pvchr - baghwanala model school

8/7/2019 PVCHR - Baghwanala Model School

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Full Time Center in Baghwanala:

The project as a model school.

Contents:

• Introduction:

• The critical importance of educational

• Background of the project

• The Full Time Center in Baghwanala

• Baghwanala slum

• The school

• Social and cultural activities

• An integrated approach: Education to promote other Child Rights

• The future of the Center in Baghwanala

Teachers and students in Baghwanala school



Full Time Center in Baghwanala:

The project as a model school.

Introduction:

The objective of Full Time Centers (FTC's) is to provide elementary education to

children between 6 and 14 years old in locations where Government elementary schools

are not available. On the X anniversary of the Center in Baghwanala, we would like to

present the organization and the achievements of this FTC as a model school to be

considered by official and non-governmental organizations.

The critical importance of Education

Education is one of the crucial indicators of human

development. It is not only a fundamental human right, but

a right that enables the foundations for growth,

opportunity and equality. Ending generational cycles of

poverty and disease, education has also helped reducing

some of societies’ deeply rooted inequalities. Gender

sensitive quality education is necessary for boys and girls

to adopt healthy lifestyles and to take an active role insocial, economic and political decision-making. In

addition, school attendance significantly reduces the risk

of child labour and child marriage. Moreover, educated

adults are more likely to adopt appropriate family planning

and to ensure their children start school on time and are

ready to learn.

In India, both the State and Central Governments have made immense efforts,

since Independence, to improve the dismal situation of education in the country. Even

with commendable efforts, like the passing of the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory

Education (RTE) Act 2009, there are millions

of out-of-school boys and girls in this country.

Quality education still remains elusive for

millions more.



The school:

The aim of the FTC in

Baghwanala is not only to grant

access to elementary education tothe children in this village. Quality

and gender sensitive education is

provided to the pupils in a safe and

child-friendly environment

conductive to learn and play.

•

The students:• At present, 125 pupils (academic year 2010/11).

• Ages from 6 to 14 years.

• Timetable from 10.00 to 14.30 (including recess and lunch brake).

• Secondary education is arranged for as many students as possible through

the scholarship program supported by PVCHR.

• Drop-out rate at the Centre is zero.

• Age groups1 (academic year 2010/11):

• First grade: 36 students.

• Second grade: 34 students.

• Thrird grade: 36 students.

• Fourth grade: 13 students.

• Fifth grade: 6 students. Conductive course towards Secondary Education.

• The teachers:

• There are currently 5 qualified and trained teachers working at the school.

• Special training: the teachers and the headmaster have been given special

training supported by PVCHR to develop the required sensibility to deal

with the children due to their disadvantaged social and educational

background.

• Irregular attendance and drop-out are prevented by the teachers through

usual contact with the parents. Teachers get in touch personally with the

1 Currently, the national average is about one teacher every 34 students, even though children have theright to have at least 1 qualified and trainned teacher for every 30 pupils.

Source: Unicef India.



families on the second day of absence from the school (nearly 50% of the

children don´t attend the school every day).

• The class:

• Subjects: Hindi and English literacy, Math, , Science, Geography, Civics,General Knowledge and Drawing.

• Children are motivated to participate through debates, question rounds etc. A

familiar and friendly relationship towards the teachers is encouraged by the

Centre (for instance, the pupils call the teachers brother or sister).

• Behaviour of the children:

as repeatedly expressed by

the teachers, it is highly

satisfactory. The children

are eager to learn and have

proved enormousimprovements in their

discipline and socialization

skills from the moment they

start attending the school.

• Building facilities:

• Sanitation: Drinking water and toilets are accessible to the children.

• Students can safely enjoy the schoolyard during recess and lunch break.

• Learning material:

• The Centre provides the students everything needed for their learning: pens,

pencils, exercise books etc.

• Library: the children at the Centre have full access to the library facility and

other means of easy learning like charts, toys etc.

• Social inclusion: the Centre works against any caste, tribe or gender based

discrimination. Boys and girls with different religious origins study together in

the school (at present, 10 students are muslims).

• Other initiatives to support the children´s learning:

• Introduction of innovative and playful methods: including charts, toys,

games and songs conductive to learn and play.

• Organization of social and cultural activities, health and sexual education

courses and Child Rights awareness: to be described below.

Second grade class



Social and cultural activities:

• School Garden: under the rubric “To secure our future”, children are given

environmental education and learn gardening in a playful manner.

• Street plays: extracurricular activity where children write and rehearse plays onchild rights, increasing community awareness. The topics of the plays that have

been acted in the streets during Fundamental Rights Campaigns include: child

marriage, child labour, education, clean water assurance.

• Children Parliament: at present, 61 children participate on a regular basis. Two

chairpersons, one girl and one boy, are democratically elected. Debates on

children issues are celebrated, followed by voting. The parliament have strictly

voted against child marriage and protested to the parents of a 14 year old who

was arranged to marry (and fortunately, the marriage was finally canceled). The

children manage a chart paper and organize sign collections to pressure against

issues the parliament has opposed to (another example is the use of crackers onthe Diwali festival).

Street plays performed on Children´s Day in Varanasi

An integrated approach: Education to promote other Child Rights:

In addition to the crucial importance of education per se, it is a means of

achieving other critical goals: gender equality, promotion of child survival and

development, child protection against abuse and exploitation, assurance of clean water

and sanitation, fight against HIV and other STD’s and encouragement of individual andsocial development and participation.

Several activities and workshops are carried out in the school as a way of

adopting a holistic and integrated approach to education.

• Health awareness:

• Health monitor: medical check-up of the children is done regularly every

month. Results are kept in a register in the school. 100% of the children are

vaccinated. The help and involvement of guardians and community has

significantly contributed in increasing awareness about health of the childrenas well as community at large.



• Sexual education:

• Meetings between the teachers and the parents are held to share information

and are asked to consent their child’s assistance to the sexual education

workshop.

•

The Centre organizes and leads meetings between the parents and the girls(ages 13-14) where information on sexuality and hygiene is given and

discussed.

• Empowerment of the children: children learn and discuss about their rights in

the school and in the Child Parliament. They participate in the celebrations and

campaigns on fundamental rights. They are always welcome to reach the

teachers for help or advice.

•

Child protection:• Dangerous family environment: teachers reach the families as soon as they

recognize any alarm sign. If they are not capable of managing the problem

by themselves, they will inform PVCHR.

• Child without parental care: at present, all the students enrolled live with

their families in the Baghwanala area.

• Child marriage and child labour: awareness on this issue has been

significantly increased in the community through information and

discussions involving the families and the children. In several cases,

arranged child marriages have been canceled because the child girl opposed.

The future of the school:

The aim of PVCHR has always been to promote

the construction of a Government school in Baghwanala.

PVCHR made a formal request to the Government on this

matter in 1999, but the proposal was rejected claiming

there was no structure that made possible the construction

of the building. PVCHR proposed the project of the FTC

to the donors and the school was built.

Now another request has been made to the

Government to regularise the Centre as a Government

school. This would secure the preservation of the project

and students would have full access to uniforms, learning

material, midday meals and scholarships from the

Government. The request has not been answered yet.

PVCHR will support the staff to use their experience working in another

location where the example of this Model School can be helpful.

Written by: María San Martín. Photographs by María San Martín.

pvchr - baghwanala model school

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