Every child has the right to education. However, this right is often not satisfied for many of India’s children. Often, it is assumed that children end up working to support the family income. In some cases this is true. However, it is also important to recognise that may children work as a result of having no decent alternative. Hence, Shaishav believes that making quality education accessible to these children is the best way to tackle the problem of child labour. With this in mind, we have created our Balghar (community education centres) programme.
Balghar are small, informal education centres that are held both full-time and part-time in various locations across the community. They are run by local community members (Lokshikshak) who have been trained by Shaishav. We do not have our own fixed premises to hold these school-groups so we have to use any available areas within the various neighbourhoods, be it outside someone’s house or in vacant communal spaces.
We will provide children with maximum support with our new “Each One, Teach One” learning method. Our senior Balsena children will play a major role in the success of this initiative. We will train our Balsena children so that each child is responsible for a non-school going child and provides learning support so that he/she can enter school at the appropriate level. By providing such support we hope to motivate children to learn and study further.
The new material produced for our school programme will also be beneficial for our Balghar teachers. By understanding the gaps in teaching style and method, we can provide material and training to our teachers so our children receive the best education possible. Through our years of experience we have developed a sound understanding of ways in which children are best engaged and motivated. We must now build on this and ensure all our Balghars are equipped with resources and qualified personnel to provide quality education.
Rather than being an alternative to regular schools, Balghar serves as a stop-gap arrangement. We aim to motivate children about the idea of education and prepare them for the classroom. Rather than focus on the national syllabus specifically, we use innovative teaching/learning methods in a range of educational and development activities. We teach both core subjects such as language, maths and science and also life-skills and creative activities so that children can enjoy education and see its value.
