Residential Bridge Course Camp for Girls, Chandrayangutta, - A Joint Venture between M V Foundation and Broadridge Financials

PROGRESS REPORT

APRIL – JUNE 2016

Submitted by M.V. Foundation 201, Narayan Apartments West , – 500 026 Phones: 91-40-2780 14 20, 2770 02 90, 2771 01 50 Fax: 91-40-2780 88 08, 2770 16 56 Email: [email protected] www.mvfindia.in 1

CHAPTER PAGE No.

Glossary of Terms Used 3

Progress at a Glance 4

Executive Summary 5

Campaign and Mobilisation of all Children out of School in the Project Area 6

Follow up of Children and Academic Support to ensure their Retention 12

Meetings, Trainings, Exposure Visits for the CRPF 12

Developing Capacities of SMCs, CRPFs, TFCR and MVF Personnel 14

Develop the Camp as a Training Hub 14

Conduct an Active Campaign for the Implementation of the RTE Act 14

Organise Motivation Centres and Short Term Motivation Camps for Children 16

Collaborate with Various Government Departments 17

ANNEXURES

Stories from the Field 18

Residential Bridge Course Camp for 100 Children in the 9-14 Age Group 20

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED

CDPO Child Development Project Officer

CRPF Child Rights Protection Forum

CWC Child Welfare Committee

DEO District Education Officer

GHMC Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation

GPS Government Primary School

GHS Government High School

HS High School

ICDS Integrated Child Development Scheme

JAC Joint Action Committee

KGBV Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

MLA Member of Legislative Assembly

MP Member of Parliament

MPHW Multipurpose Health Worker

MVF Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation

NGO Non-governmental organisation

PHC Primary Health Centre

PS Primary School

RBC Residential Bridge Camp

RTE Right to (Free & Compulsory) Education

SC Scheduled Caste

SMC School Management Committee

TFCR Teachers’ Forum for Child Rights

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ACTIVITY HEAD PROGRESS ACHIEVED  183 community level meetings with 2616 participants  44, 63 and 368 children enrolled in camp, hostel and school respectively Campaign and mobilisation of all  Conducted 69 group motivation drives to reach out to children out of school in the project all children aged 5-14 years area for direct enrolment in schools  Tracked the whereabouts of 1414 child labourers and admission to the RBC at Chandrayangutta  Monitored the attendance of 138 teachers in 24 schools across 3 days during the summer vacation  Lobbied with Corporators for school infrastructure improvement Conduct a Residential Bridge Course Camp for 100 children in the 9 to 14  91 girls mainstreamed from camp to KGBV age group withdrawn from work,  49 girls admitted in camp prepare them to enter age appropriate classes and mainstream  46 visitors to camp them in formal schools/hostels  22 girls from KGBV cleared the Class 10 exams  91 girls mainstreamed from camp to KGBV Follow up these children and provide  30 girls passed the Intermediate First and Second Year academic support to ensure their exams; 26 girls continuing their education retention till they complete class 10  2 girls admitted in Engineering courses  3 girls linked to Yashoda Foundation for vocational skill development  35 basti level meetings with 526 members Conduct meetings, trainings,  9 mandal level meetings with 179 members exposure visits for members of  11 petitions submitted in the context of infrastructure CRPFs to function as pressure development in schools and Anganwadi Centres groups  State and district level review meetings held Developing capacities of SMCs,  Core Committee formed with 5 SMC members each in CRPFs, AITFCR and MVF personnel all mandals to become resource persons and  20 TFCR teachers oriented on New Education Policy trainers  4 camp teachers oriented ion English Teaching Develop the camp as a training hub for various other NGOs and  Orientation on adolescence and life skills held for 42 organisations, government officials adolescent girls at camp both from the AP and other states also Conduct an active campaign for the implementation of the Right to  Intensive campaign against undue hike in private Education Act through the school fees involving a Press Meet, rallies and protests involvement of the local bodies and  Involvement by 7 MLAs and more than 1300 people in School Management Committees as the campaign mandated in the Act Organise motivation centres and short term motivation camps for children for motivating them to with  12 Short-term Motivation Camps set up for 201 children draw from work and join in schools/RSTCs Collaborate with various departments  Convergence meeting held with the participation of for withdrawing `children from work CWC, CRPF and MVF representatives and mainstream

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Community meetings were held with different groups to discuss various campaign issues such as the status of child labour and child marriage, enrolment of out-of-school girls and dropout girls in RBC, functioning of schools, children’s enrolment in educational institutions, problems faced in school and formal academic certification for older children through Open stream. Participants included people’s representatives, parents, youth, adolescent girls, school teachers and the SMC. 2165 people turned up at 183 meetings in all. The volunteers maintained close contacts with ICDS personnel and tracked the status of service delivery in Anganwadi Centres on an ongoing basis.

Meetings were also held at the basti and mandal levels with the CRPF to involve them in the campaign. 526 and 179 members participated in 35 basti and 9 mandal meetings respectively. Discussions held during these meetings focused on service delivery in schools and Anganwadi Centres and infrastructure gaps. The members submitted 11 petitions to 4 local Corporators and one Tehsildar in the context of these issues as a follow up of decisions taken during these meetings. The Corporators responded positively and undertook visits to schools and Anganwadi Centres along with the CRPF and the volunteers. They also took steps to resolve some issues that were taken to their notice. Core Committees were formed with SMC chairpersons in all mandals of the project area with 5 members each in order to activate dormant SMCs.

69 group motivation drives were taken up to reach out to all children aged 5-14 years and to ensure that they were enrolled in formal school. These drives were supported by the CRPF. 11 domestic child labourers and 4 children employed in shops, hotels and other commercial establishments were identified through this effort. They were linked to school/hostel and camp depending on their age. 12 Short-term Motivation Camps were also run to facilitate mutual interaction between school-going children and out-of-school children. 201 children attended these weeklong camps. They took part in a wide range of recreational activities and school-going children shared their experiences with them. Some of them were later enrolled in camp and school. 22 out of 26 children from KGBV that appeared for the Class 10 exams cleared them and are continuing their education. 91 girls were admitted in KGBV during the reporting period. 13 out of 15 children and 17 out of 18 children that gave the Intermediate First and Second Year exams respectively cleared them in addition.

The list of child labourers that had been compiled through the survey conducted last year was refined after accounting for migrants and attempts made to motivate the remaining children to enrol in school at the commencement of the new academic year. Monitoring teacher absenteeism was another key area of intervention during the reporting period. The State government had issued orders calling upon government schools to remain open from 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. during the summer vacation. The volunteers personally visited 24 schools of the project area as part of the exercise and kept track of teachers’ presence there for a period of 3-7 days. It was noted that approximately 40% of teachers were irregular to school or turned up more than half an hour late.

Two major activities were taken up during the reporting period with the objective of streamlining the implementation of the RTE Act. The volunteers gathered detailed information on the availability of teachers in government schools in line with the norms of the RTE Act and shared the information with community stakeholders. They noted during the course of their work that the fee structure of private schools was highly irrational and many school managements had hiked their annual fees by 10-25% on an average during the current academic year. This number had gone up to 40-45% in some instances. This issue was taken up on a campaign mode and pressure was brought on school managements to roll back this hike.

A Press Meet was held on 22nd April 2016 and a protest staged at the office of the DSC on 28th April 2016 with the participation of nearly 200 people. A second protest was held in Marredpally on 6th June by 170 people. A mass protest at Indira Park by nearly 500 people on 11th June 2016 and a series of protests at the mandal level in all mandals of the project area followed. Aggrieved people were encouraged to give a Missed Call to mobile phone number 8686 004 050. They would receive a call and their grievances taken note of. 6000 calls have been received as on date. It is proposed to intensify this campaign over the course of the next year to facilitate effective implementation of the RTE Act.

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CAMPAIGN AND MOBILISATION OF ALL CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL IN THE PROJECT AREA

Community Outreach

Meetings were held on an ongoing basis with groups such as parents, teachers, the SMC youth and adolescent girls to discuss the issues of child labour, child marriage, children’s enrolment, school functioning, school infrastructure, problems faced in schools, fees being charged by private schools, Motivation Camps and health issues of adolescent girls. Children aged 16 and above were encouraged to apply for the Class 10 exams through Open stream. A number of parents had been seeking to get girls aged 8-9 years and 16-18 years enrolled in the camp. They were informed that only girls aged 9-14 years were eligible for admission in camp.

Planning for the School Reopening Day was another issue that was taken up for discussion during the meetings. Information was shared on higher education opportunities that were available after the Class 10 level and details of hostels and KGBVs were also provided to children that had appeared for the Class 10 exams. Older children were advised to apply for the Class 10 exams through Open stream. They were linked to Pratham and other NGOs that had been conducting coaching/contact classes for the benefit of such children.

Two girls from RK School in Bhaiyalal Nagar, Bandlaguda mandal were not allowed to write their Class 1 and 2 exams respectively because they had not paid their fees. The volunteers spoke to the head teacher of GHS Lalita Bagh in this regard and got the children enrolled in the same classes, promising to promote them to the next higher classes on the basis of a review after one month. GHS Kacheguda in mandal had secured a 100% pass result in the Class 10 exams held in April 2016. This information was shared with parents during a meeting and they were urged to enrol their children in the school, which had facilities for teaching in the English medium.

22 child labourers from Patigadda in Secunderabad mandal were brought to school through the meetings. A group of 12 youth from Mangar Basti in Marredpally mandal took up the responsibility of getting a toddy shop nearby the local school closed down and also personally enrolled 18 children in the school. 6-7 children from the school had been consuming toddy after school hours. The youth also counselled their parents in this regard. Basti leaders from Ambedkar Nagar, Marredpally mandal undertook a mobilisation drive and enrolled 30 children in the local school after teachers informed during a meeting that the school was likely to be closed down for want of strength. A petition was also submitted to the Corporator in this regard. One of the basti leaders, who had worked in Germany in the past, addressed the gathering on the importance of education.

Youth from 4 bastis of Bandlaguda mandal pledged not to marry underage girls and to also keep a tab on child marriage in their localities. One Kavita from Tanaji Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal had failed the Class 9 exams and her parents had decided to marry her off. The CRPF and local youth counselled her parents to lay off their plans for her wedding and convinced the head teacher of HS Chhatrimet in Fateh Shah Nagar to promote her to Class 10. Youth from Sikh Wadi in Bandlaguda mandal followed up four dropouts and irregular children from Gnanodaya School to attend classes regularly. They have been tracking the children’s movements regularly. 6 members of Netaji Youth Association from NRS Reddy Nagar in Saidabad mandal registered for the Class 10 exams through Open stream after they attended a meeting held in their colony.

Vamsi – a teacher volunteer associated with Ekalavya Foundation’s education initiative in Waddera Basti of Saidabad mandal was instrumental in motivating 10 children aged 5+ to get admitted in formal school. Youth from Nagula Banda in Bandlaguda mandal informed the Corporator that the local school had been operating from a committee hall and the children had been facing acute shortage of water. A government building has been identified and water connectivity has also been provided to the school. Youth from Bandimet in Secunderabad mandal brought pressure on four irregular teachers from the GPS to take their duties seriously. The teachers have turned over a new leaf. Basti leaders and youth from Secunderabad mandal enrolled 15 and 12 private school dropouts from Mudfort and Patigadda respectively in government school.

Issuance of Aadhaar Cards to 4 children from MCH Colony in Bandlaguda mandal that had been enrolled in camp was facilitated. Two children from Ghouse Nagar of the same mandal were also given these Cards. Parents and the volunteers from Arundhati Colony in Bandlaguda mandal moved

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the Inspector of Schools after two boys and a girl that had dropped out of private school due to their inability to pay fees were refused admission in HS Chhatrimet. The head teacher was instructed to enrol the children. The migrant parents of 20-25 children from Thumbanda in Bandlaguda mandal were counselled during a meeting held in the colony to leave behind their children while migrating. They have consented to this. An Anganwadi Worker from Ashamabad in Bandlaguda mandal successfully motivated 4 girls that had dropped out after Class 5 to continue their education in Rythu Bazaar Urdu medium HS, Falaknuma. The school and the Anganwadi Centre in DS Nagar of Saidabad mandal were operating from common premises. The flooring of the school was also damaged, in view of which the locals demanded a building for the school. The basti leaders took up the issue with the Corporator.

Girls studying at the intermediate level were called upon to motivate girl child labourers to engage in educational pursuits. 2 girls from Nandanavanam in Saidabad mandal were brought to camp in this manner. 5 girls from Patel Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal enrolled for the Intermediate programme in Sharada Bai College after they attended a meeting. They had earlier been unaware that Intermediate level education was being offered there and had quit studying for a year after having passed their Class 10 exams. Members of Bhanodaya Sangham in Bandlaguda mandal joined hands with the Anganwadi Worker to get two orphaned girls enrolled in Classes 6 and 8 respectively. They have been accommodated in hostel.

Adolescent girls were given detailed information on KGBVs in their localities and the losses due to early marriage were discussed with them. They were asked not to yield to parental pressure for early marriage. One Anita from Rajiv Gandhi Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal had been married as soon as she cleared the Class 10 exams and she had early childbirth. The infant died at just 20 days of age. Her parents were invited to a meeting and counselled in the girls’ presence. Anita spoke of her experiences and asked the girls not to give consent to early marriage at any cost. No child marriage has been recorded in Pittala Basti, Marredpally mandal in the last year. Dr. Himabindu addressed adolescent girls from Mangar Basti of the same mandal on health issues. More than 100 girls were oriented on the ill effects of child marriage and were exhorted to take the lead in preventing child marriage. Basti leaders from the project area have been involving local police in girl youth meetings. Police personnel visit the colonies every Saturday to keep track of problems being faced there.

Women from Pittala Basti in Saidabad mandal undertook door-to-door visits to the houses of 23 dropouts from the local school and brought back 13 of them to school. The volunteers also discussed Motivation Camps for child labourers and school dropouts with them and urged them to send their children well groomed to the Camps. Women from Khaja Bagh, Saidabad mandal personally followed up one girl to camp. Women from Devi Nagar in mandal motivated 13 children to enrol in the local Anganwadi Centre after the volunteers offered to arrange Aadhaar Cards for them. Women from Budagajangam Basti in Bandlaguda mandal admitted 5 children in the local school and 3 in camp as a follow up of a decision taken during a meeting.

Two construction labourers from Shaheen Nagar of the same mandal were brought to camp through the intervention of some women from the basti. Women from Marredpally mandal questioned private school managements and local leaders on the poor status of school infrastructure in these schools. 14-year old Pooja from Arundhati Colony in Bandlaguda mandal had been working in a toddy shop and had been admitted in camp but was withdrawn after a month and a half. Some women from the locality motivated her and brought her back to the camp, from where she was shifted to KGBV Yacharam. She is enrolled in Class 8. Women from Krishna Reddy Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal followed up 2 boy dropouts from Class 6 to school.

The details of community meetings held and outreach are as below:

Types of Meetings No. of Meetings Participants Community level 40 725 Women 44 711 Teachers 9 55 Parents 35 446 Adolescent Girls 30 358 SMC 4 87 Youth 21 231 Total 183 2616 7

Reaching out to all children aged 5-14 years

The volunteers coordinated with the Education Department in the conduct of Badi Baata and shared the organisation’s child database with the officials. They accompanied officials and teachers on enrolment drives. Some school teachers distributed pamphlets inviting parents to enrol their children in English medium government schools. The volunteers assisted them in this effort. A meeting was held in Sundarayya Vignana Kendram on 12th June 2016 with the participation of 125 people including the Deputy Mayor of Hyderabad Fasiuddin and Corporator from Ram Nagar Srinivas Reddy. The speakers spoke on the need to eradicate child labour – especially domestic child labour, which is largely invisible, and reminded the members present that this was everyone’s responsibility. The below are the details of children enrolled in various educational institutions:

Enrolment in residential institutions (other than hostel) Instritutions run by Other NGOs S. No Mandal Camp B G T 1 Bandlaguda 20 0 0 0 2 Saidabad 11 1 0 1 3 Secunderabad 5 0 0 0 4 Marredpally 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 6 Saroornagar 8 1 0 1 Total 44 2 0 2

Enrolment in Hostel and School Hostel Admission Direct Enrolment in School S. No Mandal B G T B G T 1 Bandlaguda 11 0 11 38 37 75 2 Saidabad 21 14 35 38 45 83 3 Secunderabad 0 5 5 23 20 43 4 Marredpally 3 0 3 28 27 55 5 Musheerabad 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 Saroornagar 7 2 9 55 57 112 Total 42 21 63 182 186 368

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Group motivation drives held during the reporting period focused on reaching out to not just child labourers but to all children aged 5-14 years. The CRPF and local youth were involved in these drives. Lists of all children aged 5-14 years were taken along and the teams spoke to their parents /guardians, urging them to send the children to school. Girl child labourers and long dropouts aged 9- 14 were admitted in camp. Seven children from the same family in Krishna Reddy Nagar, Bandlaguda mandal had dropped out due to poor quality of education in the local school and had been helping their parents in making and selling snacks. Two of them each were motivated and followed up to the Early Childhood Education Centre in the Anganwadi Centre and to formal school.

The details of motivation drives taken up are as under:

S. No. Mandal Drives 1 Bandlaguda 5 2 Saidabad 19 3 Secunderabad 11 4 Marredpally 14 5 Saroornagar 20 Total 69

The details of domestic child labourers and children working in commercial establishments (identified through group motivation drives) are as follows:

Child Labourers identified in Shops/Hotels Domestic Child Labourers identified

S. No. Mandal Boys Girls S. No Mandal Boys Girls Total

1 Saidabad 1 2 1 Secunderabad 4 4 8 2 Marredpally 1 0 2 Marredpally 0 1 1

Total 2 2 3 Saroornagar 0 2 2 Total 4 7 11

Tracking child labourers

Ascertaining the actual status of child labour in slums of the project area has always been challenging due to frequent inward and outward movement of families. An exercise was taken up in 5 mandals during May 2016 to validate the numbers of child labour. Details of all identified child labourers’ Aadhaar Card numbers, their addresses, contact numbers, school enrolment and migration status were gathered and verified. The team also checked for the duplication of these children’s names in schools. Lists of child labourers were finalised after accounting for migrant children and children enrolled in various educational institutions.

The outcomes of the exercise are as under: 9

Mandal Child Labour (Original) Migrants Enrolment Child Labour (Present)

Bandlaguda 427 23 95 309 Saidabad 397 84 60 253 Secunderabad 190 0 156 34 Marredpally 229 0 77 152 Saroornagar 171 72 3 96 Total 1414 179 391 844

Tracking Teachers’ Timings

The State government had instructed school managements to keep schools open for half the day (from 7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) during the summer vacation. The volunteers, CRPF members, parents and youth visited select schools to keep track of teachers’ presence and regularity. It was originally proposed to undertake this effort across a period of one week but schools were closed after just 3 days on account of excessive heat. The volunteers recorded name wise details of the time at which each teacher reported to school. They noted that approximately one-half of teachers were irregular or reported late. Some of them had been asked to evaluate examination papers and they were absent..

Teachers from GPS Prakash Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal were seated outside the classroom, chitchatting with each other while the children played or loitered around. The visitors spoke to the teachers strongly. All teachers from the school in Rasoolpura, Secunderabad mandal were late on all three days and the prayer was not held. All 7 teachers from Sitaphalmandi in Marredpally mandal were regular to their duties. The outcomes of the exercise are as follows:

Mandal Schools Teachers Teachers on duty Irregular Teachers/ Latecomers

Bandlaguda 8 41 2 20 Saidabad 4 26 5 11 Secunderabad 3 28 5 3 Marredpally 5 19 5 8 Saroornagar 2 15 6 4 Musheerabad 2 9 2 7 Total 24 138 25 52

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These findings were shared with community groups during meetings and they were asked to ensure that irregular teachers discharged their duties sincerely. The participants opined that this kind of tracking would give the teachers an opportunity to look inwards and engage in introspection. A second spell of teacher tracking is proposed for July 2016.

Involving Political Leaders

Elected representatives are a vital link between community and the State. In recognition of this, the volunteers maintained regular contact with Corporators and members of the Cantonment Board. They were invited to undertake visits to schools of the project area and petitions were submitted to them in the context of infrastructure development.

9 State and district level representatives of different political leaders were invited to a meeting in Nandanavanam, Saroornagar mandal on 5th April 2016. Issues on the agenda included the status of child labour and problems faced in school. AVM Swamy and Laxminarayana of MVF addressed the members on the roles and responsibilities of the SMC and on the part that political leaders could play in reducing the incidence of child labour and strengthening schools. They were informed that the local school had only 7 teachers for 301 children and no subject teachers had been appointed. Drinking water was also unavailable in the school. A list of 103 child labourers was submitted to them and they agreed to personally reach out to children in their respective localities.

Corporator of Ghouse Nagar from Bandlaguda mandal Hafeez Bhai Patel was among those present at an all-party leaders’ meet held on 26th May 2016 with the participation of 12 leaders. the locals informed him that the school had no gate and that children were unsafe because the public water tanker passed that way, posing a risk of accidents. A list of 106 child labourers from 3 bastis was also handed over to him. He responded positively and got a gate put up. He also offered to join the volunteers in door-to-door motivation drives and participate in SMC meetings every month.

25 basti leaders visited the schools in Lalita Bagh and Kummara Wadi of Bandlaguda mandal on 2nd June 2016. They noted that the latter school had no windows and the rooms were small and stuffy. De-silting work had been taken up in the toilets but rodents had ravaged them time and again. The toilets had remained unused as a result. The head teachers requested the visitors to get the school relocated and they promised to look into the matter.

Two stray dogs had been causing havoc in the Lalita Bagh school, which also lacked a compound wall, water and toilet facilities. The visitors spoke to residents in the vicinity of the school and arranged water supply from the neighbourhood through a pipe in return for a nominal payment. The other issues are being followed up. The Corporator visited the school a second time on 20th June 2016. He has been negotiating with the management of a temple located behind the school to seek their permission for setting up a shed in their premises. The local MLA has also spoken to the Tehsildar in this regard, who has sanctioned a building for the school.

Corporator of Jangammet Rehman came to the camp after an official meeting on 3rd June 2016. He was handed over a petition on the state of functioning of 13 schools in the mandal and a list of 59 child labourers from the cluster. He endorsed it and promised to act on these issues. He also offered to provide a tap connection in the camp. He visited 2 schools along with the MVF volunteers and promised water and toilet facilities in the Jangammet school. He also interacted with teachers and children in the school on their issues.

Ward No. 3 member of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board Anita Prabhakar visited Mudfort school on 17th June 2016. She was informed that there was shortage of water in the school and that the water tanker hardly came in time. The dining area was also insufficient. She assured them that she would solve all these problems and promised to provide computer systems to the school. She spoke on the importance of hand wash.

Begumpet 149 Division Corporator Taruni visited the school in Bandimet of Secunderabad mandal during April 2016 and adopted it. She got the GHMC Park nearby cleared and facilitated some playing space for the children. She also sponsored a farewell party for the outgoing batch of Class 10 and promised to get English medium introduced in the school. she has also been looking into demands for a playground, removal of the existing shift system and completion of work on the school building.

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The Corporator of visited Vijaya Dairy School in Lalapet, Marredpally mandal during June 2016. The school had been donated by the Dairy Corporation – a government undertaking, but no maintenance grant had been released as yet. The rooms were very small and congested, which had been creating problems for the children. She took the head teacher to task for not having complained in this regard even though she had assumed office 7 months ago. She promised to sanction a new building for the school.

FOLLOW UP OF CHILDREN AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT TO ENSURE THEIR RETENTION

26 children enrolled in KGBV appeared for the Class 10 exams in April 2016. 18 of them passed the exams in the first attempt and 4 of the remaining girls that gave the exams in the second attempt during May 2016 cleared them. 17 of the 22 girls have enrolled in Suman College and the remaining 5 of them have secured admission in other colleges. 91 girls that were mainstreamed from the RBC are presently studying in KGBVs. 2 girls have been enrolled in SC Hostel, Rajendra Nagar in addition. Caste Certificates and Aadhaar Cards were arranged for the girls where necessary. The present strength of children from camp in KGBVs is 426.

13 out of 15 girls that appeared for the Intermediate First Year exams passed them and are continuing their education. 18 girls gave the Second Year exams and all but one have cleared them. 13 of these girls are studying for their undergraduate degree. 3 and 6 girls respectively are enrolled in the Second and Third Tears of the undergraduate programme respectively.

Two girls gave the entrance exam for entry into Engineering and both of them have succeeded in getting admission into the course. All 5 girls that had been pursuing the second year of their MPHW programme have got their Certificates and are gainfully employed. 3 girls are presently enrolled in the second year of the programme. 3 girls including one from the camp have been sent to Yashoda Foundation for training in computers. The volunteers prevented the proposed marriage of Lakshmi – a Class 10 girl from the Rajendranagar hostel and got her admitted in Suman College.

MEETINGS, TRAININGS, EXPOSURE VISITS FOR THE CRPF

Mandal and basti level meetings were held with the CRPF to discuss campaign issues such as school monitoring, regulation of private school fees, quality of education and child labour. Visits to schools and hostels/KGBV were planned. Lists of child labour were shared with the members for follow up at their respective levels. Members from Nandanavanam in Saidabad mandal and from other pockets of the project area with high incidence of child labour were invited to support the MVF team in group motivation drives. They were also urged to work in close coordination with the CWC and the SMC. Members of the mandal level Forums were asked to identify gaps in the functioning of basti level Forums and take steps to strengthen them, reconstituting them if required.

A basti level CRPF was formed in Waddera Basti, Saidabad mandal with 18 members. Participants included SMC members. During the course of the discussions that followed, some of the CRPF members remarked that the SMC members were not very active and that they rarely attended meetings. The MVF representative asked them to observe restraint and emphasised the need for both the groups to work in cooperation. He also called upon the SMC members to question teachers on the grant that was given to them and to ensure that the amount was utilised wisely.

CRPF members from Gandhi Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal petitioned to the CDPO – ICDS for an Anganwadi Centre in their colony. They also informed the GHMC officials that garbage was being dumped in a Garbage Bin beside the school premises and requested them to do something about it. The officials arranged for the Bin to be shifted to another location. In another incident, locals had been dumping garbage behind the school in Chhatrimet, Bandlaguda mandal. The CRPF members got the place cleaned and put up a warning sign that anyone dumping garbage would be penalised to the tune of Rs. 500. There has been some improvement in the situation since.

A State level CRPF meeting was held on 16th and 17th April 2016 at St. Ann’s Generalate with the participation of 8 members from the project area. 50 people including the CRPF State Convenor attended the meeting in addition to Dr. Shantha Sinha, R Venkat Reddy and Y Rajendra Prasad from MVF. The members reviewed the progress of the campaign district wise with focus on the status of

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child labour, monitoring of schools and Anganwadi Centres, membership and implementation of children’s legislation. Petitions to key officials were planned.

A district level meeting of the CRPF was held in BC Bhavan, Himayatnagar on 12th May 2016 with 50 members including District Child Protection Officer Imtiyaz and R Venkat Reddy from MVF. The members reviewed the school situation, child attendance, quality of education, formation of JACs for regulation of private school fees, problems faced in school and status of children’s enrolment in school mandal wise. 11 CRPF members from the project area attended a meeting held at the CWC office in Saidabad to observe Global Day against Child Labour. The meeting focused on the status of child labour and guidelines for children’s admission in CWC Homes.

The table and graph below capture details of CRPF meetings:

Basti wise CRPF Meetings (April - June 2016) Mandal CRPF Meetings (April - June 2016) S. No Mandal Meetings M F T S. No Mandal Meetings M F T 1 Bandlaguda 9 92 59 151 1 Bandlaguda 1 19 10 29 2 Saidabad 3 34 4 38 2 Saidabad 1 19 3 22 3 Secunderabad 5 51 61 112 3 Secunderabad 2 13 13 26 4 Marredpally 11 66 32 98 4 Marredpally 2 18 23 41 5 Musheerabad 2 30 45 75 5 Musheerabad 1 15 10 25 6 Saroornagar 5 44 8 52 6 Saroornagar 2 19 17 36 Total 35 317 209 526 Total 9 103 76 179

12 petitions were submitted by the CRPF on various issues as follows:

Details of Petitions to government officials and institutions (April - June 2016) S. No Mandal Petitions By To Issues 1 Bandlaguda 1 CRPF PD-ICDS Building for Anganwadi Centre in Gandhi Nagar 2 Saidabad 4 CRPF Corporator School Problems, Anganwadi Centres 3 Secunderabad 1 CRPF Corporator School Problems, Anganwadi Centres 4 Marredpally 2 CRPF Tehsildar School problems 5 Musheerabad 2 CRPF Corporator School Problems, Anganwadi Centres 6 Saroornagar 2 CRPF Corporator School Problems, Anganwadi Centres Total 12

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DEVELOPING CAPACITIES OF SMCS, CRPFs, TFCR AND MVF PERSONNEL

Formation of SMC Core Committees

A number of SMCs from the project area were highly inactive and the members had not been assembling regularly. No joint accounts had been opened in the names of chairpersons and some of the head teachers had been manipulating the minutes of the meetings. Active chairpersons were identified from five schools of each mandal and federated into mandal level Core Committees with the specific objective of strengthening and activating weak SMCs. Mandal level meetings of the SMC were held for the purpose. The members were expected to visit schools in which the SMC was inactive and attend their meetings in order to share their experiences.

The formation of the Core Committee has been quite useful. Some of the hitherto inactive SMCs have now begun to pressurise school managements to open accounts with signatory power to them. a few of them have been seeking details from head teachers on fund usage. 24-hour power and water supply have been made available in GPS Bandlaguda through the initiative of the Core Committee. Naandi Foundation has supported this effort. Computers have also been donated to the school and they are being used. A Display Board has been put up and the school has been whitewashed and coloured. The locals had been dumping garbage in the school premises indiscriminately in the past but this is no longer the case.

Capacity Building

20 TFCR members from the project area attended a training session on the New Education Policy. The session was held in BC Bhavan on 20th May 2016. 4 teachers from the RBC took part in a training session on English Teaching, which was held on 26th and 27th May 2016.

DEVELOP THE CAMP AS A TRAINING HUB

Orientation of Adolescent Girls

An orientation session on adolescence and life skills was held for 42 adolescent girls from across the project area in the camp on 28th June 2016. 3 specialist doctors from Niloufer Hospital provided the resource. They addressed the girls on the changes associated with adolescence, using Power Point Presentations. They informed them that hormonal changes lead to behavioural change that often leads to infatuation with the other sex. Biological urges are strong and it is important not to yield to them but to rather try and control their feelings. Boys must also be taught to handle such changes. Girls must learn to differentiate between good and bad touch and must not entertain drunken men – even their fathers or brothers.

Parents should treat adolescents like friends and give them the necessary emotional support. They must tell their children that adolescence and puberty are just natural phenomena and that they are nothing to worry about. Fathers are equally responsible as mothers in helping children cope with adolescence. They must also promote gender equity. The girls came up with a number of doubts that the speakers clarified. Some of them wanted to know if they could contract hereditary diseases. Others had questions on thyroid deficiency and irregularity of menstrual periods. The doctors concluded the session with asking the girls to pass on this information to their peers, friends and parents.

CONDUCT AN ACTIVE CAMPAIGN FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RTE ACT

Addressing Teacher Shortage in Government Schools

The volunteers noted during the course of their work with schools that many HS lacked or had been facing shortage of subject wise teachers, which was in contravention of the RTE Act. At the other end, there were PS in which two teachers had been handling the same subject. Some schools had pupil strength of more than 100 but only 2 teachers. The school in Ambedkar Nagar, Marredpally mandal had only one teacher for 76 children. The school in MG Nagar of the same mandal had 3 teachers for 78 children but two of them were away on deputation. Many teachers had been deputed as assistants to officials and MPs/MLAs. Instances had also been noted, of teachers appointing volunteers by proxy to discharge their duties in their place. The post of Attendant was vacant in practically all PS. Children 14

from both Urdu and English media were being seated together in HS Falaknuma due to shortage of teachers and physical space.

A representation was accordingly made to the District Collector of Hyderabad with the following demands:

 Rationalisation of teachers to be taken up by shifting excess PS teachers to other schools  Steps to be taken to ensure that no teacher handles tuitions or teaches in private school during school hours  Subject teachers to be instructed to handle only their own subjects  Teachers to prepare Lesson Plans under the supervision of head teachers and adhere to them, taking adequate time for each lesson  Teachers not to be assigned administrative and other non-teaching duties  Attendants to be posted in all PS

Campaign to regulate private school fees

A number of private schools had hiked their annual fee by 10-25% on an average at the beginning of the new academic year. An intensive campaign was launched in collaboration with the CRPF, the SMC and youth to protest this. A Press Meet was held on 22nd April 2016 as part of this effort. It was noted that most schools had increased their fees by 5-30% on an average and some had actually hiked them to the extent of 40-50%. Parents had not been involved in this decision. The speakers called upon the government to set up a Private School Fee Regulation Committee and fix a cap of 5% for increase in fee annually.

A protest at the office of the Director of School Education on 28th April 2016 followed the conduct of the Press Meet. Nearly 200 people including members of the JAC and NGOs were present. Wall posters were pasted denouncing the unjustified hike in fees and campaign pamphlets distributed. Electronic and print media covered the event. The Education Department responded to the demands and promised to issue orders for setting up of committees in all schools by July-August 2016. A second protest was held in Marredpally with 170 people on 6th June 2106. Participants included members of political parties such as the Communist Party of and the ruling party, youth leaders, the CRPF, civil caste based organisations and parents. Electronic and print media from across the State took the lead in mobilising participation for the event. A poster to be used during a mass protest on 11th June 2016 was released on the occasion. Demands articulated during the protest include the regulation of fees charged by private schools and the setting up of a District Fee Regulatory Committee.

A State level meeting of private school managements was held in the office of the Director – School Education on 30th May 2016. Members of the JAC and 5 representatives of MVF were present. The status of infrastructure facilities in private schools was reviewed and the managements were asked to make presentations in this regard. They were not in a position to justify their stand on fee hike. The members made a representation to the Director, requesting him to instruct the managements to adhere to the norms of the RTE Act and ensure implementation of GO (Government Order) No. 1.

7 MLAs were present at a protest organised on 11th June 2016 at Indira Park. Representation also came in from the CRPF, NGOs, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Telugu Desam Party, caste based organisations, women’s groups and student unions. Some advocates turned up in addition. More than 500 people expressed support to the cause. MLA R. Krishnaiah offered to cooperate with the JAC and participate in their campaign activities.

Rallies and protests on similar lines were held in all mandals of the project area during June 2016, the details of which are as below:

Mandal Date Participants Participant Profile Musheerabad 8th June 2016 150 Marredpally 9th June 2016 45 Labour Commissioner, th Chief Justice of Saroornagar 13 June 2016 43 th Allahabad High Court, Saidabad 14 June 2016 47 Basti leaders, CRPF, Bandlaguda 16th June 2016 100 (2 rallies) th women’s groups, Secunderabad 17 June 2016 60 parents, media persons Total 445 15

The agenda of the protests/demands made included the below:

 Private school fees to be reduced  25% quota for poor children in private school under the RTE Act to be implemented  Parents to question unjust fees  Freedom to buy uniform, books, etc. outside the school  Spacious classrooms  Formation of Parents’ Committees in all private schools

A memorandum was submitted to the Revenue Division Officer after the protest in Rasoolpura, Secunderabad mandal at the end of the protest.

ORGANISE MOTIVATION CENTRES AND SHORT TERM MOTIVATION CAMPS FOR CHILDREN

Weeklong Short-Term Motivation Camps were organised for out-of-school children during the second half of May 2016 in order to motivate them to enrol in camp/school during the new academic year. They had access to newspapers in the Camps and they were also involved in creative indoor activities such as drawing pictures and writing stories. They spent the entire day there from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. School--going children also turned up at some of the Camps. They spoke on their experiences with schooling and also highlighted problems that they had been facing such as unavailability of toilets, harassment, abuse, etc. No place was available for setting up the Camp in Pittala Basti, Marredpally mandal. The volunteers spoke to some community leaders, one of who permitted them to run the Camp in the verandah of his own home.

The details of Motivation Camps are as under:

Mandal Bandlaguda Saidabad Secunderabad Marredpally Saroornagar Total No. of Camps 3 4 1 3 1 12 Boys Attending 0 6 0 20 0 26 Girls Attending 46 42 25 56 18 187 Boys’ Enrolment in School 0 1 0 10 0 11 Girls’ Enrolment in School 11 9 8 12 3 43 Camp Enrolment 1 6 1 0 1 9

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COLLABORATE WITH VARIOUS GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

Convergence Meeting

A convergence meeting was held on 2nd May 2016 with the representation of 25 members from the CWC, the CRPF and MVF. A presentation was made on the nature of cases that are filed with the CWC. The CWC representatives clarified the doubts that the CRPF members had in the context of their strategy. One of the CRPF members was of the opinion that the children were jailed but the CWC members clarified that they were educated. The CRPF promised all support from their side. Members from Falaknuma referred the cases of two children to the CWC.

Working with Anganwadi Centres, PHCs and Health Sub-Centres

Practically all Anganwadi Centres in the project area were functioning from rented accommodation. The Woman & Child Welfare Department had not been releasing money for rental payments and some landlords had been asking the Workers to vacate the premises. Anganwadi Workers had rarely been reporting in time and a few of the Centres had no Ayahs. This had adversely impacted children’s turnout and retention in the Centres. Average attendance in the Centres was as low as 10-15. Eggs were not being issued as per schedule and the children were not being permitted to use available games material. The Centres were also housed in very small rooms and most of them lacked Display Boards. Scarcity of water was another issue of concern. These issues were raised during community meetings and representations made to Corporators for provision of buildings and other infrastructure at the Centres. Community members from Mudfort Huts in Secunderabad mandal mobilised an amount of Rs. 25000 to construct a shed for a local Anganwadi Centre.

A letter was submitted to the Corporator on the state of affairs in Anganwadi Centres of Marredpally mandal. He undertook a visit to one of the Centres, which was operational from a community hall and was infested with rodents due to indiscriminate dumping of garbage, on 10th June 2016. He promised a new building. The Centre in Ambedkar Nagar was located on the second floor, which was unsafe for the children. Parents of the latter suggested relocating the Centre to the school premises. He promised to take up the issue with the school management. The Centre attached to Vijaya Dairy School in Lalapet was foul smelling. The Corporator noted this and took the Worker to task, warning her of official action if she neglected her duties.

A petition on the status of Anganwadi Centres in Musheerabad mandal was submitted to district officials during a Jana Sabha in Banda Maisamma Hall on 17th June 2016. The CRPF noted during their visits to Anganwadi Centres in Musheerabad mandal that only 10-15 children were present at the Centre in DS Nagar and that neither the Worker nor the Ayah was present there. The Centre had no fan and had been operating from a community hall. These issues were referred to the Project Director of the ICDS.

PHC Ghouse Nagar in Bandlaguda had no Staff Nurse and the ASHA, who was responsible for giving away medicines in her absence, was neglectful of her duties. The CRPF petitioned to the District Collector twice in this regard during April 2016 and he got a nurse posted there. She has been dispensing tablets and medicine. The seven Nurses that are working in the colony have been asked to visit two Anganwadi Centres each every Saturday and give away tablets.

Community members from Umesh Nagar in Bandlaguda mandal petitioned to Saroornagar MLA R. Krishnaiah and to the local Corporator for a building to house the Anganwadi Centre. The Centre had earlier been operating from a small room in the local school. The Corporator has identified a suitable location for the purpose. 17

ANNEXURE 1

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Sharada – a migrant from Natelli Thanda in Errakota mandal, Mahabubnagar mandal that had been living in Mudfort, Secunderabad mandal with her parents had been enrolled in school during 2014 but had dropped out of Class 3. She, however, had been claiming that she was in school. She had been working for a doctor couple in return for a monthly consideration of Rs. 5000 p.m. She was placed in charge of the couple’s child and an old couple. She would report at 7 a.m. and stay there for 12 hours. She had been working there for more than a year before the volunteers came to know of the issue during a community meeting. Upon speaking to her, the CRPF members, basti leaders, youth and teachers came to know that she did not receive any payment from her employers and that he parents were being paid her salary. She was duly freed from the clutches of the couple and the police proposed to file a case against them but her parents refused to give them up. Efforts are underway to identify the employers. Sharada was enrolled in Class 4 in GPS Mudfort and is regular to her classes.

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The school in Sai Nagar of Waddera Basti, Saidabad mandal was located nearby River Musi and the children had to cope with water leakage from the roof of the building during the monsoon. The DEO, therefore, proposed to merge the school with a school in nearby. A meeting was held with parents from Sai Nagar and they were informed of the proposal. Some union members from the colony opposed this idea and offered to involve the Corporator in the matter. They approached the Corporator, who promised to get the necessary repairs done. She also personally visited the school and offered to raise the necessary funds. Work has started on the repairs and 6 children have newly enrolled in the Sai Nagar school.

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The management of Matha Amritanandamayi School in Mahendra Hills, Marredpally mandal had removed 27 children from their school because they couldn’t pay their fees. They were given no notice and their Transfer Certificates were sent to them through courier. More than 200 people staged a protest at the school on 30th June 2016, demanding the children’s readmission. MLA R; Krishnaiah and Narayana of Hyderabad School Parents’ Association expressed solidarity with the protestors. The case was referred to the Police Station, following which Asst. Commissioner of Police Shiva Kumar facilitated discussions between the protestors and the school management in the presence of Dy. DEO Balu Naik was also present. The case was decided in the children’s favour and they were duly re-enrolled in school.

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13-year old Malleshwari from Nandanavanam in Saroornagar mandal had been withdrawn from school while in Class 8 so that she could be married off. Up[on coming to know of this during one of their visits to the colony, the volunteers passed on this information to the CDPO but she did not respond. The girl was due to be married to a youth from Mahabubnagar district. The volunteers contacted the CWC, who summoned the girl’s parents to court. The judge directed the couple to get a Bonafide Certificate from her school/college proving that she was at least 18 years of age, following which they were caught in a fix. The volunteers convinced them that they would take care of the girl and got her admitted in camp. They somehow managed to withdraw her from camp under the pretext of an accident to her younger sister and engaged her in rag picking activity. Her case is being followed up.

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The parents of a Class 9 student from Sri Sai Grammar School in Jangammet of Bandlaguda mandal informed during a meeting that their daughter had not been permitted to give the annual exams on account of their inability to pay fees. Her father had tried to meet the Principal on a number of occasions but he did not entertain her. He had also increased the annual fee by Rs. 1000 without prior intimation. A group of 60 including 52 CRPF members staged a protest at the school on 13th June 2016 and demanded implementation of free education to poor children in line with the provisions of the RTE Act. The Principal yielded and promised to provide free education to 16 poor children. 18

12-year old Padma and 11-year old Rajeshwari from Nandanavanam in Saroornagar mandal were being cared for by their relatives after their parents’ death. They used to beg for alms and would also fetch liquor for their guardians, who would offer it to them sometimes. They didn’t care for the children’s education in the least. The volunteers identified the children’s cases and followed them up for 2-3 months, following which the children got admitted in camp. However, their relatives withdrew them from there within a fortnight. The CRPF members tried to convince them on the importance of education but they simply did not yield. The children’s issue was raised during meetings with local community and their support sought in reaching out to the children and their guardians. The issue is being followed up.

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ANNEXURE 2

RESIDENTIAL BRIDGE COURSE CAMP FOR 100 CHILDREN IN THE 9-14 AGE GROUP

The details of children admitted in camp month wise are as follows:

April 2016 9 May 2016 13 June 2016 27

91 girls were mainstreamed to KGBVs during the new academic year, the details of which are as under:

KGBV Enrolment Yacharam 25 Manchal 24 Ibrahimpatnam 20 Kandukur 9 Maheshwaram 8 Chevella 5 Total 91

4 girls were shifted to local schools and one girl enrolled in Junior College in addition.

A meeting was held in the camp on 19th April 2016 with the participation of 80 parents. The children were assessed in their presence and upgraded to higher groups based on their performance. The parents were informed that their children would be mainstreamed to formal educational institutions during the new academic year. They were given details of KGBVs/hostels that were located nearest to their homes and were urged to get their daughters admitted in these institutions. 16, 11 and 6 children were upgraded from Groups D to C, C to B and B to A respectively at the end of the assessment exercise.

The details of girls placed in different groups at the end of each month are as follows:

Group A B C D New Hostel College April 32 25 25 23 17 19 6 May 30 26 28 31 18 16 7 June 6 13 8 17 18 0 7

The figures in the last two columns refer to girls from KGBV that had been accommodated in camp during their summer vacation and college-going girls that live in the camp.

The below table provides details of children shifted from lower to higher groups on the basis of their academic performance:

Group April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 New to D 9 5 10 New to C 0 1 15 New to B 0 2 5 New to A 0 1 3 Total 9 9 33

The details of visitors to camp are as follows:

Date No. of Visitors Visitor Profile Remarks 01-04-2016 4 Broadridge staff 2 from US and 2 from India The visitor gifted the children with 21-04-2016 1 Chris Perry – Broadridge Drawing Books. They gave him some Welcome Cards. 20

The visitor gifted the children with 26-04-2016 1 John Hogan – Broadridge Snack Boxes. They gave him Welcome Cards. 11-05-2016 4 Broadridge staff 15-05-2016 13 University of Hyderabad IAS and IPS probationers and 29-05-2016 9 lawyers 29-06-2016 14 JTT project staff – MVF Total 46

170 children (including mainstreamed girls) were taken on a recreational visit to Mt. Opera on 27th May 2016.

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