Reading campaign expanded to 62 child care homes in Delhi

Child Care Institutions house ‘children in need of care and protection’ between the ages of six and 18, referred to them by Child Welfare Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards. The reading campaign was launched by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), along the lines of the Delhi government’s Mission Buniyaad with support from Pratham Education Foundation and Ashoka University.

Last August, this began for children in 30 Child Care Institutions, and has now been expanded to 62. In March, the Commission recorded that 19% of children were not able to identify letters in Hindi and only 13% could read a class 5 text. In numeracy, it had recorded that 13% of them could not identify numbers and 31% were not able to do division sums. Over the last two months, it recorded that the percentage of children who can read advanced stories increased to 25% and those who cannot identify letters dropped to 12%. It also recorded that those who can do division sums increased to 49% and those who cannot identify digits dropped to 5%.

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“Children in Child Care Institutes have been victims of extreme trauma including trafficking, sexual violence, parental incarceration, parental death, child labour, amongst others. Given the vulnerabilities the children have faced, this project is of critical significance. The Commission aims to continue prioritising their rehabilitation by accelerating learning outcomes of students in these homes, and by promoting their academic wellbeing,” said DCPCR chairperson Anurag Kundu, who added that there will be another phase of expansion of the programme in July.