Project on ‘Ensuring Protection of Vulnerable Children Through Education and Community Mobilization’ [GOAL_India]

Child protection is yet to achieve the desired level in India even in programmes that are run with and for children. They are seen as weak and powerless and as the ‘property’ of the parent to do what they like with them. Child abuse is both a societal as well as a familial problem.The Project on ‘Ensuring Protection of Vulnerable Children Through Education and Community Mobilization’ supported by GOAL India started in January 2007. The project is covering with 200 children and their families from urban slums in wards 93, 94 and 95 of KMC.The main goal of the project is to make available to the child his/her basic right to protection from abuse and exploitation and to help develop well adjusted, normal and productive future citizens.Target group is 200 children with age ranging from 5 to 15 years are on the roll. Target areas are the slums and squatter colonies of South Kolkata under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation – Ward numbers 67, 91, 93 and 94. Four units are being run under the project.

The strategy of this project is to achieve the aim of contributing towards combating child abuse and ensure protection through education and community mobilization initiatives. Creating awareness regarding child rights such as right to survival, development & protection amongst children as well as their immediate community will remain in focus as usual.  Simultaneously direct interventions of shelter, nutrition, counselling, recreation and health are required for the children. Hence all the activities are/will be planned and executed at per with these objectives.

The interventions will comprise the following components:

Academic activities and providing supportive education to ensure that the children who were mainstreamed to formal schools remain there formed the most important component of the project. It is believed that education is the most potent tool to guarantee child rights. Other activities with children included components like life skill exercises, psychotherapeutic activities that are designed in the way so that each area complements and supplements each other and is conducive to the holistic learning of the children. Skills that were emphasized are Reading, Writing, Phonic drill and Conversation, number exercises. Capacity building sessions were for an all round development of the child. Along with this, Health Care formed an important part of the project.
Theatre Workshop was held with the children for a period of three months with a beautiful presentation being done at Sujata Sadan a public Theatre hall on 27th December 2007. The Workshop with children of the project was facilitated by Sri Anshuman Das of Development Centre.

Children from the project held school awareness campaigns in formal schools where they staged dramas on child abuse and child rights which were followed by interactive sessions on the issue of protection of children from different forms of violence.

Regular parents meetings and education sessions were held in the four Units. Mothers were the recipients of supportive services, counseling and awareness on child’s well being, training on healthy child rearing practices, they were also told and learnt the necessity of education, proper nutritional and psychological support for their children. Follow-up services through Home Visits were done for motivating the parents for their participation in the programme and enabling children especially the girl children to participate in the project activities as direct beneficiaries.

Regular community meetings were held with the different stakeholders, key personalities of the community. Meetings and awareness campaigns were held on issues like need of education, protection issues, legal aid to combat violence, HIV/AIDS virus, violence on adolescent girls, child rights, gender discrimination, sexual abuse on children, sanitation and clean environment, basic health care, violation of child rights as a social malaise and ways to ensure the rights of the child and similar issues.
 
Two studies were conducted by an external agency in the project area on Out-of-School Children and Alternate Livelihood Options of the parents. A detailed report was submitted by the agency and the same forwarded to GOAL India.
Teachers’ Training was held with formal school teachers on Quality Education and development of low-cost Teaching Learning Materials.
Materials on Child Protection were developed under the Project with a CD containing 5 short films on Child Protection and two sets of 20 Flexy Banners on Child Rights.
The construction work of the ‘Crisis Prevention Centre’ started in the month of October 2007 on the top floor of IPER building at Prince Anwar Shah Road and the major portion of the work has been completed by March 2008. .

Project on Psychological, Somatic & Social Interventions for the High-Risk

Children of Kolkata [NFICH]

The Project on ‘Psychological, Somatic & Social Interventions for the High-Risk Children of Kolkata’ started in June 2006 for three years under the auspices of the ‘Netherlands Foundation for International Child Health’ is continuing. The major objectives of the project are firstly develop a replicable strategy to address the physical, social and psychological health problems of the underprivileged children; secondly make an analysis of the physical and mental health problems and indicators of the most deprived group in Kolkata and thirdly show that the project can be replicated by the Government with minimal cost.

The Project has a two-pronged approach of
first rendering health care to 900 children who are attending the twenty Community Learning Centres (CLC) in the selected slums and second carrying out a comparison of the health status of children who do not benefit from the Health care programme with those who receive the same. However in the second year the project has undergone a change as the control group component and the comparison with the experimental group has been left out as sufficient data could not be obtained.

The activities that have been taken up under the project are:

Health Check–Up: Health check-ups of the children were arranged for three days a week through the 6 Community Health Centres introduced in the Learning Centres. Records of the health data thus collected are maintained. Data are classified on the basis of gender, socio-economic conditions and health conditions of the children. A statistical analysis of the data is being processed for obtaining a comprehensive report on the work that has been done.
   
Haemoglobin Test: Children who recorded Hb. count below 11g/dl were given a planned intervention including medicines, food and health care. Nearly 400 children recorded low anemia and the interventions were given to them and 28% recorded significant improvement in their Hb. level.

Treatment: Treatment of the ailing children was also carried out and in cases of emergencies they were referred to specialised departments either in the hospital or in private clinics. The major diseases detected in the children were RTI, worms, anorexia, dyspepsia, pyrexia, ameobiosis, skin infection, ear and eye infection. During the period 1600+ prescriptions were issued.

Health Education: IPER health team is regularly holding classes for parents/mothers to be aware on issues related to health and common diseases and their prevention. Regular weekly parents meetings are held with Doctors where mothers attend. Thus a series of mothers meetings and community meetings had been organized in all the Wards. They were also encouraged to prepare nutritious diet for their children to keep them strong and healthy.

Representatives from the NFICH visited the project during September’07 and February’08. They were happy to see the progress of the project.

Community Meetings: During the year 50+ community meetings were organized in the slums with active participation of the mothers and members of the community with 580+ participants. Mothers too held 40+ meetings with around 400 participants.

Collaboration with the Health Department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation

IPER through the project is working in 3 Boroughs of the KMC. Members of the staff of IPER met the Dr. Subodh Dey, Member Mayor-in-Council, KMC and he gave the required permission for collaboration. The team members met the Borough Medical Officers and planned joint health check-up and community awareness programmes in their respective areas. An Orientation meeting was held with the KMC Doctors for 4 hours on 15 November 2007 with 11 Medical Officer participating.

Counselling & Psycho-Social Assessment:

Counselling sessions were held with children having behavioural difficulties. Both individual and group counselling sessions were rendered. The counsellor visited the CHCs regularly and interacted with the children and parents. Noted improvement was found in the behavioural manifestation of the children.

Capacity Building: 

Training on HIV and AIDS with the members of the staff was held. Some more capacity building programmes were held on First Aid, prevention of common diseases, emergencies caused by heat, and so on.

KEIP – Kolkata Environment Improvement Project

[Kolkata Municipal Corporation]

IPER is working with the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation from 2005 on 6 monthly contracts. The assignment entered into its third phase in November 2007 in 6 KMC Wards namely 83, 88, 89, 91, 97 and 98 under Package IX. In this phase emphasis was laid on the social mobilization and behavioural change of the slum dwellers along with the formation of Neighbourhood Groups and Self-Help Groups and their Training. Several social issues like child marriage, child labour, drug addiction, disability were addressed through trainings and workshops.

Achievements of the Work during April ’07 to March ’08

In Wards 83 & 89 out-of-school & drop-out children were identified and were admitted to the different Non-formal Centres of IPER. Linkages were done with IICP for the cases of disability, ICDS. An exposure visit was organized in Nimpith Narendrapur with the SHG members. Five vocational trainings were held on paper-bag making. Hand embroidery, cutting and tailoring and Bandhni work. Awareness on legal rights of women, Savings, LIC too were held with the members of the SHGs.

Social development initiatives were taken in the areas of Vocational Training, Training on identification of disabilities, campaign against addiction on drug and alcohol, community meetings. A three months programme on Adult Literacy too was held with 20 women in KMC Ward 98.

Integrated Programme for Street Children-Ministry of Women & Child

Development

The programme under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India is being run for more than a decade now. The project is meant for children in the age group 4–14 years who are on the streets with or without anybody to take care of them, children who were abused, distressed because of exposure to natural and man-made hazards.The aims and objectives are prevention of destitution of the children and putting them into the social mainstream. The major components of the project are education, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, safe-drinking water, recreational facilities and protection against abuse and exploitation. During the year IPER reached out to 500+ children through 16 centres spread over Lake Gardens, Selimpur, Kalighat and Kasba. Academic classes were held five days a week for 3 to 4 hours a week daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.Teaching is mainly carried out through ‘individualised lessons’ developed by IPER with an emphasis on literacy, numeracy, life skills and health education. The overall performance of the students was found to be encouraging. Children were admitted to formal schools.

Students received a meal during working days. Medical check-up was done regularly for all children and treatment was provided to those who were ill. Medicines were given when required and referrals were made for those children needing specialised treatment.

Families were provided with water purifying tablets, phenyl and bleaching powder to reduce pollution and infection as well as to promote the concept of hygiene. Such programme as celebration of Rabindra Jayanti, Nababarsha Utsav, Baisakhi, sports and outings were arranged. A Workshop was held with the teachers of the special schools on quality education and class management by well-known educationists and IPER Quality Management Team.

As most of the children are first generation learners and do not get any help from their families for their schooling. Therefore IPER also arranged for providing them with support classes to retain them in the class and prevent drop-out.

Training of Street Educators
A Two-day Training on Quality Education & Its Different Aspects was carried out with street educators of IPER and eight other organizations running the IPSC project in West Bengal on 5th and 6th October 2007. Sri Soumendu Pathak, Director and two of his members of the Department was present in the inauguration of the Training. There were 31 participants in all.

Recreational & Sports Programmes
Children from the Integrated Street Children Project also participated in the Cultural programme arranged by the Department of Vagrancy Sisir Mancha on December 2007. They also participated in the sports event organized by the Department.

CHILDLINE – 1098

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

CHILDLINE 1098 is a toll-free phone service for children in crisis. IPER is working as the Support Organisation of Kolkata CHILDLINE.Project CHILDLINE is a scheme under the Integrated Programme for Street Children under the Ministry of Women & Child Development. It is a facility provided since 1999 for all to extend their helping hand anytime anywhere to a Child-In-Crisis.During the year 2007-08 the types of calls referred to by the collaborative organisations and were attended are given in the following table:

IPER has made it mandatory that in all the trainings and workshops and awareness programmes conducted by IPER information on CHILDLINE has to be shared. As such the component of awareness on CHILDLINE has been built-in all the training programmes of IPER. This is being done in consonance with the rights of protection of children which is given the highest priority by IPER.

National Child Labour Project - Ministry of Labour

We have been running the project since 1998 under the South 24-Parganas District Administration and Kolkata District. It is actually an anti-child-labour project in conformity with CRC and ILO objectives. Working children engaged in hazardous labour are withdrawn from the occupation and taken in seven centres of 50 each, 6 days a week, five hours a day accommodating 350+ such children,

This programme was taken up by IPER due to its firm belief that child labour in whatever form it exits is injurious to the child as it interferes with the normal developmental needs of the child. Children who are working either in the domestic or in the commercial sectors are compelled to go without the basic requirements of childhood like education, recreation, social and cultural opportunities. IPER through these special schools tries to provide these facilities as far as possible. So there is provision of a stipend of Rs.100/- per month per child enrolled under the scheme. A Savings Bank Account is opened in the name of each of these children and the stipend is deposited there.

The children observe the Anti-Child Labour Day on 30th April and collected approximately 700+ signatures from employers, general public and parents for prevention of child labour. Posters and placards carrying messages on banning child labour were displayed. The children were taken for a trip to the Zoo by another NGO. The children observed Rabindra Jayanti in May’07, Environment day in June’07 and Independence Day, Teachers’ Day and Children’s Day. They were taken to public hall to view a children’s film organized by Seagull.

Annual sports programmes are held with the children. Many children got prizes on different events.

There are more female children attending the 7 Special Schools under the Child Labour Welfare Society of South 24 Parganas and Kolkata. We also run a Special School under the Kolkata Child Labour Welfare Society where 50 children withdrawn from the labour market are attending.

The children are provided with cooked meal of rice-curry and vegetables when they attend the classes. The main objective of the programme is to teach, so that the children are prepared for mainstreaming in the formal schools. The curriculum of the formal system is followed. Regular assessment is done to monitor the progress.

Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drugs) Abuse -Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

Counselling Centres:
Services of the Anti-Drug Centre are run by IPER from two out-patient centres, one at Mahamayatala, Garia, Kolkata-84 covering Sonarpur, Baruipur, Bhangur and Bishnupur and the other at P-39/1, Prince Anwar Shah Road, CIT Scheme 114A, Kolkata – 45 covering Behala, Thakurpukur, Kasba, Jadavpur, Bhowanipur, Ekbalpur, Metiabruz, New Alipore, Hastings, Regent Park, Balygunge and Entally. It was started in 1988. It has been noted that a large number of the patients who come for treatment are young in age and even those who come in an advanced age started the abuse at a very young age.
The two out-patient centres renders three services namely counseling, awareness building and referral for availing indoor treatment are provided to the addicts brought to the centres by social workers or to the patients coming independently. The aim is prevention and detoxification. The patients are provided with free medicines and counselling services while they attend the centres.

Awareness materials:
Banners, posters and placards are prepared displayed for rally on 26th June for the observance of “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” and a “Kiosks” are set up with the help of the West Bengal Police for awareness on drug addiction and treatment. Awareness materials with laminated cards on HIV+/AIDS and drug are used with illustrations in different awareness programmes.
Development of positive alternative behaviours:
Group meetings are held regularly once a week with recovering addicts. Topics that are discussed in the meetings are relapse prevention, stress management, anger management, sharing responsibilities in family matters, searching positive alternatives, involvement in job, etc. Family meetings were held once in a month with the family members of the addicts.

Networking with Government Hospitals and NGOs:
Networking with other NGOs like – DUVA, WCC, Recovery Hospital, Rupantar Foundation, and other centres and the Government Hospitals for physical check-up and other services was done.

Networking with different Projects of IPER:
Community sensitization programme and awareness programmes were arranged in the different KMC Wards under in collaboration with the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project of IPER.

Referral Services
Clients are referred for treatment cum Rehabilitation and Psychiatric treatment to other centers. They are also referred to different Government Hospitals for treatment of T.B., other infection, HIV/AIDs, etc.

Follow-up / Home visits
Follow-up services being provided to the clients by home visits and through contact over phone for information on the present status of the recovery of the clients and the condition of their family members.

Community Development through Participation & Awareness

IPER_KUSP I/CF Project at Maheshtala Municipality             

Introduction  :
The Project has been proposed on developing an enabling social condition for the empowerment of children and women living in a very depressed condition. The task would be done by ensuring access of the target group of children and women to the services provided by the State and the society through education, awareness, capacity building towards the basic necessities of life. The Project would be run in four Wards of Maheshtala Municipality with those who have been deprived of their right to education and information on these basic services. The Project would be carried out in Maheshtala Municipality wards 4, 5, 6 and 9 with 200 out-of-school children and 100 women from the families of these children. The project started in March 2009 and would continue for 18 months.

Objectives:

• To create consciousness on the rights of children and women 
• To ensure access to schools for all children and ensure that all children of school going age attend school
• To retain all children in the schools
• To remove prevailing superstitions and myths in women and children
• To ensure that women have access to decision making and a choice to different livelihood options
• To form peer groups with women and children who would activate / facilitate change in their families and surroundings

Major Activities:
The major activities planned for the purpose are:

1. A Rapid Participatory Assessment of the area for baseline indicators
2. Community mobilization and formation of groups of women and children
3. Interactive and participatory approach with the target groups
4. Quality education for children based on skill learning activities
5. Campaigns and workshops & Holding one-to-one interactions
6. Setting up of Community Learning Centres and Community Resource Centres for attending to the educational needs of vulnerable children in the community
7.   De-education and re-education programme for women on their rights and literacy
8. The project would work with young women in the area to form ‘Peer Advocate Corps’ with skills of leadership, education and consciousness on their rights and responsibilities
9.   Children groups would be formed on different issues as sports, environment protection, green rights, etc.
10. A mid-term review needs to be done at organization cost

Methodology:
A Rapid Participatory Assessment of the area for baseline indicators

• Community mobilization
• Interactive and participatory approach with the target groups
• Campaigns and workshops & Holding one-to-one interviews
• De-education and re-education programme for women
• Quality education for children based on skill learning activities

Activities Carried out till June 2009

The following activities have been completed during the four month period from March to June 2009 as per plan for the above Project in the Wards 4, 5, 6 and 9 of Maheshtala Municipality.

Orientation of the Staff:
The members of the staff of Project had two orientation meetings with Dr. (Ms.) Bijli Mallik, Executive Director of IPER on the objectives and the procedural matters involved in the implementation of the project. Plan of action on a quarterly basis was also developed for the project. A few orientation visits were carried out in the area to get the staff know the area and its boundaries in Wards 4, 5, 6 and 9. Two meetings were organized by KUSP one for the financial procedures and obligations for the partners, which was participated by Dr. Mallik and the Sri S. Mondal, Accountant for the project. The second meeting was held on 17th June 2009 sustainability of the project through SSA programme. This meeting was attended by the Project Officer, Community Coordinator and one of the teachers of the CLCs of IPER.

Baseline Survey
After initial meetings with the community people the team of surveyors with the Community Coordinator, Social worker and a group of 4 surveyors the work for the Baseline survey started in March and was completed in April ’09.

Initially an Orientation Training was conducted for the field staff in the month of March’09. Small sessions were conducted to acquaint the staff and the field team with the project goals, objectives and the expected inputs and outputs. The objectives of the survey were explained. The observation procedures and methodologies were also explained in detail. Two schedules were developed to collect data from the Wards. The schedules were discussed in detail during the training and meetings with staff. A try-out was done and based on the feedback certain changes were made in the schedule. A brief session was also carried out on the ways to develop social mapping and need assessment.

The Baseline survey was started in the month of April’09 at the specified slums in the Wards in the Municipality. It began with visits to the area after contacting the Municipal authorities and meeting with the local people.

The team consisting of six members with the Community Coordinator as the leader visited the four   Wards of the Maheshtala Municipality for 12 days in the month of April 2009. Some pockets were identified in consultation with the community people in Ward No.4, 5, 6 and 9. The required permission was obtained from the Municipality and the information on the survey was given to the Chairman of the Municipality. The report of the Baseline Survey has been prepared and shared with the KUSP for their on 19th July 2009.

Meeting on Baseline Survey Data
A half-a-day workshop with the stakeholders in the Municipality to share the Baseline Survey data in the selected slums in Ward nos. 4, 5, 6 and 9 where the 5 Community Learning Centers (CLCs) and 2 Adult Literacy Centers would be set up under IPER_KUSP ICF Project was held at the office premises of the Municipality on 30th April 2009. The objective of the sharing workshop was to present the findings and obtain feedback from the participants.

The Vice-Chairman of the Municipality presided over the meeting. the Secretary of the Municipality, the Urban Planner, representative of KUSP and of the CMU-KUSP along with other officials who were responsible for the selected Wards and persons were present in the workshop. The Baseline Survey was presented through Power Point by IPER, which was followed by a detail discussion on the areas covered, the household profiles of the selected families, the reasons of children being out-of-school. Comments on made regarding the involvement and participation of women in the project. The Project Officer and Community Coordinator esponded to the queries and also shared their experiences from the field during the survey work.
   
The participants asked about the type of involvement this project would expect from the members of 
the Municipality. Thereafter the roles of the Municipality as per the following guidelines were
discussed in detail:

1. Helping in the selection of the target area and population
2. Facilitating of the implementation schedule of the work based on the situational analysis
3. Helping in the identification of venues and making them available - free space for

learning centers:

4. Providing venue for the trainings and meetings and  organizing workshop
5. Facilitating the work with the formal schools/Municipal Schools
6. Active participation in every programme
7. Facilitating sharing of the programme report by IPER from time to time

Pre-Selection Teachers’ Training programme
A Four-day Pre-Selection Teachers’ Training programme was conducted by IPER under the Project with the identified women who had the required qualification and showed potentiality and interest in working in the Project at the Community Learning Centers and Adult Literacy Centers.

Community Learning Centres
Presently the 5 Community Learning Centres are running in the 4 Municipal Wards with nearly 200+ children. The first Teachers’ Orientation has taken place and community meetings are held regularly.
Preparation of IEC Materials for the community is on. Health Education classes for the children are being taken by health educators in the 5 Community Learning Centres.

District Primary Education Council, South 24 Parganas
A meeting with the Chairman of the District Primary Education Council, South 24 Parganas, seeking permission to hold orientation programme with the teachers from the 9 Schools in the selected areas of the Municipality. The purpose of this training would be to ensure retention of children in the schools and facilitate quality education in the schools. This training would be held from time to time and would require participation of at least 15 to 18 teachers from these schools.

Organising Development of Competency Based Value Education Instructional/training Material for NFE & School Teachers – Ministry of Human Resource Development

Preservation and protection of values is one of the strongest force in maintaining the social and cultural integrity of any country. In fact the degradation of values leads to several disintegrating factors opportunity to raise their unholy head breaking the national fabric into pieces. The values provide the purpose and framework within which an individual can function and live.

Education is the most potential force which can foster universal and eternal values. The system of education which inculcates universal and eternal values like compassion, truthfulness, love, peace, righteous conduct, non-violence, honesty, tolerance and similar virtues can help in developing a healthy and righteous human society.

In spite of the fact that the values are initially formed and learned at home from the parents and the family members schools play a very important role in strengthening and reinforcing them. This is particularly so as the system of education prevalent today starts at a very tender age of the child and thus has a very strong impact on their lives.

The values also have a direct effect on the personality of the individual and their behaviours and relationship with others around. Thus the students should be acquainted with the different social and cultural values for better understanding of their heritage, their own development and the integrity of the human society as a whole.

Therefore the work of a teacher is essentially in the field of human relations and values and s/he needs to be trained from this point of view. Educational activities involve social interaction and the value system in which teaching and learning takes place. This is all the more true in a situation where there is serious erosion of social and cultural fabric and several factors are causing this in the present Indian society.

The National Policy of Education (1986) too highlights the urgent need for value education in view of growing erosion of essential values and increasing cynicism in society. With a well designed system of curriculum, it is possible to make education a forceful tool for the cultivation of desirable ethical, spiritual and social values.

Implementation of the Programme:
The programme in its second phase had a set of activities in the following order of implementation.
1. Identification of values in NFE system
2. Identification of values in school system
3. Developing behavioural description in NFE and school system
4. Developing behavioural description for teaching values
5. Teaching competencies with learning principles
6. Developing material for as instructional materials [typing error in the sanctioning memo]
7. Developing Manual for use of instructional materials
8. 7 days training programme for NFE and School teachers
9. 2-days training programme for 80 teachers of four selected schools
10. 10 publications of training materials

Developing behavioural description for teaching values & Developing

behavioural description in NFE and school system

A team of 10 experts were assigned the work of developing the behavioural description of the values for four months. Along with it 5 Meetings with a team of 6 experts were carried out to finalise the materials and the teaching competencies for the same. The 5 Meetings of the Team of 6 Experts comprised of educationists, teachers, psychologist, artist and creative writer.

Plans and decisions emerging from the meetings:

The team based on the identified values in the first phase of the Project decided to develop three   books one for Class I & II, the second for Class III to V and the third book for Class VI to VIII. It was decided as there is frequent change in the texts of the prescribed syllabus in order to make the developed Books usable for a considerable period it was planned to make them Non-text based. It was finalized that each of the three books would consist of 10 stories each depicting different values and virtues of human beings. Each of the stories will have two pictures depicting the story and making them attractive to the students.

It was further decided that in addition to the Books there would be Value Cards with two different presentations in each set with one Card where the Value is present and on a similar situation card where the Value is absent. There would also be audio-cassette with rhymes and CDs as Power Point Presentations. Protecting our environment was also focused through these non-textual materials to promote value based environment awareness.

Thus the materials developed were as follows:

• Non-textual materials on the identified values in Bengali for Primary and Upper Primary students in three formats like Written and Picture oriented books, Value Cards, one Audio cassette, CDs on different values applicable to all classes
• Conducted Workshops, trainings and meetings with teachers and the students
• Developed and designed manual on the ways to use the prepared materials and
• Organised workshops for teachers on the ways to transacting value education

Developing behavioural description in NFE and school system and  Working with schools for identifying and developing teaching competencies with learning principles

A team of 10 Quality Education Management Team were assigned the work of developing the behavioural description of the values for four months .They visited the ten formal schools in the four months from June to September’08 met and interacted with the teachers and the students in the classes from I to VIII as well as with the teacher and child participants during the Workshops held during August and September’08. They  finally developing the values for the materials and their behavioural descriptions through these consultations and interactions.

The team also considered the following before finally selecting the values for the material

• Development of a good self-concept and a sense of self-worth;
• Appreciation of creativity;
• Integrity of behaviour;
• Human and Social values related to healthy personality;
• Appreciation of the need for certain rules and social codes of conduct in relating and interacting with others;
• Appreciation of the need to keep one’s surroundings and environment clean;
• Development of caring habits for property and natural surroundings;
• Development of love for the country and pride in being Indian.

Identification of values in NFE system - One Workshop with NFE teachers & one

with NFE students

Workshop with NFE students

The children were given the stories along with the pictures for identification of values depicted in them. After an initial reading of the stories by the facilitators to the children they were divided into 5 groups and each of the group was given 2 stories to analyse and identify the values in-build there. They were also asked to write which parts or sections of the stories depicted the values stated in them. After the group discussion the group leader presented the findings of the group along with a justification for the values identified.

In the second session the groups were re-divided into four and focus group discussions (FGD) were held on four clusters of values identified by the children. The four clusters consisted of the following values:

                                                                                                                
The discussion also led to identification of behaviours that were related to the values on which the FGDs were held. A detail discussion was held on the presentations of the FGDs.Finally children selected following four values for role play.  
1) Togetherness
2) Friendship
3) Humble
4) Protection of nature

The children volunteered for the Role-play and the rest observed and commented. They displayed the natural behaviours that are performed in situation of the selected values.The meeting ended with a closing session of evaluation on their understanding of the values.The children were served with lunch and breakfast.

 Workshop with NFE teachers

One Workshop with NFE teachers was held with 36 street educators from non-formal Community Learning Centres being run under the Integrated Project for Street Children, National Child Labour Project under the Government of India. The Workshop was participated by representatives of the Department of Vagrancy, Government of West Bengal.

As it is an age-old belief that educational set-up is the appropriate place for developing values in children. So it is the responsibility of the teachers to guide children to socially desirable behaviours and values.

In the session the teachers were asked to give their opinion about the utility of value education in non-formal school setup. Majority of the teachers were of the opinion that conducting value classes are essential for the street children to motivate them in choosing the right course and attitude in their lives and to combat the abusive circumstances that they regularly encounter in their lives.

A group work was planned to show them how to transact value-oriented classes in their class routine. Five groups were formed and each group was provided with two stories suitable for the primary level students. The participants were asked to identify the values that are imbedded in the stories and the facts or items that helped them to identify the values in each of these stories. The teachers worked with 10 stories developed by IPER for teaching of values to children. The stories accompanied pictures that explain the stories pictorially. After group discussion the participants identified different values that are imbedded in the stories.

The values that were identified by them from the 10 stories were honesty, kindness, friendship, sense of duty, loyalty, truthfulness, punctuality, self-sacrifice, caring for the helpless, attitude of togetherness, obeying rules, peace and integrity.They also pointed out the items that were explaining the values in the stories. Accordingly they filled up and form and presented the same to the larger group.A session on the behavioural description of the values and the learning principles too were explained and discussed. A feedback format was filled-up after the workshop by the participants.

Identification of values in school system - One Workshop with formal school

students & one with School teachers

Workshop with School students
The workshop was carried out with fifteen children from Classes I to IX. The children after an orientation of what they consider to be values they were divided in three groups one with students of Classes I & II, the second group was formed with Classes III to V and the third group was formed with students of classes VI to VIII.

We also carried out a feedback with a few students of class IX. Each group was given copies of the stories for the classes along with the pictures for identification of the values depicted in them. Each group was facilitated by one facilitator from IPER team. After an initial reading of the stories by the facilitators to the children they were divided in two groups and each group was given the five stories each for the specific class to identify the values in-built there.

They were also directed to analyse the stories and specify the behaviours that depict the values. After the group discussion the group leaders presented the findings of the groups.In the second half of the day focus group discussions (FGD) were held by the three groups with the values they identified and behavioural indicators of the values were identified and developed by the children.The programme ended with a general discussion on the values identified and the behaviours that can be taught in the schools to inculcate the values.

Teaching competencies with learning principles
Workshop with NFE Teachers

The participants were from the 29 NFE Centres. They were welcomed by Dr. B. Mallik with a brief on the objectives of the workshop.An initial ice-breaking activity was carried out where each of the participants stated two requirements of teaching values. They had to take care not to repeat the statements.In the next session they stated the major difficulties faced in classroom situations where the children violated the values that are preached by elders. The participants were then given the list of values that emerged from the earlier workshops.

In the first session two situations were developed by the teachers that are usually faced by them in the NFE Centres. After a brief discussion they were used as Role Play where the participants participated. These led to the identification of different behavioural anomalies and lack of values in the children.In the second session the participants were divided into six groups and were asked to develop the teaching principles behind the values. The group sessions were presented by the group leader.

The teachers were then handed over the draft materials and they developed the teaching strategies that can be used for teaching them.



It emerged that the teachers preferred to use the pictures earlier than the stories as often in NFE centres reading skills are not very well developed in the children. The also preferred the use of Value Cards and added a new list to the items that can be incorporated in these Cards.

The teachers’ views were then recorded separately for developing new Value Cards. The meeting ended with an evaluation of the sessions and the activities conducted.

Workshop with School teachers

The workshop started with an ice-breaking session on faith exercise. The facilitators helped the participants to understand the role of human values and virtues which affect the growth of the personality of a child. With a break for tea the participants were given three draft materials and asked to explain the values and behaviours/incidents that depicted the value in the stories. After the identification each of the participants read out the values they identified and the facilitators listed them against each story.

Next the participants were divided into groups and discussed their own experiences in the classroom about the values that are violated. They also discussed the reasons for such violations. From the group presentations the following decisions emerged:

• Value education should form an essential component of all teaching–learning activities;
• Instead of a separate class for Values some reading materials on values, as prepared by IPER, can be used which will help in developing reading and comprehension skills along with inculcation of required values in the children. This is important as most of the children like to read and hear stories;
• During parent teacher meeting some discussions on values that are generally violated by children in the class should be held;
• Teachers also must display values that they preach to their children.

After the lunch break an energizer on gender equality was carried out. Later a sharing of the observations was carried out.The final session was on Child Rights. The materials that were developed for Child Rights based on the UN Convention were presented and discussed. Feedbacks on the same along with their implications in class room situations were also discussed. The workshop ended with a review of the workshop given on whip cards by the teacher participants.

The above values were used at times separately and at times together in the stories. Most of the stories were selected from fables, folklores of different countries as well as from real life situations. Each of the stories had two pictures illustrating the story. There were some common values that were present for all the classes and were incorporated in the materials for all the classes. However the presentations and the depth of the values and associated feelings depicted in the stories varied. In the higher classes the stories gradually became more thought based than in the lower classes which were based on more activities and overt behaviours. The teachers guide book with the methods of using the materials were also presented and finalized.

The following materials have been prepared through the project: