There is a substantial problem in India where many young boys and girls who should be in school are instead turning to (or are forced into) the labour market. To help mitigate this problem, the Foundation has set up retention programs to encourage educational continuity.
A unique set of programs have been created to provide both formal and non-formal education to underprivileged children in rural areas. At present, two locations are supported in the Sundarbans area, where the problem of school dropout is especially acute.
The goal of these programs is to ensure that the enrolled children complete their primary and secondary schooling to then proceed to vocational training or other educational opportunities. More than 1,000 children have directly benefitted from the Foundation’s various education programs since their inception in 2013.
The Foundation’s focus on education serves to reinforce its mandate to create empowerment, instil gender equality, strive for better healthcare outcomes, and reduce poverty.
This program, which came into effect in 2018, was established under the concept “Right to Education” for the advancement of rural communities. The program provides both formal teaching and wide-ranging extracurricular activities in collaboration with local communities. The program is flexible, learner-centered, contextualized, and remedial.
The Foundation emphasizes a participatory approach with the following specific objectives:
The Kulpi district of the Sundarbans is a major site for the brick industry where children of the migrant population are forced into working at local foundries. As a result, many of these children are deprived of their elementary and secondary education. The unfavourable conditions at home also make it difficult for the children to obtain an education.
The Foundation created a remedial educational program in 2019 with the following specific objectives:
