Education & Protection
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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
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At Sabuj Sangha, education and protection are seen as critical and interlinked areas of work. Among deprived communities, children are often the worst sufferers. Faced with extremely difficult circumstances, they are forced forego their childhood. Violations of their basic rights and limited access to resources like education become an inseparable part of their reality.
Sabuj Sangha works with these children who need special attention and care. The emphasis is on helping deprived rural and urban children access educational opportunities and other supportive measures. Overall, the protection and education activities are seen as complementary efforts that allow children enjoy their childhood while at the same time breaking the cycle of poverty.
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Aalor Disha
Migration is a key aspect of life for many families living in poverty. The people of the Sundarbans are no different. In the 1990s, many of the Sundarban people migrated to Kolkata in search of work and began settling along the railway line. Ansuman Das, the director of Sabuj Sangha, visited these railway settlements in the late 1990s and was concerned by the number of people commuting into the city each day, leaving their children to fend for themselves.
Whilst waiting at Ghutiary Sharif train station in the summer of 2000, Ansuman first met Ayub, a 7 year old boy who was offering to sell him drugs. He was struck by how smart Ayub was.
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As soon as he knew that this was going on and these children's vulnerability was being exploited he knew that he had to do something to protect them. In 2001, Sabuj Sangha commissioned a report entitled 'Railway Children', to determine the scale of the problem. Based on this report, it was concluded that intervention was essential to protect these children who were at such high risk of exploitation.
Aalor Disha, the peri-urban unit of Sabuj Sangha was established in 2002 with the help of the local community. Ayub was one of the first children to attend the pre-primary school. The Champahati centre was built later that year and Ayub moved into the residential unit, where he lived and attended Government school. Whenever Ansuman meets Ayub, he is still amazed by his confidence and charm; "I feel proud that he is now putting these skills to good use. I am sure he will do well in school and be successful in whatever career he chooses".
Aalor Disha delivers programmes in education, health and livelihood. It currently operates in 8 areas namely, Champahati, Kalikapur, Ghutiari Sharif, Bethberia, Taldi, Canning, Baripur and Dakshin Barasat.
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National Child Labour Programme School
Since 2008, Sabuj Sangha has been running the National Child Labour School from its Champahati premises. The school was initiated under the Government of India's National Child Labour Programme (NCLP) and is aimed at facilitating the mainstreaming of child labourers in formal schools. All children receive monthly stipends, vocational training and mid-day meals. Regular health check-ups are also conducted. During 2009 to 2010, the second academic year of the programme, 16 of the 50 children enrolled secured admission in government schools.
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CHILDLINE
Sabuj Sangha has been involved in implementing the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (CHILDLINE) since 2003. This scheme provides emergency assistance to children through a toll free number (1098). A network of organisations acts collectively to provide immediate help to children as well as facilitate their repatriation and rehabilitation as required. The scheme is supported by Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. Sabuj Sangha manages the CHILDLINE centre (from Aalor Disha) for the canning and Baripur sub divisions of South 24 Parganas. Besides handling calls, the centre has also been engaged in creating awareness about child rights, children in distress and the CHILDLINE service. |
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The table below shows an overview of the number of calls received at the CHILDLINE centre from April 2009 to March 2010. |
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Category |
Number of Calls Received |
| 1 |
Interventions (Shelter, medical help, repatriation, rescue, death related, sponsorship, referred by another CHILDLINE partner) |
96 |
| 2 |
Missing children (Child lost, parents asking for help) |
25 |
| 3 |
Emotional support and guidance (children) |
137 |
| 4 |
Information (About CHILDLINE, referrals, volunteers) |
8810 |
| 5 |
Miscellaneous (including administrative calls and crank calls) |
0 |
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Preparatory and Coaching Centres
Preparatory (also known as Bridge) centres are designed for children who are unable to access the Government mainstream school system. Students attend the centres until they reach the standard required for mainstream school. Once mainstreamed, these children are supported through coaching centres. Coaching centres give students the opportunity to receive extra support outside of school. Currently, about 26 coaching centres and 5 bridge course centres are operational throughout Sabuj Sangha.
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Results: Rehabilitation of Deprived Children through Education Programme
- 258 children were mainstreamed from 4 bridge centres.
- 821 children received coaching support through 25 peri-urban and 6 rural coaching centres.
- 10 students received sponsorship support.
- Enhanced staff capacity related to teaching methodologies, particularly accelerated learning.
- Community Development Committees having increased interest and involvement in centres.
Residential and Non-Residential Camps
In the past, Sabuj sangha has run both residential and non-residential camps for children. These camps constitute another platform for facilitating the mainstreaming of children.
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Village Education Committees
Sabuj Sangha works closely with Village Education Committees (VECs). VECs comprise of representatives from schools, parents and other related stakeholders. They play an important role in addressing local issues and concerns related to education.
Model Primary School
Kishalaya Sishu Siksa Niketan (KSSN) is a model primary school based in Nandakumarpur. The school focuses on delivering quality education, with class sizes kept to a minimum and teachers receive comprehensive training. Children are thought regular curriculum subjects. In addition to this, they take part in extra-curricular activities such as games, drama, music and scouts. There is an emphasis on creating a fun, positive learning environment for the children. To date, three batches of students have completed Class V and subsequently joined government schools.
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Results: Education Component of MVSD
- 61 out of 96 from residential and non-residential camps mainstreamed.
- 50% of children mainstreamed between 2006 and 2008 achieved 60% or higher in their annual examination in March 2010.
- 60% of children in residential camp scored 60% or higher in Bengali, English and Mathematics in their final exam.
- 64 children received education material support. Cost were covered for a further 61 children.
- 6 Village Education committees were strengthened
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