Education and Training

Schools
MCM is running two schools in Bhopal since last 18 years with the objective to provide right environment to children at school and to promote their all round development with systemized, structured, child centered teaching methods. The results in academic session of 2001-12 were 100 percent. Students were encouraged to participate in co-curricular activities like debates, painting, writing, dance, drama, music events and craft activities. The school facilitated students to imbibe values of brotherhood and responsibility by celebrating various festivals and national days.

Students were also given opportunity to express themselves and exercise their right of participation by attending School Child Rights foras setup in collaboration with Child Rights Observatory Madhya Pradesh (CROMP). Students brought out wallpapers expressing their thoughts on child rights and girl children.

Regular teachers parents workshops were also organized to apprise parents about the process of teaching and performance of their wards emphasizing on social, emotional, physical and cognitive skills. To support girl students, a hostel is also attached to the Seven Hills Public School campus at Arera Colony. Schools offered a wide variety of sporting activities to help students not only get physical exercise but also learn valuable lessons in leadership, discipline, competitiveness, fair-play, perseverance and team spirit. Regular health checkups were also organised for the students.

Teachers were regularly updated on teaching aids and methods. They also participated in Child Rights workshops organised by Child Rights Observatory Madhya Pradesh on various subjects especially Corporal Punishment related to child rights to make the schools more child friendly.

Promotion of Girls Education - Mainstreaming of drop out girls from schools into formal education system in rural areas of Tikamgarh district

Mahila Chetna Manch has been working towards bringing back drop out girls from schools into formal education with the support of Room to Read India Trust to support 37 drop out girls (2 in primary school, 20 in middle school and 15 in high school) in Tikamgarh district by providing them access to quality education and self-development opportunities. For last two years MCM is also supporting 50 school based girl scholars in the same area.

MCM supported in all 87 girls of primary, middle school and high school by providing them with books and stationery, coaching and mentoring support to help in improving their competency level in different subjects. Medical checkup and exposure visits were also organised.

The tutors engaged for the purpose were trained for lesson planning, development and use of teaching and learning materials, language use in the class room and interaction with a focus on activity based participatory learning process to make the learning enjoyable and interesting for these girls at the tuition centres.

Life skill training programme were organised for these girls to impart decision making skills. They are now aware of their psychological, health and sanitation needs. Now they have started participating in their family discussions. Participation of girls in extra curricular activities like science fair, sports and celebration of national festivals such as Republic day, Independence day, Teachers day, Women’s day, Children’s day and Girls child day in school/tuition centres has increased. Now tuition centre are a vibrant place for them. Peer support for the scholars was enlisted through groups of school going girls. Regular home visits to counsel parents about their support and to appraise them of the progress of their wards were undertaken by the social mobiliser. Community and SMC were involved to support the education of girl children in their area to facilitate attendance of girls in school and monitor their progress, thus building community ownership of the programme.

Sustained efforts of the Room to Read team and Mahila Chetna Manch in maintianing close relationship with parents, school teachers and community leaders has developed a girls friendly and environment in the community, in school and in family which was reflected in increased attendance of girls in schools and cases of early marriages are also less. Nachanwara village makes a history when three girls of the programme passed out high school examination for the first time. This trend in the backward society of Bundelkhand region is encouraging.

Training Centre for Anganwadi Workers

Mahila Chetna Manch has been running an Anganwadi worker’s training centre for imparting training to Anganwadi workers and helpers of ICDS projects of Bhopal district. It conducts regular programmes, which provide inputs on specific issues of health, nutrition and pre-school education, about the needs of the child and the mother and the structured training programmes designed by the ICDS project implementing authorities.

Refresher trainings of 461 Anganwadi workers were organised. 130 supervisors of Bhopal district were imparted training under Atal Bal Mission Project. During the training Mahila Chetna Manch provides the resource trainers, lodging, boarding, entertainment facilities and medical aid to the trainee.