A Research Project on “Impact, Community Response and Acceptance of Non Formal Education under the National Child Labour Project – A Case study of Carpet-Weaving belt of Mirzapur – Bhadhoi and Glass – Bangle region of Ferozabad”
The Commission provided financial support to a Research Project on “Impact, Community Response and Acceptance of Non Formal Education under the National Child Labour Project – A Case Study of Carpet-Weaving belt of Mirzapur – Bhadhoi and Glass – Bangle region of Ferozabad”. The study was undertaken by Dr. Bupinder Zutshi, Visiting Faculty, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
In a follow-up action to the study, three training workshops were organized by the Commission and UNESCO in New Delhi, Varanasi and Ferozabad. A curriculum was devised for an accelerated three-year non-formal education course, to cover the curriculum that normally requires five years of formal primary education.
The study pointed to certain inadequacies in the implementation of National Child Labour Project. Its findings included the following:
· 7,13,273 children from the carpet weaving belt of Mirzapur-Bhadhoi and 17,127 children from glass-bangle belt of Ferozabad were out of school as of July 2000. These children immediately required an elementary education programme so that they are not employed in hazardous activities.
· A significant number of children below the age of 8 years are enrolled in Non Formal Education Schools (NFE) under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). Attempts should have been made to enroll these younger children directly into formal schools.
A significant proportion of school-going children in these areas are enrolled in NFE Schools, which indicates that parents have shifted children from formal schools to the NFE Schools for monetary benefits available under NCLP.
In Ferozabad, NFE Schools are providing, in parallel, five-years of primary education. This violated the NCLP provision that three years of accelerated Non-Formal Education should be provided, covering the curriculum of five years of primary education in formal schools.
In NFE Schools in Ferozabad, a majority of the children had dropped-out without completing the full NFE course. These vacancies had been filled with new enrollments. It was also observed that the children who had dropped-out had not joined formal schools; this indicated that an objective of the NCLP Scheme, to educate and mainstream the children into the formal schools, had not been fully achieved.
Almost 62 per cent of NFE Centres were without drinking water facilities within their immediate vicinity. However, a majority of NFE Centres arranged drinking water in pitchers, the safety aspects of which needed more attention. Toilet facilities was absent in the majority of the centres.
The findings and recommendations made by the study have been forwarded by the Commission to the Union Labour Ministry, the State Government of UP and District Magistrates of the concerned districts for appropriate remedial action.
In a follow-up action to the study, three training workshops were organized by the Commission and UNESCO in New Delhi, Varanasi and Ferozabad. A curriculum was devised for an accelerated three-year non-formal education course, to cover the curriculum that normally requires five years of formal primary education.
The study pointed to certain inadequacies in the implementation of National Child Labour Project. Its findings included the following:
· 7,13,273 children from the carpet weaving belt of Mirzapur-Bhadhoi and 17,127 children from glass-bangle belt of Ferozabad were out of school as of July 2000. These children immediately required an elementary education programme so that they are not employed in hazardous activities.
· A significant number of children below the age of 8 years are enrolled in Non Formal Education Schools (NFE) under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). Attempts should have been made to enroll these younger children directly into formal schools.
A significant proportion of school-going children in these areas are enrolled in NFE Schools, which indicates that parents have shifted children from formal schools to the NFE Schools for monetary benefits available under NCLP.
In Ferozabad, NFE Schools are providing, in parallel, five-years of primary education. This violated the NCLP provision that three years of accelerated Non-Formal Education should be provided, covering the curriculum of five years of primary education in formal schools.
In NFE Schools in Ferozabad, a majority of the children had dropped-out without completing the full NFE course. These vacancies had been filled with new enrollments. It was also observed that the children who had dropped-out had not joined formal schools; this indicated that an objective of the NCLP Scheme, to educate and mainstream the children into the formal schools, had not been fully achieved.
Almost 62 per cent of NFE Centres were without drinking water facilities within their immediate vicinity. However, a majority of NFE Centres arranged drinking water in pitchers, the safety aspects of which needed more attention. Toilet facilities was absent in the majority of the centres.
The findings and recommendations made by the study have been forwarded by the Commission to the Union Labour Ministry, the State Government of UP and District Magistrates of the concerned districts for appropriate remedial action.