Description

UNICEF reports on special training programs that help former child laborers enter the school system in India's eastern state of Bihar.

Transcript

Bringing Child Laborers Back to School in Bihar Narrator: The state of Bihar in India is home to one of the first great universities in recorded history. Rising to prominence in the fifth century, Nalanda University attracted scholars from as far as China and Greece. This Buddhist centre of learning included different schools such as science, astronomy, medicine and philosophy. Many men and women in Bihar take great pride in this educational heritage. But in present day Bihar and as in many parts of India, education is still beyond the reach of millions. It is estimated that there are about eight million children between six and 14 years old that are out of school in the country. Many of these children are hard laborers or domestic workers and have to endure extreme poverty due to social, economic and gender factors. Fourteen-year-old Kaushalya Kumari comes from one of the most socially and economically excluded communities. She used to carry and transport heavy baskets of coal to contribute to her family’s meager income Kaushalya Kumari: Unloading coal from the truck is always difficult. I’d cut my hands. Narrator: Being forced to work instead of going to school, children like Kaushalya are deprived of their basic right to education. But there’s a program and a method of learning which is gaining ground. It’s proving to be successful in bringing child laborers back to school. The government of Bihar is setting up residential bridge centers across the state. With the support of UNICEF, innovative teaching methods are being introduced. Here, out of school children reach the necessary academic competence so that they can be enrolled in the mainstream school system. It’s given children like Kaushalya a shot at education and a chance to carve out better lives for themselves. Suman Kumari: If these girls educate themselves, they will be more aware of future opportunities and will teach their parents and neighbors to embrace change so people won’t make fools or take advantage of them. Narrator: At their own pace, students work their way through a series of cards containing the lessons they need to reach grade five competence. Each subject has its own series of cards. And under the guidance of a teacher, the children learn how to read, write and do basic mathematics. At the end of 11 months, they are then able to join the general school system. Shweta Sandilya: This is one of the interventions where we are going to reach or we are reaching to the most excluded communities, not only in terms of access, enrollment, retention, but also in terms of quality of learning happening in the classroom. Kaushalya Kumari: Before I did this, my life was very difficult. I did not have time to even sit and rest. Now I study. I play. I do lots of things. Narrator: And Kaushalya’s ambitions are growing. She now says she wants to be an engineer when she grows up. Jhakkar Manjhi: How can I say that she will be better at home when she is better there? Study and educate yourself. Narrator: And these children who come from the most socially excluded communities are doing just that. Here, where the great traditions of education thrived for many centuries, these children are reclaiming their right to an education. Their ambitions are growing and their horizons are widening once more. For more information, go to unicef.org. Unite for Children