Empowering India's Children Through Special Training Under RTE: Insights and Strategies

1. 5 July 2012 Urmila Sarkar UNICEF India Special Training under RTE

2. April 2012 Jaipur Consultation The primary objective of the consultation was to provide a platform for policymakers, academics, development partners and practitioners and civil society partners to: • Review issues, innovations and lessons learned from the past and present in the region on how best to accelerate Special Training in the region against the backdrop of RTE • Engage in reflection and dialogue for the development of a rights-based and relevant knowledge base for developing a strategy in the participating states to address the needs of children and mainstream them • Inform and guide the national vision and policy rooted in the right to education thereby providing the states process guidance and support for implementing Special Training • Create platform for action at state level to mobilize partnerships and action for increased equity and equality in education

3. Guidance from MHRD • Age appropriate admission (Section 4) • Community level mapping exercise by State government, Local Authority and School Management Committee • Formal enrolment and organization of Special Training of flexible duration with continued onsite support socially and academically • Development of appropriate materials by the academic authority • Context-specific strategies

4. Unpacking Special Training • Identification/community tracking of OOSC • Curricular & Co-curricular areas • Capacity enhancement and support for teachers • Special training delivery mechanism under RTE • Towards process guidance for states

5. Global evidence base • Higher educational attainment the closer non-formal education linked to the formal education system with period of transition • Working children demonstrate greater responsiveness and school retention to the integration of innovative and flexible non-formal education approaches in schools • Incorporation of child rights awareness in the curriculum and community structures important • Close monitoring of students’ progress after transition essential • Holistic approach to education through child friendly schools including academic, emotional and social support involving wide range of support activities (e.g. counseling, additional tutoring, health care and health education, life-skills, recreation and sport) • Pre-school education for young siblings • Majority of initiatives included social mobilization and economic empowerment for families Global thematic evaluation of formal and non-formal education programmes to combat child labour based on 69 interventions in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Colombia, India, Kenya, the Philippines, Peru, Senegal, and Turkey

6. Problems encountered mainstreaming • Challenges remain to reach the most disadvantaged and discriminated groups of children • Impact of years of exploitation and discrimination on expression, self-confidence and self-esteem of the child • Struggle for the children with little academic foundation to catch up with their peers • Inadequate support for additional tutoring or learning centres considering many of these children have impoverished parents with low levels of literacy • Inconsistent quality in remedial programmes • Lack of capacity building and support for teachers and school management • Inadequate monitoring of learning outcomes • Welfare based versus empowerment and rights-based

7. Good practices, lessons learned

8. Good practices, lessons learned

9. Defining Special Training • Local context determines the nature of Special Training for the child to be decided by the local authority (residential or non residential) • School Readiness is an essential part of ST • Additional support to the school for providing ST based on feasibility • Above 10 years and never enrolled it is advised to provide residential ST • Where home environment is not conducive the child needs to be provided residential ST • Seasonal option for children of migrating families • Convergence with tribal, ICPS to provide the care for destitute children as required

10. 1. OOSC – identification, enrolment, SMC

11. 2. Curricular & Co-curricular Areas

12. 3. Teachers Development

13. 4. Delivery of Special Training

14. Way Forward • With MHRD work on process guidance for the states as an advisory highlighting the development of relevant content and key role of teachers • Establish Steering Committee at State Level with NGOs to provide process guidance and support for Special Training • Organize state level workshops to develop age appropriate content for ST and demonstrate the methodology • Technical support for the states to develop the process and methodology for ST building on earlier experiences with RBC/NRBC

15. Educated and Protected: A brighter future for India’s children