How to attract underprivileged children to want to go to school?

Part of our extension work is teaching the street children. The picture is similar to the one you have posted. My experience was challenging yet very rewarding. In order to encourage street children or out of school youth to participate in your program you must establish rapport with them, provide them their basic needs such as food ( feeding), clothing and we even bath them and pay for their haircut. For me, this kind of project cannot be measured in one week or even month-long activity. It should be sustained and I think this will be your biggest challenge. How will you sustain the activities? Part of our strategy is to form a task force involving different stakeholders. We divided the task among us. But when one element in the task force will not function, then the whole plan and organization are affected. Hope you will succeed. Good luck.

Dear Mr Elmer Irene,

Thanks for the promoted reply!

We are in initial phases of the project, but we have got a hard working team. We have some policy makers from education department, finance department, nutrition department and psychologists. And we are working as a team from a longs time, so task force functioning will not be a problem. The main problem will be activity package for the specified children group and attracting them.

I find your encouragement schemes liking bathing and even paying them for haircut really interesting. Do you have a document for detailed explanation of the stuff?

Regards,

Paul

I am very impressed with your initiative. You'll need to learn/understand reasons for not attending public schools. What can this system do that the govt. policies can't seem to achieve. You might want to explore the incentive mechanisms set up in other states in India - that seem to draw more children - which is missing in North-west. If this is the kind of information you were looking for - send me a line and I can send more details.

It would be helpful to check the work done by Pratham (first)- http://www.pratham.org/

"Pratham is the largest non governmental organisation working to provide quality education to the underprivileged children of India."

activity package for the specified children group and attracting them: What I like about Pratham's approach is more visual aid in their curriculum and material.

Dear Madame Nisha,

I am really glad to see your resourceful reply!

For certain, the most important question to be answered is ´Reasons for not attending public schools´, I am trying to develop a survey questionnaire to find out the exact reasons in the initial stages and as an addon we have some government policy makers in our team so that they can identify where they missed out.

And yes I am really interested in the incentive mechanism to draw more and more children, it will be pleasure for me to receive from you.

I saw an article related to the work of Pratham its really exciting, even visited the weblink you shared. I feel proud to see such organizations working for the welfare in India. I am planing for more of a ground based approach.

What we have planed for now is explained below:

1. A detailed survey of few districts in Rajasthan, analysis the severity and cause of neglecting education.

2. Policy framework and structuring the aids

3. Modelling implementation

But the biggest challenges are:

1. Attracting Children

2. Fund Acquisition

3. Developing a fool proof system

Attracting children could be achieved by using audio visual aids, developing employment opportunities, one/two time meal program, troubleshooting cell and maybe on later stages providing scholarships to ensure they undergo further education.

Hope to get much more inputs from you!

Regards,

Aman Paul

´Our teacher has told us that when poverty strikes, you should open your mind, and that can be done only through education´

I think all reasons will boil down to poverty, parental neglect, parents unemployment, etc. If you can address unemployment, free education for all, food in their table, and school supplies, then I think you can attract children to school. In our country our government subsidizes sustenance of schooling of the marginalized sector by giving them conditional cash. Part of the condition is that parents must ensure that their children are attending school. If children will stop then the subsidy will stop also.

About the intervention package, we apply the intervention as the need arises. If they need to trim their hair, then we look for sponsor for their monthly haircut. We have the so called adopt- one- street child concept.

I agree with Nisha, you need to dig the bottom or roots of the problem and start working there. Applying temporary aids only does not solve the problem. If we can solve the problem of the society which is poverty, then well have no road side schooling problem.

I totally agree with you, applying temporary aids will not solve the problem, we need to change the mind set to overcome this.

Your suggestions are really valuable, and will give a good insight to our policy makers. I like the concept of subsidizing parents if there children is going to school, but this push has to come through government, lets see how we can work it out.

Thanks for the reply!

You are welcome Paul. More power. I am with you in your desire to help the community, to eradicate social problems, and the like. Keep the faith and take the Lead.

Thanks Elmer!

Hope it will be a useful effort to make earth a better place.

Hi

I think that it is very effective and compassionate

this job is very effective on promotion of cultural and social and science of each country

Things that can affect this type of teaching:

1. Easy understandable expression and expressions

2. Give hope to the life for poor children

3. Appropriate management

Hope is the biggest thing you can give to them.........

Thanks Esmail!

You're welcome