Civil society initiatives to educate slum kids in Rohtak

Ramnik Mohan

In the underbelly of Rohtak, an educational hub of Haryana one finds shanty towns right under the 'shade' of a state-of-the-art university. Rag-pickers and migrant labour from other parts of the country are residing here, right in the 'backyard' of the State University of Performing and Visual Arts (SUPVA). 

A few brave souls have taken upon themselves the responsibility that is actually of the government to encourage people in these localities to let their children have education. The efforts of self-motivated volunteers need to be recognised and encouraged.

In Rohtak city, there are at least four such initiatives in operation at different locations, engaging with children who are either dropouts or have never gone to school. These civil society initiatives are Gandhi School in Sector 4, Make the Future of the Country (MTFC) on the Kanheli road, Purna Shiksha in Kabir Colony and Abhinav Toli in Kishanpura. Each of them began as a single-person initiative fired with idealism, and enthusiasm to take up the challenge and gradually developed into a small group with support from society. Purna Shiksha has been largely in touch with migrant labourers from Assam, while the other three  engaged with those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Each one of these has a unique yet common journey to share. Their first challenge is to convince parents to send their children to them. The second is availability of space. All of them began on a very small scale, with a handful of children and a small, constricted space in the midst of the place where the migrants lived or nearby.

The numbers gradually increased with consistent efforts. One of the groups now engages up to 300 children. Repeated efforts at mainstreaming children have given limited results. There have been all sorts of impediments in terms of documents (including Aadhaar number) required for admission to government schools. Some children managed to get admission. 

The activities at these centres range from remedial teaching to exploring and strengthening the natural talents and abilities of the children, to making them adept at various arts and crafts. The aim is to make them economically independent adults. Girls from a couple of these groups have learnt cycling. Drawing, painting, dancing, singing, drama, and woodwork are some of the arts and crafts they have learnt. The MTFC has also paid special attention to computer education. 

People donate money or arrange textbooks, copies and boards or other things. However, Gandhi School has had to shift places several times during the last 12 years as people in the colony were not supportive. This group has been able to keep itself alive only because of its dogged persistence, and unflagging spirit. It has had operated under a streetlight, in some available open space or the other, without anything but ‘durries’ to sit on. Purna Shiksha too has had to shift locations.

Abhinav Toli and the MTFC have some minimal temporary infrastructure but with an increase in the number of children, the space crunch is being felt. To buy land or a building is beyond their capacity and means. Abhinav Toli is at present housed in a compact rented accommodation. The young couple running the initiative lives there and gives children a free run of the place to study and engage in various activities. The MTFC, after a long struggle of over 10 years, now owns a place.  

There is a shortage of trained teachers with the spirit to work selflessly. But idealistic youths take time out to teach. Some of those who studied in and grew up with these initiatives now themselves volunteer to teach. The sad part is that though the government and the local administration are cognizant of these initiatives, no help is forthcoming from their side.

(The writer is a social activist based at Rohtak)