Adolescent Girls Education ( Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh)

Adolescent Girls Education ( Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh)

Mahoba is one of the drought prone districts of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.  Recurring drought in the district has led to serious impact on food security and livelihood of people in the areas. This has also increased vulnerability of children especially children’s access to education, nutrition and protective environment.  Literacy rate is 66.94 and sex ratio is 1000:880. There are 64399 Adolescent Girls (AG) in Mahoba district. In partner (KSS) intervention areas there are 433 adolescent girls.  278 of them are in school and where as 155 have left schooling.  36 % adolescent are still out of school in 2015-16. 

KSS has been working with Adolescent Girls since 2010 in 10 villages for their improved education. From 2010 to 2015 positive impact towards girl child education has been observed in these villages through engaging them in various group processes. Apart from awareness on importance of education through group processes, their access to entitlements different schemes and programmes has also been increased.  By 2014-15 all the Adolescent girls were registered with ICDS centres which enable all of them to get access to nutritional support and iron folic acid tablets.  All adolescent girls of these 10 villages get access to immunization and anaemia test which is important for their development.  

The most important challenge in the KSS intervention villages was the motivation of the children towards education.  Almost all the adolescent girls were helping their parents at home (sibling care and household chores). Education is the key towards a transformative change that KSS  started focussing on.  The organization started working  with  involving the village communities  and has active participation from the women and the adolescent girls in these villages. Each village has Adolescent Girls’ Group (AGG) to engage them in various activities including theatre in education, sports, and storytelling.  The AGG also discusses about the children dropping out of school and reporting them back to the KSS field activists for follow up. This has helped improved education of adolescent girls in intervention areas.   

Achievements in last 5 years (2010-2015) with reference to Adolescent girl education:

In 2010 only 3 adolescent girls from a village were able to get access to ICDS services but in 2015 all adolescent girls registered with ICDS centres and getting all the support.

In 2010 only 47 % adolescent girls were going school where as in 2015 64 % adolescent girls are in primary school

In 2010 only 44 % adolescent girls were going to school where as in 2015 82 % adolescent girls are going to upper primary school. 

Positive Changes seen at school level through advocacy on RTE:               

2010	2015
Lack of teachers in school	Appointment of more teachers during the years. 12 teachers  (7 males + 5 females) appointed this year in school of KSS Number of villages= 10 Total schools= 16 (11 primary and 5 upper primary schools) Number of students in these schools= 1052 Number of teachers for these schools= 35
Lack of toilets	All the schools have 2 units of toilets one for girls and one for boys
Non-functional SMC	SMC functional in all the schools
MDM not regular and in not a good quality	Regular MDM served and with improved quality

What a shame!!!

What a shame!!!

A man wrote  a letter to her wife and write Talaq, Talaq and Talaq and send it by currier. When she approached the court, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board asked SC to not to not  interfere with it as it is a religious matter.

it is not a religious matter only but question of  equal right and dignity of a woman.

And if any religion does not provide equal right to the women, the religious scholars must sit, discuss it  and change it.   

This system is does not take care of women’s view.

The Quran also allows to take contemporary issues/ situation  into account and bring change in the traditional practice. 

The marriage (nikaah) is a contract.

Then how come the contract becomes unilateral at the time of talaaq (divorce)

During the nikah, there are witnesses from the girl’s and boy’s side. I think  at the time of the talaaq there should be witnesses from both sides (parties)  in front of an Imam or Maulvi or recongnised religious person.  There should be at least 3 sittings and a woman or a man should pronounce the word Talaq in front of these people in all the 3 sittings and then the recognised religious person should declare that the divorce is done and also announce the terms and conditions like financials etc.

I think a process should be developed to ensure equal right to both woman and man, which the Quran provides.  

Let this one sided affair which men’s practices to express their angers go away.

Just a thought

Let us ponder on it to create a better society for both woman & man

No to triple talaaq without any witness

No to triple talaaq at one time

Meeting of Dadi-Poti on April 9, 2016

It was such a beautiful feeling to see my mother and my daughter playing in Dusherah Ground, Near Qutub Minar, New Delhi.


This blog is in process. I will be adding more.

Shaheen
April 9, 2016

Brussels, Brussels, Brussels,

Brussels, Brussels, Brussels,

It is highly condemnable. Can’t find the strongest word to express my anger. This attack is not only attack on Brussels but against the whole humanity.  The world need to address this- sooner the better. 

23/03/2016

School Upgradation- The only way to ensure 8 years of schooling to all children under RTE

School Upgradation- The only way to ensure 8 years of schooling to all children under RTE

 [Note: this article is in process... ]

Some Important Facts before I start writing  Sample Size •      Number of villages covered= 151 •      Number of blocks= 21 •      Number of districts= 6 •      Number of Primary Schools= 101 •      Number of Upper Primary Schools= 39 •      Total Schools under RTE= 140 •      Teachers Appointed under RTE in 2015-16= 95 •      Total teachers in 140 schools= 509 •      Children in the age group of 6-14 years= 24424 [M- 12911 + F- 11513] •      Children (6-14 yrs) in school= 22223 [M- 11743 + F- 10480] •      Children (6-14 yrs) out of school= 2201 [ M- 1168 + F-1033] •      9 % children (6-14 yr) are out of school. •        •      Children in the age group of 14-18 years=  9500 [M- 5181+ F- 4368] •      Children (14-18 yrs) in school=  5212 [M- 2873 + F- 2339] •      Children (14-18 yrs) out of school= 4288 [ M- 2308 + F-1980] •      45 % Children (14-18 yr) are out of school. •      13 % Children dropped out of school after 5th standard. 1482 passed primary school but only 1285 continued in 6th Standard. 197 left school. •      34 % Children dropped out after 8th standard. 916 passed but only 600 got admission in 9th. 316 left school. Data from one partner is missing in it. •      31 % Children dropped out after 10th.   555 passed but only 379 continued in 11th. 176 left school. Note:  These are primary data collected by activists working in these 151 villages. About

There is a basic flaw in the government approach to ensure compliance of RTE (The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009) by ensuring 8 years of education to children in the age group of 6-14 years. 

Some Facts & thoughts to be used in this article.

“”He further said that a critical appraisal of the functioning of the Right to Education reveals that large gaps exist in its implementation including the quality of education being provided; the high number of drop-outs and out of school children and the absence of equity in education. The Vice President said that quantity, quality and equality are the three sides of the triangle required to ensure Right to Education. The decline in State funding in the key social sector programmes, including education, is of particular concern, he added.:  

On 31 March 2016, we will mark six years of the coming into force of the Right to Education. An audit is therefore appropriate, particularly to locate deficiencies that exist, and chart out a course for the future.

One of the most stringent criticisms of the RTE has been the quality of education being provided. The Global Monitoring Report 2012 ranked India a low 102 out of the 120 countries on the Education for All (EFA) Development Index, based on progress in universal primary education, adult literacy, gender parity and the quality of education. Some surveys have revealed that while enrolment in elementary education in our country has increased, there has been a decline in the education outcomes, with abilities in reading, writing and other comprehensive skills deteriorating among children between the ages of 6 and 14. For instance, only a fourth of all children in standard III could read a standard II text fluently, a drop of more than 5% over five years, according to the 2014 Annual Status Report on Education Report (ASER). About Rs 1,15,625 crore ($17.7 billion) has been spent on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)—the national programme for universal elementary education and a core element for implementing the RTE—over the last five years, so the decline in the quality of learning is particularly disturbing. Low learning and falling quality of education imparted to children has grave implications for the future of our society and the country. This should be a cause for serious concern to the government.””

Thinking My Mother on International Women's Day

Ammi never went to any school (formal or non-formal) but she ensured that her children get the best schooling in the world.

I went to Government Primary School in my village but there were no option after 5th standard. Either you leave village and pursue education or enroll in the list of dropout children.  Abba (himself dropped out after 3rd standard) went to  Calcutta (now Kolkata) and started working at Keshoram Cotton Mill. To make the story short, he got the idea of sending me to Aligarh.  I cleared the entrance test and got admission in Minto Circle School, AMU, Aligarh.

Why I am thinking about it and my Ammi? She learnt how to read & write when she was in her 40s or 50s. She learnt basic language along with taking care of household chores and other works.

There was no phone at that time. The only way to contact my parents was throuhg post office services. Every week I used to write letter and expect the same from home. My letters were full of reporting- school, food, play and hostel lives. There was double problem to Ammi. Her only son was not only living about 800 KM away from home but also living alone in hostel. Abba was in Kolkata and Ammi in the village, Kataila.  So every Sunday I would write letter to her but she could not read it. She had to take the letter to so many people before she get to know that her son is doing fine. Writing letter on her behalf was even more difficult task. No one had time for this.

One day I was coming from dinning hall after the lunch. Somebody told that I there is letter for me. I opened the envelop and read that letter several times. That letter was written by Ammi. In a basic langue, she conveyed the message and I got it. I literally cried that day. I still have that letter.

I love you Ammi and I am so proud of you.

Reg
Shaheen
08/03/2016

Aazadi in India

It was a delight to watch Kanhaiya last night speaking at Admin Block in JNU about freedom in India (not from India ).

The ideological positioning and ,some may call, Utopian world to demand freedom from  from poverty, illiteracy, corruption, feudalism, communalism and access to better education system and health care services are paths to make beautiful India which was dreamed by freedom fighters during the freedom struggle.

There may be differences of opinion but we must not pronounce judgement before the judgment by the honorable court. 

When Rule of Law and logic take back seat, then fringe elements of every section of the society try to occupy the driving seat, take the Constitution in their own hands and start passing judgment based on their narrow and parochial thinking. When everyone except the court start passing judgment and executing them also, then this is the sign of beginning of those rules which destroyed many countries and they are still not learning it. 

We must stand by Rule of Law, Stand by Constitution of India and allow the court to decide on the merit of the case. 

Ever second child in India is malnourished and we do not have plan to address this issue. If we do not recognize this menace, then 30 to 35 years down the line (when these children become adult) our nation will have highest number of youth but with lowest rate of production or contributing to socio- economic activities of the country. No one is talking about children in the age group of 0-6 years, the most critical age for development of human body- physical, emotional and mental.  These children should have fundamental rights for nutritional support, pre-schooling and access to health care services specailly pediatricians.