This story is from July 11, 2016

Once a dropout, Anita Munda now dreams of becoming an officer

A unique education programme in Odisha's tribal belt helps underprivileged children join the government school network.
Once a dropout, Anita Munda now dreams of becoming an officer
A unique education programme in Odisha's tribal belt helps underprivileged children join the government school network.
Key Highlights
  • A unique education programme in Odisha's tribal belt helps underprivileged children join the government school network.
  • Aspire, an NGO, runs two non-residential programmes for school-age kids. It offers innovative remedial classes in schools to boost learning levels and also runs a programme for out of school children.
A unique education programme in Odisha's tribal belt helps underprivileged children join the government school network.
Deep in the sal forests that hide the iron and alloys mines of northern Odisha lies the mining township of Malda, in Sundergarh district.
Here, some 50 young tribal girls, who used to work in fields or mines and even as domestic servants in Rourkela, have found a new life through the efforts of Aspire, a local NGO.

Most of these girls never went to school while others dropped out early to help support the family. As time passed their chances of joining school too receded. This is when Aspire stepped in, preparing the students for absorption in government schools.
"I used to collect firewood and look after our goats. I have also worked in a saheb's house in Rourkela," recalls Anita Munda, 12, a Class II dropout, who benefitted from the programme. She now wants to become an "officer" after completing her education.
Teachers and community workers from Aspire approach parents of children like Munda and convince them to admit their children to the residential centre at Malda. They are then put through a bridge course that brings them up to the academic level suitable to their age. After this they are placed in schools like the Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas, a residential school programme funded by the government.

Aspire runs two non-residential programmes for school-age kids. It offers innovative remedial classes in schools to boost learning levels and also runs a programme for out of school children.These efforts are different from most other interventions in education that tend to set up a system parallel to the existing government system. Aspire, on the other hand, works with the government system and mobilises communities to ensure that government schools provide education of requisite standard. Nearly 1,600 students currently attending its centres are adivasi and Dalit as they are the poorest and most likely to be out of school.
Census 2011 says that of all the children in the 6-14 age group, 22% in Keonjhar and 15% in Jajpur are out of school. Among tribals, this rate rises to a shocking 30% in Keonjhar and 37% in Jajpur. Clearly something has gone wrong somewhere.
Aspire uses innovative teaching methods. "We use innovative aids and a confidence building approach, paying attention to each child's needs," says the NGO's secretary, Dayaram.
Language is another stumbling block in school education in this belt. "Children from different tribes speak their own dialect and they fall behind in government schools where Odiya is the medium of instruction. Our approach helps them learn Odiya," says Pinki Sandil, incharge of the Joda center in Keonjhar district. Aspire has developed dual-language storybooks -one in Odiya and the other, Mundari or Ho dialect written in Odiya script.
In Sabar Sahi, Jajpur district, 115 kids from the Sabar nomadic tribe are attending classes for the first time. They used to survive by begging and collecting coal from railway sidings.
"When we first approached them in the forest, they had long matted hair and long fingernails. They are very poor and desperately need work," says Rajshri, a teacher at the centre.
In Khasapada village, 22 children are attending a Learning Enhancement Program (LEP) in the village school under the watchful eyes of learning supervisor Pragya and teacher Nakul. They use a string of coloured plastic beads to learn numbers. Encouraged by Nakul, the children divide up and break into a dance and Pragya joins in.
Aspire has also revitalised School Management Committees (SMC) in 733 schools. These are made up of parents, teachers and local panchayat members, health workers etc. Over 4,000 SMC members have been trained in their rights. Over 28,000 parents have attended meetings. Panchayat and youth club meetings have also been held.
"Our committee regularly checks up on the classes, mid-day meals, sports, other functions of the school.This has improved the school so much that kids from other gram panchayats are now wanting to come here," says Nityananda Das, chairman of the Salijanga SMC.
Since the work started one and a half years ago, over 500 school kids have been admitted to government schools.
The programme is supported by the Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS).
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