Education – Swati Project

Balwari Programme (Early Childhood Education)

Our Balwari Programme focuses on very young children (3 – 6 year olds) , who are imparted basic education through the play and teach method. We start the process of self awareness from a young age, to protect these children from the otherwise dangerous influences of their daily environment. Early childhood education in a safe and happy environment sets the tone for the years to come and is the foundation on which the child’s learning is built. It helps the child develop social, emotional and cognitive skills needed for life ahead. At Swati, we understand the fundamental importance these early years play and thus give special attention to our Balwari Programme which was set up in the year 1991.

So as to not pressurize these young children,Swati adopts the ‘Playway’ method of teaching, which essentially focuses on teaching through activities. All teachers in our Balwari Programme are trained in early childhood education.

The Balwari centre gives mothers of the slum who usually work in the informal sector without social security benefits (mostly as domestic help or in other low paying jobs) a safe environment to leave their children in, while they are away from home. This enables them to not only keep their child safe, but also re-start work earlier. The parents are closely connected to the Centre and it helps build a partnership between the child, parents and school. Early exposure to education helps increase the parents’ knowledge and skill in bringing up their children. It lays the foundation for lifelong learning.

The Balwari Program at Swati is run with joy and enthusiasm. The teachers take up various activities like storytelling, role play, games, singing and a lot more to teach the kids counting, identification of colours, alphabets, hygiene etc. The children always go back happy and looking forward to the next day. The programme also helps in preparing the children to enter mainstream government schools.

REP- Remedial Education Programme

World over remedial programs are used to close the gap between what a student knows and what it is expected to know. In a country like India, such programs play a critical role to support the education of underprivileged children studying in mainstream schools. The Remedial Education Programme (REP) at Swati was initiated to provide support to the school going children of our slums and to ensure that there are no drop-outs on account of poor performance. REP classes are conducted for children from classes I to VIII. These children attend regular government schools but require additional support which our after school classes provide.

They are also taught about things beyond their course material (such as self-awareness, gender sensitisation etc). Our children also get to participate in various extra curricular activities including dance, art, craft and theatre, which further enhances their confidence and personality. It provides them with a platform to interact with new people and enjoy other activities, beyond studying.

It is seen that students from underprivileged backgrounds, though able to gain admission to mainstream schools, lag behind in their studies and often drop out before achieving even a basic level of education. Children living in slum areas are usually first generation learners and therefore have no access to learning assistance at home. Their parents are mostly migrant labourers, domestic helpers etc. Infact, such children are often expected to help their parents in earning a livelihood from a very young age, and their education takes a back seat. Teachers at government schools are unable to take out time to give the extra attention required for such children (and often lack the motivation or interest to do so).

At Swati, our teachers work with great enthusiasm. By using innovative strategies and teaching tools, we are able to help our children advance to a higher academic level. Innovative methods of teaching like e-modules and interactive videos are employed to gauge maximum attention of the children. Catering to the needs of the children being the utmost priority, during examinations Swati teachers hold extra classes to help children perform better. Some of our teaching modules have become extremely popular and teachers from government schools often come to our centre to learn the same.

Adult Literacy Program For Women

Most of the adult women in slum areas are uneducated and illiterate; they have never set foot in a school. At Swati, we believe that age is no barrier to learning and seeing the number of illiterate women in the community, we started our “Adult Literacy Programme For Women”, where female slum dwellers aged 18 and above are taught basic skills necessary for daily functioning, such as reading, writing and mathematics. We also create awareness about women’s rights and engage in various discussions on issues such as menstrual hygiene, child care, nutrition, reproductive rights, domestic violence, abuse, family planning and much more.

Emotional support and counsel is provided wherever required. We ensure that the slum women feel safe and secure to discuss issues they are facing (specially any form of abuse) with our teachers and volunteers.

When women are educated and empowered, they tend to marry later, have fewer children, take proper prenatal and post-natal care, invest in their children’s future and have confidence to stand up against abuse.

An empowered educated woman is able to not only improve her life but also improve the lives of her children. Swati is very proud of all the women who muster up the courage to enrol themselves in this programme to better equip themselves for their future!

English Speaking Course

Apart from continuing with our general emphasis on education in our REP, we felt a little more was required to prepare our children for higher studies and better job opportunities. Towards this end we started a dedicated class for children to learn English. Here, along with reading and writing, children are also taught to converse in English. This helps them a great deal in job interviews and increases their confidence. We have successfully adopted a unique video based teaching curriculum followed by some of the government and municipal schools of Mumbai. This method of teaching has made a tremendous difference to the children attending our classes. So much so that the teachers from Government/Municipal schools have noted the changes and are asking other children to also attend these classes.

Knowing English opens up many doors/avenues for the underprivileged learners. English is the language of business, entertainment, science and now most importantly, the internet! The workforce is at a great benefit if they can read and write English. Employers who offer internet application based services usually require their workers (even the lowest rung employees) to have a working knowledge of English as they will be expected to use applications, send messages, track packages etc. Empowering these learners with English skills can considerably improve their earnings and quality of life.

Digital Learning Centre (DLC, computer training programme)

Swati runs a ‘Digital Learning Centre’ programme, children enrolled in this programme learn the basics of computer systems, and are able to use applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe with ease. They are also trained in how to use the internet to access study materials, avail greater learning and job opportunities etc. A large number of students after passing the course are being absorbed as data entry operators and trainers. This programme helps our slum children break the cycle of low paying and menial jobs their families have been working in generation after generation.

Computer literacy is a very important skill to have in today’s world. Having basic computer skills helps with education as well as job prospects. Children who know how to use computers are able to gain access to a host of information and study materials available on the internet. Employers want their workers to have basic computer skills as their businesses are heavily dependent on them.

Swati has also tied up with NIIT ( National Institute of Information Technology) wherein some children from the Centre are enrolled in the 6 month advanced certificate training course at one of the NIIT centres. The children enabled with computer skills dream of getting jobs in companies and call centres or studying further and becoming graphic designers, media visualizers, coders, website designers etc.