Empowered parents take a step forward as we say Goodbye …

Saying goodbyes is never easy but if we are prepared for it things become just a bit easy. The PPCE program in Hinjewadi will complete three years in April and it will be time for DSS to exit the field after the school exams are over. For the last three years DSS has been like a guardian to them; giving the school going children and parents support whenever required. To help the parents and children deal with the upcoming break, they are being well prepared through various activities. 

Parents were first told that by April they will have to take full responsibility for their children’s education as the PPCE team will not be visiting them. They were naturally upset but understood that there are others like them who need our help and guidance. After Diwali vacation, in October, DSS had reduced the number of visits asking parents to visit the schools and build a rapport with the school teachers.

As a part of the exit strategy DSS had organized a get-together of parents and children of Hinjewadi area in Man village. 105 children and 57 parents attended the meeting. Mr. Sachin, our field associate, who is a dedicated and tireless worker helped organize it very well. He is very popular with the parents as he helps the children with all their problems. The parents are very attached to him and they had tears in their eyes as they thanked him for his support.   

We also invited the school staff and other influential village members (Sarpanch, ZP members, volunteers etc) who have actively supported us. We once again told the parents about the importance of education and the Right to Education Act that will help their children to continue with their education, no matter where they go in the future.

One of the school teachers addressed the crowd and told them how lucky they were that DSS had come to help them with their children’s education.  Even the school was doing better as they had more students on their roll thanks to Mr. Sachin who encouraged children to get enrolled in the school. Not only that, he also ensured that all the children attended school regularly.  

Everyone enjoyed the games organized for that day and participated with a lot of enthusiasm. It was also an emotional time for both the parents and the DSS team as they said goodbye. They requested us for someone who will support them and is available to them as and when required. 

We wish the parents and their children the best and leave with a strong hope to see the children having a better tomorrow with today’s education.

Parents getting felicitated 

Volunteers addressing children

Paving the way towards a better future…

The Society for Door Step Schools (DSS) has been taking education to the doorstep of underprivileged children since 1988-89 in Mumbai and 1993 in Pune. Through various programs DSS tries to reach the often forgotten children from the marginalised sections of society particularly children of families employed at construction sites, brick-kilns and children of nomadic communities engaged in their traditional occupations such as street performers, artisans etc. These children are enrolled to Government schools and taught basic literacy and numeracy skills at our centres through innovative and creative teaching methods.

To take education to the door step of these children it is important to identify them first. In November 2011, Door Step School therefore launched a campaign – Every Child Counts (ECC), to survey and enrol all 6-7 year old out of school children in school, in the city of Pune. During this program it was observed that there was a lack of awareness among parents about educating their children. They had to be educated about their responsibilities towards their children’s education and the needs of a school going child and addressing those through actions and resources within their means. Hence another program, Parents’ Participation in Children’s Education (PPCE) was started to increase parent’s involvement.

While working in ECC and PPCE programs we always come across children who have dropped out from school. Children often start losing interest in studies from 7th or 8th grade as they find it difficult to cope up with subjects like English, Mathematics and Science.

In our effort to motivate such dropped out students we contacted Don Bosco Institute which runs professional training courses for 8th and 10th passed students. The institute provides residential facility with minimum affordable fees. The important aspect of Don Bosco is that it aims towards overall grooming of the students. Students receive latest technical know-how as well as good job opportunities after completion of the courses as they have tie ups with various Corporates.

On 7th January 2018 we planned an orientation visit for few parents and children from Maan, Hinjawadi, Wagholi and Pimpri-Chinchwad area to the Don Bosco Institute. 4 parents and 9 children accompanied us. Kishor Patole and Gundu Gaikwad from Maan area were in this group. They dropped out of school at the age of 13 when they were in the 8th grade and have not been interested in attending formal school since then. Both of them have been interested in technical work but did not know whom to approach. Now both of them 17, Don Bosco Institute came as an inspiration to them where both saw future opportunities through technical training course. They grabbed the opportunity and enrolled themselves for a 6 months Electrician’s course. Both of them completed admission formalities on their own with their parents support. On 27th January 2018, Kishor and Gundu took a step towards a brighter future.

Kishore Patole & Gundu Gaikwad

Contributed by Ms. Sanika Patwardhan, PPCE - PCMC, DSS,Pune.

DSS Exhibition on “Expression”, an approach to deliver awareness on meaningful communication and educating children.

The Society for Door Step Schools (DSS) has been taking education to the doorstep of underprivileged children since 1988-89 in Mumbai and 1993 in Pune. Through various programs DSS tries to reach the often forgotten children from the marginalized sections of society like children of construction labourers, pavement dwellers and many others. These children are enrolled to Government schools and taught basic literacy and mathematics skills at our centers through various innovative and creative teaching methods. Our teachers are regularly trained and their skills are further honed at DSS Training Center – “Parivartan” which stands as the backbone of DSS since 2007.

Every year Parivartan organizes an exhibition with the aim to provide guidance in relevant topics and specifically targeted for teachers and other field staff. This year too, DSS welcomed the New Year with their first event – The Annual Training Center Exhibition and the topic was “Expression- Abhivyakti”. It was organized from January 10^th to 17^th at the Center in Annabhau Sathe School, Sadashiv Peth, Pune.

The time and effort put in by the entire Training team in planning and organizing the event was evident from the various meaningful props and ideas they used to deliver the message of how important it is to understand one’s expression especially while interacting with children. Various charts and models were exhibited demonstrating how expression shifts in children & teens and how it leads to a mutually beneficial dialogue.

Through a variety of examples, trainers explained the concept of expression particularly between the age groups of 3-6, 7-11 and 12-16. The aim was to educate DSS teachers, trainers from other schools or institutions on listening, understanding and communicating; where children can boost their language development and give them an advantage they may not otherwise have. Knowing how to listen and join in conversations is an art of encouraging individuals to come out of their little world outside, to a more socially inclusive community.

It was very enriching to explore how the team categorized their study within age groups on topics like, ‘my family, my individuality, my neighbourhood, my social responsibility, my hobbies, my school, my dreams, our social media etc’. There was some take away for each and every person making them more aware about their surroundings along with their commitment to themselves and their community.

Clockwise from bottom left: A DSS teacher noting points, followed by our trainers explaining charts, A school Model and another of our trainers explaining charts & models. Center: DSS Training Team.

Write up and photographs by Rashmi Deo, DSS Volunteer, HR professional, also an enthusiast in people and community development. January 17^th, 2018