Web:Ph No: An Overview about the initiatives we are up to FULFILLING THE EXPERIENCE OF SCHOOLING So our team has come up with an idea to motivate urban schools and students to donate the material they discard at the end of the annual term as every year most school children buy a new set of uniform, copies, stationary, water bottles, shoes, lunch box etc. when they move to the next class. Our objective is to provide a fulfilling experience of schooling to these children, where simple things around coming to school means having a school bag, a uniform, pencil and copies, which are luxuries for these kids.. The other equally important aspect is to sensitise urban school children to the realities of a very different Indian life for their counterparts in villages. The urban school children are by and large divorced from the realities of the other not so privileged children of India, and this will educate and expose them and give them a better understanding of the hardships and difficulties of kids who struggle for the basic amenities of life. As you would have seen small kids going to school, have you ever noticed them in detail..?? Ok we shall help you to recollect it, a nice set of uniform, socks and shoes to go with it, cool bag and a good looking lunch bag. The joy that kid feels putting them on is same as that of our sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, and friends kids. Because kids enjoy every little thing, they never bother about what is missing and they feel happy with whatever they have. But in the case of rural Government schools, childrens need some attention because most of the students come to school with bare foot, and some students come without a proper uniform. And a school bag. Since youngsters in these schools originate from the poorest of families furthermore from a low training background. So its important to furnish them with essential necessities such as school uniform, shoes, scratch pad, and other study materials which they are denied of. CONSTRUCTION & RENNOVATION OF TOILETS Even as the Central government is pushing for construction of toilets, especially for girls, in schools across the country, students from various government schools in the Capital listed lack of toilets and hygiene as one of the primary reasons for the high dropout rate in State-run schools The statistics are more alarming at the school level. In India, only 58.82% schools have separate toilets for girls. Some schools have only a single toilet, which is not clean. Single toilets increase the risk of not only disease transmission, but also sexual harassment and also in the case of adolescent girls who skip school for five to six days every month, during menstruation. The absence of toilets for girls leads to issues related to education, health and safety of female students. Lack of toilets has a definite link with the dropout rate of girl students. It is associated with health-related issues arising out of spending extended periods of time with a full bladder. Urination in the open jeopardises safety of girls and also compromises with their dignity,. It is very difficult for the girls to manage without a toilet. Proper sanitation facilities in schools are critical for improving the rate of completion of studies at school for the girls. This being a major issue we Nirantara team take it as a challenge and also as a duty to construct toilets for both boys and girls in all government schools which are in need of. DRINKING WATER FACILITIES Globally, waterborne diseases kill more children than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. Waterborne diseases are caused due to the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. It is estimated that annually, about 37.7 million Indians are affected by waterborne diseases. Out of this, 1.5 million children are estimated to die of diarrhoea alone. A majority of government schools in India lack infrastructure and are in a shoddy condition. Most of them even lack basic amenities like drinking water. If government schools in urban areas are in such a pathetic condition, it would be not be difficult to imagine their condition in rural areas. The school does not have any arrangements for drinking water, during summers students face a harrowing time with no water facility in school. Due to this children may fall sick because of heat waves and no drinking water available at the school campus.Moreover students are forced to go out daily to drink water. Many students carry their own water bottles, but are left with no choice, but remain thirsty or go out of the school to drink water when it finishes. Many a times students bunk school and go back home or to nearby markets. Looking at this scenario our aim is to provide a pure Drinking water facilities in each school. RENNOVATING CLASSROOMS The condition of government primary schools in the city is dismal. Hundreds of schools are still awaiting renovation of buildings and other facilities. The infrastructure of primary schools is so ailing that students are forced to sit on the ground as the roof of classrooms can fall anytime. "The ministry of education had drawn up several plans and policies but they are failing to achieve the targets. The government is spending a large chunk of budget in providing free education to the poor and destitute but what these kids are getting is of no use," In the recent survey conducted by TOI, maximum number of primary schools have the teacher-student ratio of 50:1. Only a single teacher is playing different roles in several schools. Several government schools exist on paper only as the proposed building is either partially or fully ruined. In several cases, the schools are confined to one room only. Hence the children are forced to study under trees or in the open even in the rainy season. "Being in a classroom with lack of resources adversely affects children's mental health. The poor condition is the reason of parents' lack of faith on government schools," The primary education sector needs to be standardized according to modern education systems. If the primary education syllabus and system is standardised according to modern needs, it could help in the country's development STANDARDIZATION OF EDUCATION SYSTEM We take a step to improve the quality of education and ensure that all children not only attend but also thrive in school is being accomplished by working in collaboration with the government, local communities, parents, teachers, volunteers, and civil society members. Our programmes aim to supplement rather than replace governmental efforts. We are implementing on a large scale to not only reach as many children as possible, but also to create an adoptable demonstration model for state governments. Availability of qualified teachers and the student-teacher ratio is another tale to tell. The curriculum and teaching methodologies stand obsolete and outdated, with the emphasis being on rote-learning and merely developing reading and writing skills instead of holistic education. Lack of vocational training and non-availability of such courses renders students with barely any employable skills at the end of their schooling. These factors, coupled with other social circumstances have lead to alarmingly high dropout rates in the country. What is being taught and who taught also comes under scrutiny in these Government schools. When compared with private schools the quality of education in Government schools is not up to the mark. Most of the students, even of fifth grade do not know how to read. If they do then they just memorize lessons without understanding these. CREATING SOCIAL AWARENESS Also, if kids are made aware of things such as social behaviour, actions that harm society and the environment, crimes, illegal etc., they will be more prone to avoiding those activities. For example, teaching children about civic sense will have an immediate effect on not only at home but also on the city There are a lot of social problems like female infanticide, alcoholism, drug abuse, and superstitious beliefs etc. which are still a huge problem in India. It is vital that more and more people be made aware of these issues at the early stage so that we can fight them as a united country. Social awareness also makes the individual more mature and considerate when it comes to making important decisions. So its necessary for the children's to essay topics on social awareness like global warming, child labour, environment, pollution, national integration, cleanliness, corruption, terrorism, swachh bharat abhiyan, bal swachhta abhiyan, jan dhan yojana, women empowerment and so many. Thus, encouraging the children's to be curious about the world around them. It will go a long way in making them responsible and a mature member of society There are many sources of media which constantly feed us news from around the world. This helps us stay in tune with what is going on in the world. Awareness is knowledge, and knowledge is power. But the habit of staying tuned to your surroundings and the world in general, is something one must pick up at an early age. Its about creating an environment where a child can learn because if a child isnt emotionally prepared to learn, he or she is not going to learn So we take a responsibility to make children's to know more about society and its issues so that it will make them more efficient and responsible. For example, if more children are taught today about the ill-effects of global warming, they will be more responsible with fuel. If children are taught in school about social issues and problems, they will make a conscious effort to do something about it, therefore improving society as a whole.