Kids at night shelters now get a chance at education

Children at 47 homeless night shelters across Delhi may get a chance at receiving formal education with the government planning an admission drive for children between the ages of six and 14 years.

These night shelters are located in the areas of Kalkaji, Munirka, Kilokari, Dwarka, Sarai Kale Khan and Raja Garden. An official associated with the project said this was the first time such a drive was being conducted.

“These shelter homes are especially for families, children, women, drug addicts, and disabled persons, which is why these shelter homes were selected,” said a senior education department official.

The office of the Universal Elementary Education (UEE) Mission under the Directorate of Education (DoE) in Delhi has asked the District Urban Resource Centre Coordinators (DURCCs) to form survey teams comprising the Cluster Resource Centre Coordinator (CRCC), teachers from Special Training Centres (STC) and members from the school management committee (SMC) of neighbouring schools.

These teams will then identify out-of-school children in these shelters and ensure their admission in age-appropriate classes in nearby schools of the DoE, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Cantonment Board and New Delhi Municipal Council.

“After a baseline assessment, if required, the child may be shifted to a Special Training Centre for the bridge course,” an official document stated.

The STCs help out-of-school children to enrol into age-appropriate classes in government schools after giving them training for three months to two years, depending on their specific needs.

The survey teams will also coordinate with neighbouring schools to ensure that these children are not enrolled in any school and obtain a certificate from the heads of schools certifying the same, before they complete the requisite bridge courses.

The summary report should be submitted to Samagra Shiksha headquarters by May 15.

Under a survey conducted by Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan last December, at least 11,306 children in Delhi—aged between 6 to 14—were identified as “out-of-school children”—they had either dropped out of school or were never enrolled in one.

According to the Right to Education Act, 2009, if a child above six years of age has not been admitted in any school or, though admitted, could not complete his or her elementary education, then, he or she should be admitted in a class appropriate to his or her age.

First Published: Apr 28, 2019 03:54 IST