Farhana is eleven and is currently studying
at Jasola MCD School. She is from Uttar Pradesh. Her mother is illiterate;
she did not go to school when she was young. Her father was a school
going boy during 9 years. Her parents decided to move to New Delhi
three years ago to benefit from more facilities than in their village.
When they arrived in the capital city, they registered their daughter
in a private school; they had to pay Rs. 100 per month.
After some weeks, the mother became very sick. The housewife was
not at all able to take care of her four children when her husband
was working. So the family decided to go back to Uttar Pradesh during
illness of the mother to take advantage of the local solidarities
which often do not exist in the city. Farhana had to follow her
parents and her siblings. Being the older children, she had also
to replace her mother in a certain way. The family came back after
one month when the mother was safe.
During this one month, Farhana did not go to school. Her private
school deleted her name from the list of pupils, because of her
one month absenteeism. The direction team of the school refused
to re-integrate the girl in any class. Farhana became again an out-of-school
child. In any case, paying a private school became more difficult
for her parents who had spent a lot of money to buy medicines. Some
of the girl's friends were registered and went regularly to one
Sakshi Non formal Education (NFE) Centre. Farhana spoke about this
centre to her parents who sent her immediately to it. It was a way
for her to reactivate her knowledge and to progress in different
areas. She often got good marks in the weekly tests and prepared
the Government school admission tests like the other NFE pupils.
In May 2008, after the knowledge tests, she was accepted directly
in class 4 in Jasola MCD School.
.........................................................................................................................................
Rani is fifteen. From May to October 2008, she studied in the Sakshi
vocational training centre in Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi. Like the
other female teenagers benefiting from this programme, she learnt
dress making, and hand and machine embroidery.
She is deaf and dumb. Her parents have never been able to send her
to an adapted school: it was too expensive for them. So, she has
never attended school. Fortunately she learnt writing with friends
and cousins. She can help her illiterate parents and her four siblings
in writing, even if this aid is circumscribed by her handicap. Most
of time, she is boring at home. Attending cutting and tailoring
lectures was a way for her to be active, to meet new people, and
to enlarge her environment. What she assimilated during her formation
allows her to be more helpful at home, but above all to occupy her
mind.
Her parents would like her to mainstream a formal education school
to offer her a better future. Sakshi is going to help Rani to become
a school going girl.
.........................................................................................................................................
Israt is fifteen. She is the second child in a seven children family.
She is from Bihar; her parents decided to move to the capital five
years ago to flee from poverty. In Bihar, Israt went to school until
class 4. She has never gone to school since she arrived in New Delhi.
During five years, her parents' main goal was earning money to satisfy
the basic needs of the household. Mainstreaming their children in
formal school became a detail not being an immediate necessity.
The three elders stayed at home. Fortunately, Israt's three other
siblings were sent to primary school. The younger kid who is five
is currently benefiting from the Sakshi ECCD centre in Shaheen Bagh,
New Delhi. Finally, the parents decided to register Israt in one
of the Sakshi vocational training centres in May 2008.
Even if nothing can excuse preventing one child from going to school,
most of time we can explain it highlighting different problems.
One Sakshi volunteer asked the mother why Israt did not go to school.
She was not able to justify this fact: her daughter did not work
at home, and she did not have to look after her brothers or sisters…
Her parents were only not aware of necessity of education.
During her experience in the vocational training centre, Israt and
her parents understood going to school was essential for life. Sakshi
is now helping her to mainstream a formal education school.
|
