Primary Education Enhancement Programme (PEEP)

The most significant development in Action India’s children’s education programme – “Gyandeep” was stepping up from two non-formal (NFE) centers to active intervention n the formal schooling system. Continuing with the implementation process of CRC, PEEP is a project funded by UNICEF being implemented in Delhi by 12 NGOs. It has been centrally coordinated by National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).

Environment Building

As a step towards environment building street plays were organized in each slum cluster. The themes included importance of education, enrollment process, pollution, resettlement, gender sensitivity etc. These shows were highly appreciated by the community members it helped us to initiate discussion on the issues and gave a spurt to the community participation in the education and enrollment process. This indicates that poor parents want to send their children to school, but they want their children to learn and reap the benefits of education.

Sahayak Shiksha Kendra

An important support to the enrollment campaign has been setting up of 8 Sahayak Shiksha Kendras (SSKs) and Remedial education centers with 50% contribution from the community. They also provided the space for the center. Children who have never been to school are very often over age 8 to 12 yrs. and ashamed to sit with younger children. After a basic grounding at the SSK these children have got admission in the III, IV and V classes. This year 2002 (8 children have been admitted in the government schools) this is a major achievement as government schools do not enroll children in these classes as a result they may never go to school.

Baal Sabhas

These centres also support emotional growth and creative potentials. Baal Sabhas are organised once a week where various issues related to their social life and experiences are discussed. Issues like relationship with neighbours, family members, child labour, environment sanitaion etc are discussed through role plays, drawings etc.

Exposure Tour

Once in a year children are also taken for an exposure tour within Delhi. Places like Musuem, Baal Bhawan and Children’s park, are very much liked by them. It is a thrilling experience for these children as they get the opportunity to come out of their locality and see their city.

Education for All has been a slogan without fulfilling its goals.

The opportunity to work with a targeted focus on 1200 households gave a tremendous boost to the Gyandeep team whose commitment to this cause was rooted in their own life’s experience. These young team of facilitators from the community had faced discrimination in education in government schools system for being poor children and were determined to send all other children to school.

Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) – a technique for need assessment

The NIUA trained our coordinators as master trainers to further train the grassroots facilitators and built their capacity in community mapping and gathering base line data about the community and their perception towards various child rights including education and other community development issues ensuring participation of the community. The skills gained in this process have resulted in developing a vigorous group of youngsters moving into action and gaining self-confidence. In this process the facilitators also gained recognition from the community as the support providers for community development issues including their children’s education, which enhanced the self-esteem the youth from the community.

Our aim under PEEP is to develop a bridge between government schools, community and children to join hands to improve the education level in the schools in the area. To systematize the process neighbourhood groups were formed at every 250 households.