Apna Skool – Project Updates & funding Approval July 26 th, 2010

About Jagriti… The Jagriti family consists of volunteers from the IIT- Kanpur student and faculty body, school teachers, villagers, children, and full-time social workers. They collaborate with groups like Prayas, Eklavya, ASHA, and AID. Jagriti’s aim is to provide primary education to children of migrant laborers and work towards their social and economic development. Runs Swami Vivekanand Vidyalaya (1-8 th Lodhar Village and Runs 20 Apna Skools (Class 1-5 th ) at construction sites

What are Apna Skools? Non-formal schools providing education to the children of migrant workers who come to work at construction sites and brick kilns in Kanpur (approx. 650 children and 28 teachers). About skools run each year, the number varies by season. Children learn through hands-on and interactive methods. Apna Skools also provide nutritious snacks, sports materials, sweaters and uniforms, health camps, immunization programmes, visits by health workers and doctors, as well as legal aid to exploited workers.

Their activities… At the 20 Apna schools children are provided interesting, activity-based education Create printed educational material Organize health related activities: health awareness programmes, health camps, immunization programmes including Hepatitis B, health-video shows family planning Provide basic dress and reading material to the kids Thanks to Mala foundation, also provide free lunch Run mobile library and mobile science lab Aid in community development: common toilet, plantations

Apna Skool in action…

Apna Skool in action…Vijayadi

Some background to what Jagriti has achieved Increased awareness among families, many come back in the next season Education + food + clothing –all together adds motivation to keep children away from labour Many students have moved onto government skools (statistics?) Some teachers also teach in government schools part time

AID-Pdx and Apna Skools… Funded 1.5 Lakhs Rs for ’06 to ’07 Funded approx. $9000 for ’07 to ’08 New budget is for Rs. 4,04,450 for period April’08 to March’09 to support the running of 5 skools and the administrative office Budget is for Rs 2,42150 for continued running of the 5 skools budget is for Rs 4,55500

Brick kiln workers in Kanpur city: Root problem Comes down to the question of minimum wage Brick kiln owners do not pay minimum wages: blatant violation of minimum wage law, even in places like IIT-Kanpur campus Parents need more hands to make bricks: child labor is rampant

Updates Right to Education (RTE) Bill passed by Indian Parliament in 2009 RTE came into effect on April 2 nd, 2010 Guarantees education to every child 6-14 yrs of age Schools are supposed to have 25% seats reserved for children from disadvantaged sections of society; Govt to provide free books, study material All schools (except private schools) have to have 75% of its school board members from parents

What Does RTE mean for Jagriti? Jagriti has been served a notice that children 6-14yrs have to be admitted to regular schools Jagriti can no-longer give OBE (Open Basic Education) certificates to its students Stringent stds of Infrastructure & Teacher Trg => big trouble Children are at the construction sites only from Oct-May Sites are often far from villages & city neighborhoods

Going forward.. Write letter with signature from AID-ASHA volunteers, phone calls Continue to support their work Changing mindset of government officials, eradicating corruption -> very difficult NGO is doing best as what they can do- impart primary education Media coverage? Writing stories in national, international outlets Top-down approach! – contacts in education department, anyone?

Problems facing migrant laborers No specific work hour, toil from 6am-10pm, often for as low as 20p/brick No medical facilities, holidays, bonus, labor laws apply Lack of educational opportunities for children due to migrant nature of work No awareness about basic rights => All in all, Inhuman exploitation OverArching problem Faceless, floating Population Not good vote banks for political class => little motivation to government officials

Migrant labour basics Rural to urban migration of unskilled labor Migrate in hundred thousands every year during march-june, or agricultural season Migration happens primarily from poor parts of Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya pradesh to cities, or strong agricultural centers Main factors: famines, debts, acute unemployment, caste factors, distruction of village crafts Ref: Migrant labour in India By S. N. Tripathy, C. R. Dash

Differences between UP and TN Governments heading the two states - corrupt government + officials Priorities of Education officials Media outlets report more positive stories in general on an average Awareness among the local Population -needed for making it a people’s movement

Are Apna Skools sustainable ?? Do they meet our requirements of a sustainable project? Can we support the skools every year in the current form of the project? Why are organisations like AID and ASHA doing the government’s job? If not why?