Education
Education: We formulate people-oriented projects with a focus on providing quality and innovative education. Our goal is to disseminate information about the law, “The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE)”, 2009, among both slum and rural children belonging to low socio-economic condition and also to their parents and to ensure the effective implementation of this law. We have crossed different barriers like child labour or working children who earns the major income of the family, to mainstream them. But, we are committed to declare that any children without school are a child labour. Anyhow, we will have to stop this menace and evils of society. No doubt, with the silent march of time so many Primary Schools and High Schools have been constructed. But, unfortunately in most of the schools the teachers are much less than the students. How is it possible for one teacher to teach 50 to 60 students? Naturally, the teacher is neither student friendly, nor the teaching environment is conducive to the mental and physical growth of students. In most of the schools there is no toilet, if there is toilet, there is no separate toilet for girl children, there is no arrangement for recreation, etc. We are deeply concerned in this fast time of mobile and internet. We create student-friendly learning environments to minimize dropout rates, and build a foundation for future entrepreneurs. We also don’t believe education means only in concentration in test books, but also concentration in the outer world to be practical and to get rare opportunity to exchange thoughts with peers, parents, friends, and teachers. In our programs we emphasize the teachers should not be teachers but the children’s friends and mates to learn from each other. In this regard one consultant in Odisha formulated an innovative project on Child Rights – Children’s’ Parliament. Thanks to Rajendra Kumar Rana, Debasis had the opportunity to conduct documentation of the project. In 2003 / 04, perhaps Debasis formulated a very interesting project on the education of indigenous children in Keonjhar district in Odisha. The project was most probably sanctioned by Edukans, Netherlands. Debasis also formulated / designed different proposals on alternative and innovative education for different NGOs in different states for Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative & Innovative Education (EGS & AIE). The most interesting project of AIE designed by Debasis after a thorough survey in different brothels in Kolkata was “Education and Mainstreaming of Children Sex Workers in Sonargachi area in Kolkata”. Debasis formulated this project for Late Dr. Rajanikanta Doloi, the then Secretary of West Bengal SC & ST and Minority Welfare Association for submission to Central Social Welfare through West Bengal Social Advisory Board. The project was highly appreciated. In the year 2009 Debasis formulated a very innovative and need-based project proposal based on field survey of the severely malnourished children working in different brick fields in Barasat II Block in North 24 Parganas district for KDS, West Bengal. The project highlighted the issue of severe malnutrition, lack of access to education, lack of access to clean water and sanitation and also lack of livelihood security of the brick field children workers. It was sanctioned by Goal India, originally based in Ireland.