DIP – Sathyamangalam
AeA in partnership with the Indian Council for Child Welfare had conducted a feasibility study in the region. According to the study there was a near complete absence of any form of education system in the hilly region. AeA’s Sathyamangalam project which started in 2003 was one of the first Direct Implementation Projects (DIP) started by the organization in India. The main goal of the project is to make schools accessible to 50 tribal villages of Kadambur hills and consequently enable sustainable development through education.
The Sathyamangalam region at the time of AeA’s intervention had a poor enrollment rate and high dropout rate in the schools, as well as the irregular presence of Government teachers. The economic condition of the tribal communities in the area was very poor. The area faced a lack of communication facilities, constant threat from wild animals and unavailability of health care facilities. A large section of the population was thus forced into migration.
Presently, the project covers 72 villages in Sathyamangalam block, reaching 3281 children from dalit and tribal communities. The project has facilitated 28 primary schools, 7 middle schools and 5 early child care centres.
Objectives:
- to ensure quality education to children in the age group of 3-18 years
- to promote inclusive education for all children with disabilities in the project area
- to facilitate community involvement in education and development processes
- to motivate the women in the project area to join SHGs
- to provide market driven employment opportunities for the youth
Strategies and Interventions:
Early Child Education (ECE) centres were started in feeder villages that have a high population of children who are below 15 years. The main function of the ECEs is to provide children access to basic education.
School Education is made accessible to the children in community through primary schools in the villages. Volunteers and Village Education Development Committees (VEDC) play a vital role in motivating parents to send their children to middle schools which are farther away from the primary schools. VEDCs have facilitated the families to procure bus passes for their children so they might commute to the middle schools. Awareness programmes also focus on continuing education for girl children.
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan: AeA has worked in close association with the Tamil Nadu Government in implementing the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan programme. The collaboration runs the Residential Bridge Course (RBC) and Alternative and Innovative Education centers (AIE) which benefit the dropouts and never-enrolled children in the age group of 10-14 years.
Inclusive Education: AeA’s inclusive education intervention in the Sathyamangalam area has enabled children with disabilities to access education by training teachers, parents, volunteers and peers. Assessment camps were organized and children with disabilities procured assistive aids and appliances based on their needs.
Community Participation : AeA’s Sathyamangalam initiative focuses on involving different sections of the community in contributing to the education systems and programmes as they are all stakeholders. This special focus encourages children, parents, teachers, community based organizations (CBOs) and other members of the community to participate in identifying dropouts, monitoring school attendance and facilitating access for children from poor economic background.
Outcomes
Around 123 children enroll into the ECE centres every year. There is a visible decrease in the dropout rate after procurement of bus passes was facilitated. Some of the children were also accommodated in hostels run by the government, free of cost, to enable them to attend school on a regular basis. 134 dropouts and never-enrolled children were benefitted by the SSA programmes in 2005-06 and 102 such children in 2006-07. Assessment camps conducted for children with disabilities facilitated the community in procuring disability certificates and assistive aids. Community participation in monitoring school attendance has also prevented children from dropping out of schools.