Urban - Learning Centers »

What are they?

Our Learning Centers started in the year 1996. Aimed at children in the age group of 6 - 14 years, 1600 children are benefited through 40 centers. The focus group is children who have either never known what being in a school is like or have had to drop out due to some reason. The 1 year that children spend in these learning centers acts as bridge education. The children are divided in three levels based on their prior exposure to any form of education. Children never been to school or having little exposure are put in level 1, while children with some basic exposure are put in level 2 and children migrated from some other places and were continuing their studies in those places are put in level 3. Curriculum is then planed accordingly for these three levels. The idea is to provide as relevant education as possible for these children and put them back into the mainstream at the earliest. The curriculum is comprehensive and toes the lines of NCERT / SCERT. Parents are also kept in the loop regarding their child's performance. After a year's time, when students have a foundation ready for main stream education, they are encouraged and helped to enroll in government schools. Their performance is followed up and they are assisted in adjusting, to a new way of life.

The two biggest advantages of this program are:

1) Children are encouraged to study through fun activities like sports, exposure trips, library sessions, student councils, music, art, drama so that interest in educated is generated and sustained.

2) Through repeated efforts, it becomes easier to put a check on child labour and exploitation.