepts is done in this stage. It helps in preparing students across various streams. Experiential learning is explored in relations with different subjects. Here, students will be introduced to varied subjects such as sciences, mathematics, arts, social sciences, and humanities in a discussion-based learning process. Std. 6: Nature Club/Value Education; Std. 7: Rupantar/Lions’ Quest. Std. 8: STEM, AI, Carrier Counselling |
As per UNESCO, “Early childhood care and education (ECCE), covering the period from birth to 8 years old, is crucial because it leverages a time of significant brain development in children. Quality ECCE can set the foundation for good health, nutrition, learning success, social-emotional development, and economic productivity throughout life. Despite these benefits, ECCE often receives low priority in education policies and investment and may exclude marginalized groups. Much of ECCE is privately provided, adding to its vulnerability. Extending education rights to include early childhood care can significantly impact developmental outcomes for children.” UNESCO regards ECCE as a fundamental and integral part of the education system and a solid foundation on which to build lifelong education, lives, and careers.
All our work in education is aligned with target 4.2 of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ‘By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.’
We are focusing on all four pillars of Learning as suggested by UNESCO in education for the 21st Century.
We strongly believe that we need to invest most in children and youths by inculcating Right Knowledge, Right Skills, and Right Attitude to make our beloved country leading to humanity.
India is a developing country; it’s yet to pave its way through many adversities. The vulgar commercialization of education is not only jeopardizing the Indian schooling system, but also putting most Indian children, i.e. children of deprived communities, out of schooling as its corollary. This hits hard to communities residing in slums as they are on the lowest rung of the economic structure. They work hard round the clock and yet struggle to make ends meet; in a state where survival gnaws at them, how can education be of priority? Neither is it a choice as they cannot afford private schools while government schools fail to provide even basic literacy skills. There cannot be equality and justice so long as we have two education systems one for the rich and other for the poor. It is a known fact that many students enrolled in upper primary government schools (standard 5+) are unable to read, write and count!
Jeevantirth has recognized these hurdles and has been working amidst the largest slum of Ahmedabad, Ramapir no Tekro and nearby slums since 2009. Our most valuable assets are our staff members: the BalMitras (children buddies); it is their volition to teach and learn that has helped us grow Bal Sanskar Kendras. Many of our staff members are residents of the slums itself; they know the people and their issues as their own. We have been able to open 15 BSKs in different slum communities to cater the educational needs of 600 children. The timings are set in accordance with children’s school timings. The morning batch is for children attending school in the afternoon while the evening batch is for children attending school during mornings.
We hold regular weekly meeting for Reporting, Reviewing, Planning, Training and Material Development with the BalMitras. As per the recognized needs of children, parents, and society, we come up with curriculums that help develop the students academically and socially. Extra emphasis is laid upon reading, writing, and counting skills as these are the necessities for a person to survive the current economy. We run a module called ‘VaGaLe’ which is an acronym for Vanchan, Ganan and Lekhan i.e. reading, counting, and writing now known as FLN – Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.
Apart from that arts and crafts, music, dance, and interactive learning activities are integral part of our curriculum. There has been an increase in the number of students attending BSKs regularly. Each year we review the experiences of past year and improve the curriculum of the upcoming year. We also take help of other organizations to train our BalMitras on regular bases. This has helped us improve our education standard significantly. Having established fifteen centers that teach around 600 children as of today, it is now our motive to focus on improving quality of education rather than increasing the number of centers. Regarding this our BalMitras attend regular training sessions and learn new methods of teaching.
A Line of Gratitude:
We express our gratitude from the deepest of our heart to ‘Gisela & Tuurlijk Foundations from Netherlands’ for giving major support and guidance all these years.
Every two year their representatives Peter & Joke visit for three days and motivates our team.
We are also thankful to Prudent, Kalupur Commercial Bank, Nav Nirmaan Bank, Kokilaben Cheritable Trust, Gennext, Apexon, Friends of Jeevantirth and others for sponsoring few centers or providing matching grants to give Life-long Gift of Learning Skills and Citizenship Training to our under-privileged children of one of the biggest slums – RamaPirNo Tekro and nearby areas.
We are happy and feel privileged to partner with ‘The Arhant Social Foundation-USA’ to expand our life-transforming quality initiative in other areas under “Gyaan-Prabha” project.
Get Involved:
We appeal individual donors, well-wishers and corporate to adopt as many children as they can or sponsor expenditure of one or many Baal Sanskar Kendras or part of it, or give nutritional support to them, provide educational or art & craft materials or play things to them, spend your quality time and expertise by entertaining or helping them to learn, and bless them to become enlightened citizens to build the nation.
Be part of the ‘Friends of Jeevantirth’ and our ambassador.
