Lucknow: In the badlands of Bundelkhand, it is an oasis of hope. The children call it "Apna Skool", the teachers are known as "Bhaiyya" or "Didi", the discipline is not nerve wracking and the curriculum is far from dreary.

Set up by "Jagriti", an NGO formed by the students and faculty members of IIT Kanpur, this non-formal school in Bidokhar and Banki villages of Hamirpur district provides elementary education to the children of migrant labourers, most of whom work in local brick kilns, in various subjects.

Since children accompany their parents to distant work places, they unable to attend regular schools. Jagriti aims at helping these children complete their education through these non-formal schools.

At Apna Skool, the children find an opportunity to develop their skills. They learn reading, writing and basic arithmetical calculations with the help of teachers and the volunteers, who take turns at teaching in this school, turn learning into a joyful experience.

"When we began the project, we had regular meetings with residents of the two villages and explained our concept to them. We asked them to arrange a place where we could start the school. However, the villagers wanted to know what was the need for another school when there was a government school in the village. We convinced them that it would be different from the government schools and after that they extended their full cooperation," says Jagriti volunteer R.N. Sharma.

Jagriti then selected some local educated young men and involved them in the project to look after the centres.

The schools in Bidokhar and Banki villages are different from the other regular schools.

The Apna Skool in Bidokhar has 26 children, all belonging to Scheduled Caste.

"They are studying in Classes 1, 2 and 2 and the centre runs for three hours in the evening," says a teacher Chandrabhan, a post-graduate and a resident of the village.

Rambaran Anuragi, a teacher at Banki village, is an arts graduate and a resident of the village. The school here is run from a room of a private house.

"We teach simple arithmetic to the children with the help of educational aids. We encourage them to calculate the wages of their parents and prevent exploitation. We teach them how to read and write their names. We give them general information about keeping money in the bank and encouraging savings. We inform them about their rights as labourers and give them tips about health and hygiene. We encourage the children to draw, paint and sketch. We keep changing the subjects in order to sustain the child’s interest in the school," explains Anuragi.

The Apna Skool obviously deviates from the regular teaching-examination routine and it is this that attracts the children to the school.

"There is no fear of examinations or failure here and we give practical knowledge, rather then bookish knowledge, to the children," adds Anuragi.

While introducing the children into the world of letters, Jagriti is also making the parents aware of their rights. The project has also helped fight the practice of child labour.

For instance, a few weeks ago, Jagriti held a demonstration with migrant workers and children in Kanpur to demand right to education and healthcare.

"The outcome of our efforts will be visible only in their next generation since, by then, the parents and children would have realised the importance of education," says Pranab Mahapatra, one of the leading members of the initiative.

© Copyrights 2006 Asian Age