Apna Skool – Project Updates & funding Approval

1. ApnaSkool –Project Updates & funding Approval July 26th, 2010

2. 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 VivekanandVidyalaya (1-8th std) @ Lodhar Village and Runs 20 ApnaSkools(Class 1-5th) at construction sites

3. 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 15-20 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.

4. 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

5. Apna Skool in action…

6. ApnaSkool in action…Vijayadi

7. 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

8. AID-Pdx and Apna Skools… • Funded 1.5 LakhsRs 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 • 2009-10 Budget is for Rs2,42150 for continued running of the 5 skools • 2010-11 budget is for Rs 4,55500

9. 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 10000 bricks: child labor is rampant

10. Updates • Right to Education (RTE) Bill passed by Indian Parliament in 2009 • RTE came into effect on April 2nd, 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

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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?