ECC Banners for Websites

Now you can show your support to Every Child Counts by displaying any of campaign banners on your website or blog. These banners are designed in various sizes to fit in layout of your blog/website.

Visit the Downloads page on ECC blog:

http://everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.in/p/downloads.html

Citizens' Campaign

====================
'Every Child Counts' - Citizens' Campaign

Every child has right to get education. But due to social, economical, or family problems, some children are deprived of this right. ‘Every Child Counts’ is a campaign initiated for such children. ECC plans to reach out to all 6-7 years old children in Pune who should be in schools and to ensure their enrolment in corporation schools by June 2012. If you feel every child counts and every child should get education, please join ‘Every Child Counts’ campaign that offers localised volunteering opportunities to all willing citizens in Pune. Contact Rajani Paranjpe at 9371007844 or Mandar Shinde at 9822401246 or e-mail to everychildcounts.pune@gmail.com. For more details, visit http://everychildcounts-pune.blogspot.com or http://on.fb.me/eccpune or http://twitter.com/eccpune.
====================

'Every Child Counts' Presentation

'Every Child Counts' Presentation

सहावं वरीस शाळेचं...

शहाणपणाच्या रस्त्यावरचं पहिलं ठिकाण मोक्याचं
सहावं वरीस शाळेचं गं सहावं वरीस शाळेचं

मिळाला मोका शिकण्याचा, अ आ इ ई वाचण्याचा
पाठीवरती दप्तर घेतलं, आणि चालणं ठेक्याचं
सहावं वरीस शाळेचं...

बाराखडी मी शिकली गं, मला गणितं सुटली गं
पाटीवरती सांडु लागलं, टपोरं अक्षर मोत्याचं
सहावं वरीस शाळेचं...

ओढ लागली शिकण्याची, शाळेमधल्या गमतीची
आज मला हे गुपित कळलं, माणूस मोठ्ठा बनण्याचं
सहावं वरीस शाळेचं...

स्कूल चले हम...

सवेरे-सवेरे यारों से मिलने
बन-ठन के निकले हम

सवेरे-सवेरे यारों से मिलने
घर से दूर चले हम

रोके से ना रुके हम
मर्जी से चले हम
बादल सा गरजे हम
सावन सा बरसे हम
सूरज सा चमके हम
स्कूल चले हम

इसके दरवाजे से दुनिया के राज खुलते हैं
कोइ आगे चलता है
हम पीछे चलते हैं
दीवारों पे किस्मत अपनी लिक्खी जाती है
इस से हम को जीने की वजह
मिलती जाती है

रोके से ना रुके हम
मर्जी से चले हम
बादल सा गरजे हम
सावन सा बरसे हम
सूरज सा चमके हम
स्कूल चले हम

Handling Language Difference

Under 'Every Child Counts' campaign, we are talking of enrolling migrant labourers' children into schools. Many of the migrant labourers in Pune are observed to be non-Maharashtrians. That means their mother-tongue is not Marathi. However, most of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) schools are of Marathi-medium. When we approach parents (migrant labourers) for enrolling their children into PMC schools, these questions are raised by them -

- How will our (non-Marathi) child understand what Marathi teachers are teaching?
- What is the use of our children learning Marathi if we are going back to our native place after this work is over?
- The child will have to start from scratch again when we move back to Karnataka/Rajasthan/Bihar/Andhra, etc. Isn't Marathi learning a waste of time then?
- Why should our child learn Marathi when our mother-tongue is Telugu/Kannada/Tamil/Bengali/Hindi, etc?

So, how do we handle this?

We have observed that children do not have much difficulty in learning new languages. They can adopt to new language much faster than adults. It is the parents' fear that Marathi-medium will become an obstacle in their child's learning. Mentioned below are some arguments that we use to convince such parents:

1. A school-going child learns how to learn, whether in its native language or other. Even if the family moves back to their native place, the child will be in a 'learning mode', which will help it adjust and pick-up with education from that point onwards.

2. If the family stays here for 4-5 years or more, the child has to know the local language, i.e. Marathi, for all practical purposes. Hence, the child going to Marathi school will actually help it and its family in making their stay more comfortable here.

3. The script of Marathi is Devanagari which is same as Hindi. So, a child who can read/write Marathi can read/write Hindi, as well. And Hindi being the common language across India, learning Marathi will never be a waste.

These arguments will definitely help all citizens who are going to interact with the parents for enrolling their children in schools.