Asha for Education

Project Brief: Pratirodh Sansthan runs Aadharshila Residential School for tribal girls who have no direct access to education otherwise, while also acting as a bridge to enroll girls into government/formal schools
Project Type: Residential School (description)
Primary Focus: children of dalits/tribals (description)

Secondary Focus: girls

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Silicon Valley

Status: CURRENT
Project Steward: Nehal Bandi
Co-Steward: Nehal Bandi
Project Partner(s): Khemraj Choudhary
Project Address: Prayas - Pratirodh Sansthan
B 8, Bapu Nagar
Senthi
Senthi, Rajasthan 312025
Tel: 91-1472-243788
Stewarding Chapter: Silicon Valley

The project aims to provide basic literacy, pre-primary up to middle school education, for girls through alternative education techniques.
Aadharshila is a unique experiment rooted in belief that women are the change makers in the society and education of girl child will create a generational effect that will better our society at large. It is equally bold intervention for educating girls is a taboo in this cast polarized & orthodox society. Besides, child marriage is a common practice in the region. Pratirodh Sansthan is protesting against the status quo.
Aadharshila is no ordinary school; it acts s a bridge school that attempts to get girl children access to Government Schools. In span of four years, Aadharshila School has reached over 50 girls between the ages of 8-13, almost all of them married young and never been to any school before.
They have found that the curriculum taught in schools is often irrelevant to the lives of disadvantaged children. When parents don't see results, it is more likely that children will discontinue their education. The project would like to give villagers the agency to decide what and how their children learn; and to make the curriculum more meaningful at the local level. The proposed teaching style that encourages critical thinking as opposed to strict memorization and acceptance of information. Curriculum will include extensive information about women's health, women's rights, legal rights of the poor, community governance, etc.

So, considering all the above said, the organisation will train the children in such a way that they will start raising vioce against the injustice and fight for their rights to education. Teach them how to raise voice against the teacher when he/she is not regular in the School. In addition, proper guidance and counselling about what to study and training them in advance about the job and its opportunities will further help them to understand the value of education and also among the parents. The organization also acts as a bridge to enroll students into government schools leveraging SSA funded education institutions, like Kasturba Gandhi Avasiya Balika Vidyalaya, not only as a means to strengthen government institutions but also encourage community partnership in demanding better functioning of such institutions.

In addition to the migration mentioned above, many children do not attend school because their income or labor is needed in the home. Even in the cases where students attend school, parents are often unimpressed with the amount of relevant information that students absorb, and pull them out to be more productive by working and bringing income to the household.