When School Came Knocking On Doors Of These Poor Kids

New Delhi: On a sweltering Wednesday morning, a group moved with purpose past the tangle of low-hanging wires, open drains and buzzing mosquitoes in Chhatarpur’s Ambedkar Colony in south Delhi. One of them knocked on the door of a house. The door was opened by a curious girl, squinting against the harsh sunlight. “Bitiya, iskul jati ho?" the volunteer asked.Thirteen-year-old Saba shook her head. "Mummy ko bulao," he gently urged her.
When the mother appeared, the volunteer explained they were a team of school officials, cluster resource centre coordinators and teachers who wanted children to attend school. Luckily, the team ran into Saba, 13, whose alcoholic father abandoned her, her mother and brother three years ago. With the mother, a domestic worker, the only one left to make sure the family survived, Saba’s aspirations were snuffed out and she dropped out of school.
The team explained to Saba’s mother that she need only submit a residence proof, no other details, neither bank account details nor other documents, for her kids to be admitted to the nearest govt or municipal school. This was courtesy a pilot project called Vidyalaya Pravesh Abhiyaan, initiated by South district deputy education officer Ashok Kumar Tyagi and Samagra Shiksha, a central govt programme launched in 2018 to enhance the quality of education at the school level.
A spark reignited in Saba's eyes when she realised she was returning to school, this time with her brother in tow.
The team, aiming to enrol 200 students, went around in Ambedkar Colony, a speaker loudly playing a song, School tumko pukare, that attracted curious people who decided on Wednesday to send 20 of their kids to the classrooms.
Aryaan, an orphan living with his grandparents, felt this heart soaring when he was told he was going to school. “My nani taught me the alphabets and I learnt the basic from the internet. I can’t believe I will now get free study materials, meals, books and uniforms. I can’t wait to finally join a school on July 1,” exulted the 12-year-old. Because he hasn’t had prior education, he will join the special training centre first to fill the learning gap and then join Class V.
Dhol player Nakeeb, father of two girls, was glad he was home when the admission drive took place. He said, "We weren’t able to find dignified jobs because of our lack of education. But I want both my daughters to study hard and become teachers.”
Tyagi explained that many children from economically weaker sections did not attend school at all, while others studied in unrecognised gali schools. “These schools don’t own land to qualify for govt recognition and have issues related to student safety and security. They are income-driven and need to be discouraged,” he said. “My purpose with this initiative is to raise awareness that education is accessible and is every child's right.”
Mandeep Kumar, principal of Chhatarpur’s Acharya Tulsi Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, interacted with kids and reassured parents about the admission process. Kumar said, “Children drop out when their migrant parents move to other places. Our teachers phone the students if they remain absent on consecutive days and talk to their parents,” said Kumar. “We try to retain the kids unless they are returning to their villages.”
The team has surveyed over 100 households, mostly in Ambedkar Colony, since last year, trying to detect children who aren’t attending school. Volunteer teacher Shima Ghosh said, “Sometimes landlords refuse to provide residence proof that parents need to admit their kids. The parents also are often illiterate themselves and unsure of birth dates, Aadhaar cards and bank details, so they hesitate to enrol their kids. We are making the process easier for them.”
Clicking a photograph of a smiling parent who had just filled an admission form, Jyoti Kalra, district coordinator, Samagra Shiksha, told TOI, “One kid had a foot disability and his ignorant parents didn’t admit him to school thinking it would be of no use. We counselled them and assured them that education could change the family’s life.” Thankfully, this initiative is taking care of such ignorance.