Methodology: Survey
Language: Hindi
Catalysts: Shashi Kumar Jaiswar
Youth Fellows:
Sangeeta Dongare
Vikas Mourya
Mukesh Vishwakarma
Balkrishna Pillai
Kishor Dongare
Tulsiram Gambhire
Sudhakar Kolhapuri
Aarti Singh
Ritesh Vishwakarma
Saraswati Singh
Kiran Jaiswar
Sujita Roy
Coordinator:
Manoj Tank
About the Subject:
All the members of this group were from Malvani area. They were witnessing a growing number of school drop-outs in their neighborhood. They wondered why there was a high drop-out rate of students in the slum areas. They also wanted to explore what these students do once they stop going to school, whether they fail in their lives, if their progress gets stopped in absence of higher education. Teachers, authorities and NGOs always talk about retaining students in school, but do they ever think about lives of drop-out students?
Challenges & Learnings:
The group selected a sample of 90 students – both boys and girls – from their neighborhood. They prepared a questionnaire for data collection. They also prepared case studies of 10 students who had some unusual stories to tell about their experiences as school drop-outs. The group wanted to understand the different problems which forced them to leave schools, their subsequent struggle to shape their lives. The group also tried to highlight the success stories in their research report, to share them with the community at large.
The group members got involved in multiple responsibilities for their research work, studies and their occupations. This was a challenge and learning for this group. They learnt skills such as assigning responsibilities among group members, using talents of every individual for accomplishment of the group task.
Conclusion:
There is a school in Malvani slum upto Standard 6. Drop-out rate among children in Malvani is very high as children can’t afford school fees for further studies. Slum children had to take additional responsibility of family which stands as a major obstacle in their education. 68% students leave school after Std. 10 because they fail. The drop-out rate of girls is higher by 35% compared to boys, the reasons being low priority given to girl education, early marriage and domestic work to help the family financially.
End Product:
The group prepared posters and caps showing their major findings.
