Abstract:

In the capital of the world’s largest democracy, New Delhi, 49 percent of the population dwell in slum areas and the drop-out rate is nearly thirty percent by fifth grade. A majority of children who live on the street work for living, comprising nearly 500,000 in the Delhi region. Save the Children India, the basis for this research study, and other NGOs in the region have established learning centers and other facilities that make education available in some degree to these children. They also try to bridge the gap between the children’s aspirations to enroll in school and their parents’ expectations of the children helping earn and sustain the household. This study examines the methods undertaken by Save the Children in accomplishing these goals, using a variety of case studies from the Learning and Activity Center located in Lajpat Nagar, run by Chetna. The theoretical age of the children ranges from three to eighteen, although most of the participants are unaware of their precise age and are probably in their pre-teen years. Unlike a structured school environment, the center affords no discretion by age, allowing all children to draw and learn together. Additionally, no grading system is implemented, although the children are encouraged to complete their work and seem eager to satisfy the teachers’ requirements. The results conclude that children are effectively encouraged to learn classroom behavior and rudimentary language and arithmetic skill, but enrollment in structured schools is necessary for further and proper education. The most difficult obstacle, convincing the parents, must be tackled repeatedly with reason and incitements, by showcasing the children’s accomplishments and emphasizing the practical benefits of education in a poverty-ridden society. The study also emphasizes the special challenges faced by such centers, such as the leniency of the teachers afraid of students quitting the center. Lastly, there are a few changes that, within the cultural and socioeconomic context of New Delhi’s poor, could more effectively encourage participants to join and continue attending the center. Increased involvement with the parents, more visible showcasing of results, and community awareness of education’s benefits are all possibilities whose implementation would likely increase enrollment and retention of students in the learning centers and within the educational system.

Keywords:

Education, India, Delhi, Save the Children, learning, children.