Helpline to report out-of-school children started – Sakal Times

Helpline to report out-of-school children started
ST Correspondent | Sunday, 15 May 2016

Pune: Door Step School (DSS), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has started a campaign called Every Child Counts (ECC) to find out-of-school children. The ECC campaign has launched a helpline number, which will help them locate out-of-school children. Any concerned citizen can report out-of-school children found in his/her area on the helpline number 986-000-8070 .

DSS is creating awareness among parents and helping students get enrolled in nearby government (Corporation or Zilla Parishad) schools. This campaign was launched in November 2011, under which DSS has enrolled more than 8,000 students up till now from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Any citizen can participate in this campaign from their own area of residence or work, at their own convenient time. The helpline number is expected to help in finding out out-of-school children across the city, expediting their admission process.

[Source: http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=5515674776725003022&SectionId=5171561142064258099&SectionName=Pune&NewsTitle=Helpline%20to%20report%20out-of-school%20children%20started]

Lighting The Fire of Education...

Gangaram lives at the construction site of Sai Vatika in Dhanori. He is in the 6th standard.  His family migrated from Andhra Pradesh to Pune in 2012 and was enrolled in a school with the help of Door Step School. His parents work at the construction site from 9am till 6pm and earn Rs.500 a day. Gangaram’s father says that they enrolled him in a school as he would have no work to do at the construction site. His mother also explains that they had earlier enrolled him in a school at their village where he was learning Telugu. His father hopes that Gangaram will make use of his education and do something for the family. Before going to school he was like a typhoon, jokes his father, but now he studies and is occupied. His school timing is from 7am till 12pm. He loves going to school and never misses it. He even spoke a bit about his family in English. His parents attend the parent teacher meetings to discuss about their son's progress. His family has decided to work nearby only so that he can attend school regularly. Unfortunately, Gangaram’s sisters have not been enrolled in school, but they ensure that Gangaram studies at home. He wants to become an engineer when he grows up.

The Every Child Counts programme started by Door Step School has encouraged many more children like these to start studying and has brought a significant change in their lives. It is inspiring to listen to their innocent and ambitious plans and know that the future of this country rests on these spirited minds. After all, it is rightly said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

गंगाराम धानोरीतल्या साई वाटिका कन्स्ट्रक्शन साईटवर राहतो. सध्या तो सहावीत शिकतोय. २०१२ साली तो आपल्या आईवडिलांसोबत आंध्र प्रदेशातून पुण्यामधे आला आणि 'डोअर स्टेप स्कूल'च्या मदतीनं त्याला जवळच्या शाळेत प्रवेशही मिळाला. त्याचे आई आणि वडील दोघेही सकाळी ९ वाजल्यापासून संध्याकाळी ६ वाजेपर्यंत बांधकाम साईटवर मजुरी करतात. गंगारामचे वडील म्हणतात की, बांधकाम साईटवर काम करण्याइतका गंगाराम मोठा नव्हता, म्हणूनच त्याला शाळेत घातला. त्याची आई म्हणते की, गावाकडं असताना तो शाळेत जात होता आणि तिकडं तेलुगु शिकत होता. गंगारामला मिळणा-या शिक्षणाचा तो काहीतरी चांगला उपयोग करुन घेईल आणि आपल्या कुटुंबाला हातभार लावेल, अशी आशा त्याच्या वडिलांना वाटते. शाळेत घालण्यापूर्वी गंगाराम म्हणजे एक वादळ होतं, असं त्याचे वडील गमतीने म्हणतात, पण आता तो अभ्यासात गुंतलाय आणि शांत झालाय, असंही ते सांगतात. त्याची शाळा सकाळी ७ ते दुपारी १२ वाजेपर्यंत असते. त्याला शाळेत जाणं फार आवडतं आणि तो कधीही शाळा चुकवत नाही. गंगाराम आता स्वतःबद्दल आणि स्वतःच्या कुटुंबाबद्दल थोडं-थोडं इंग्रजीतूनही बोलू शकतो. आपल्या मुलाच्या प्रगतीबद्दल शिक्षकांशी चर्चा करण्यासाठी गंगारामचे पालक शाळेतल्या पॅरेन्ट-टीचर मीटिंगलाही नियमित जातात. वारंवार शाळा बदलाव्या लागून त्याच्या शिक्षणात खंड पडू नये म्हणून गंगारामच्या पालकांनी एकाच ठिकाणी राहून जवळपासच काम शोधायचं ठरवलं आहे. गंगारामच्या बहिणी अजून शाळेत जात नाहीत, पण गंगारामला घरीदेखील अभ्यास करता यावा यासाठी त्या शक्य ती मदत करतात. गंगारामला खूप-खूप शिकून मोठ्ठा इंजिनियर व्हायचंय.

'डोअर स्टेप स्कूल'चे 'एव्हरी चाइल्ड काउंट्स' अभियान गंगारामसारख्या अनेक मुलांना शालेय शिक्षणाच्या मुख्य प्रवाहात आणण्यासाठी प्रयत्न करते. या मुलांच्या निरागस महत्त्वाकांक्षा आणि फ्युचर प्लॅन्स ऐकणं फार मजेशीर तर असतंच, पण तीच पुढचं काम करण्याची प्रेरणा असते. म्हणतात ना, "शिक्षण म्हणजे एका बादलीतून दुस-या बादलीत पाणी ओतणं नाही, तर शिक्षण म्हणजे एका ज्योतीनं दुसरी ज्योत पेटवणं!"