An Integrated Programme for Street Children

Devi and Arul, two street children. Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Department: Department of women and child development and social welfare.

The Integrated Programme for Street Children was started as initiatives to help children living on the street fulfill their rights. The Integrated Programme for Street Children is now under the umbrella of ICPS programmes.

Objective: The objective of this programme is to prevent destitution of children and facilitate their withdrawal from life on the streets. The programme provides for shelter, nutrition, health care, education, recreation facilities to street children, and seeks to protect them against abuse and exploitation.

Target group:

The target group of this programme is children without homes and family ties i.e., street children and children especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation such as children of sex workers and children of pavement dwellers.  Children living in slums and with their parents are excluded from the coverage of this scheme.

How to avail: State Governments, Union Territory Administrations, Local Bodies, Educational Institutions and Voluntary Organisations are eligible for financial assistance under   this programme.  Upto 90% of the cost of the project is provided by the Government of India and remaining has to be borne by the Organisation/Institution concerned.  Under the programme, no predefined cost heads are stipulated.  Depending upon the type of activity and the nature of service, an appropriate amount not exceeding Rs. 1.5 million per annum can be sanctioned as recurring cost for each project.  The grant under the programme is released to selected organizations in two equal half yearly installments.

Child Development

Intergrated child development service:

Department: Department of women and child development and social welfare.

ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme run by the State Govt. / UT through AWCs.  The scheme aims at providing a package of following inter related services:

BENEFICIARIES	SERVICES
1. Expectant and Nursing Mothers	i) Health check up ii) Immunization of expectant mothers against Tetanus  iii) Referral Services iv) Supplementary Nutrition v) Nutrition and Health Education
2. Other women 15- 45 years	Nutrition and Health Education
3. Children less than 3 years	i) Supplementary Nutrition ii) Immunization iii) Health Check – up iv) Referral Services
4. Children between 3-6 years	i) Supplementary Nutrition ii) Immunization iii) Health Check – up iv) Referral Services v) Non–formal pre-school education

 

 

Objective:

The major objectives of the ICDS Scheme are:

• Improvement in nutritional and health status of the children in the age group of 0-6 years;
• Laying the foundation for a proper psychological, physical and social development of the children;
• Reduction in the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropouts;
• Co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst various departments to promote child development; and
• Enhancement of the capacity of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.

Target Group:

• Expectant and Nursing Mothers,
• Other women 15- 45 years,
• Children less than 3 years,
• Children between 3-6 years

 

 

Right to Education Act, 2009

Department: Department of school education and literacy.

School girls, Udaipur (Photo credit: Dey)

Objective: To provide free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of 6-14 which is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution.

The RTE Act provides for the:

• Right of children to free and compulsory education till completion of elementary education in a neighbourhood school.
• obligation of the appropriate government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education to every child in the six to fourteen age group. No child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him or her from pursuing and completing elementary education.
• It makes provisions for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age appropriate class.
• It provides for rational deployment of teachers by ensuring that the specified pupil teacher ratio is maintained for each school, rather than just as an average for the State or District or Block, thus ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in teacher postings. It also provides for prohibition of deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than decennial census, elections to local authority, state legislatures and parliament, and disaster relief.
• It provides for appointment of appropriately trained teachers, i.e. teachers with the requisite entry and academic qualifications.
• It prohibits (a) physical punishment and mental harassment; (b) screening procedures for admission of children; (c) capitation fee; (d) private tuition by teachers and (e) running of schools without recognition,
• It provides for development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the Constitution, and which would ensure the all-round development of the child.

Target group: All children from the age group of 6-14.

References:

• http://www.wbsed.gov.in/wbsed/schemes.html#ssa
• http://ssa.nic.in
• http://mhrd.gov.in
• https://nrhm-mis.nic.in
• http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/nrhm/GUIDELINES%20of%20IMPLEMENTATION%20OF%20JANANI%20SURAKSHA%20YOJANA%20IN.pdf
• http://www.indg.in/social-sector/ssi/services-for-women-and-children-in-west-bengal
• http://wcd.nic.in/streetchildscheme.htm

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

Department: Department of school education and literacy.

Teacher in primary school in northern Laos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is an effort to Universalize Elementary Education by community – ownership of the school system giving free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group – a Fundamental Right. It is a partnership between the central, state and local governments.

Objectives and frame:  The programme seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have schooling facilities and strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants.

SSA seeks to provide quality elementary education including life skills. SSA has a special focus on girl’s education and children with special needs. SSA also seeks to provide computer education to bridge the digital divide.

The SSA Mission strives to secure the right to quality basic education for all children in the 5+ to 13+ years age group. The goals of the SSA Mission are :-

• Enrolment of all children in school , Education Guarantee Centers, Alternate Schools, Back to School Camp within 2005
• Retention of all children till the upper primary stage by 2010.
• Bridging of gender & social category gaps in enrolment, retention and learning.
• Ensuring that there is significant enhancement in the learning achievement level of children at the primary & upper primary stage.
• Each district would set target dates by which the goals of SSA would be achieved in the specific context but not later than 2010
• District would evolve a mechanism for regular objective assessment of students learning level with the help of the state officials.
• Empowering of children to be active participants in a knowledge society.
• A result oriented approach with accountability towards performance & output at all levels.
• A people centered mode of implementation of educational interventions with involvement of all stakeholders specially teachers, parents, community, & Panchayati Raj Institutions and voluntary organizations.
• An equity based approach that focuses on the needs of educationally backward areas and disadvantaged social groups including Children With Special Needs, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities.
•   A holistic effort to ensure convergence of investment, an initiative for improving the efficiency of the elementary education system.
• Institutional reforms and capacity building to ensure sustained effort for UEE.

The Government has approved a new programme called ‘The National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level’ as a part of  Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan which provides additional components for Education of Girls at Elementary Level. NPEGEL has been formulated for education of under privileged/disadvantaged girls from Class I to Class VIII as a separate and distinct gender component plan of SSA. The gender component is necessary to achieve UEE for girls in educationally backward areas.

NPEGEL has been formulated for education of under privileged/disadvantaged girls from Class I to Class VIII as a separate and distinct gender component plan of SSA.

Target group:

The scheme is applicable in the following areas:

• Educationally Backward Blocks, where rural female literacy is less than the national average (46.13%, Census 2001) and the gender gap is above the national average (21.59%, Census 2001).
• Blocks of Districts having at least 5% SC/ST population and SC/ST female literacy rate below 10% shall also be taken up under this programme.
• Selected Urban Slums.

What are the services to the public being given under the programme:

• Construction of new School building, BRC’S CRC’S, Sanitary Blocks, Water Supply Repairs and Maintenance of Building etc.
• Free Text books to students
• Free medical checkup (IED)
• Disbursement of Aids and Appliances for CWSN.

How to avail:

Description of the service	Eligibility conditions for availing
Medical checkup and free text books Education ECCE Centres AIE, EGS Centres Civil Works	Children from 6-14 years Children from 6-14 years From 3-6 Years For 6-14 Years For all students in the District