Thursday, January 11, 2018

Balak Palak Sabha (Children & Parents Get-together)

Parents of school going children are important stake holders in their children’s education. To a large extent it is they who decide about their children’s education and so it is extremely important to make them aware of their roles and responsibilities in their children’s progress.

Our teams of field workers regularly organize ‘balak-palak’ or ‘child-parent’ get-togethers where a number of issues are discussed in an informal way – sometimes in a playful way-to empower the parents and their children. We reached 140+ parents through 5 such events in and around the city.

Everybody likes to be appreciated and parents and children are no exceptions! Children’s achievements are announced at these meetings and the parents proudly clap for their wards. They are also encouraged to talk to their children every day about what happened in school. And even if they cannot read or write, they must insist on their child reading aloud from the school book every day. Many important issues are conveyed in a story telling session which the parents and children not only enjoy but also remember. Many volunteers participate in these sessions.
These meetings help and encourage parents to:
  • Increase their awareness about right to Education
  • Understand the importance of education
  •  Actively participate in child’s education
  •  Understand the importance of regular attendance
  •  Get accustomed to attending meetings regarding progress in school
  •  Take responsibility of their children’s admission process
  •   Learn formalities to be followed when transferred
  •   Ensure the child is enrolled in a school no matter where they go
  •   Exchange information about school events
  •   Discuss any problems regarding school
  •   Realize the importance of hygiene and clean environment
  •  Think about the future possibilities (such as various skill enhancing courses etc after Std VIII/Std. X / Std. XII) 
Snapshots from some get-togethers