| The Support Program for students who attend grades 1 to 10 in regular, mostly government, schools but need extra support to stay in school.
Need
Students going to government schools face many problems. Teacher absenteeism, poor quality of teaching and lack of infrastructure lead to students losing interest in their studies, especially in subjects such as mathematics and science that need more attention. Another problem is Hindi – the language of instruction in government schools. Since the students are from Muslim families, they speak mostly Urdu or Bangla. The support program helps many basti children who with a little attention and encouragement stand a fair chance of promotion into the next class and of completing their schooling.
Services delivered
These classes are held in the afternoons and evenings after students have returned from regular schools. Students are coached in maths, science, hindi and english. The education team also tries to mediate between the government school and the student's family. For example, the social worker follows up students who are not attending school regularly. Meetings between the principal of government school and the parents are organized to ensure communication and understanding of problems faced by the student and every effort is made to find a solution so that the student does not drop out. |
