Prayas

# Primary Education

Approx. 50% of 14-18 years of children, especially in rural and tribal areas can not do basic calculation or read properly. Irregular schooling, migration, working in tea estates, construction sites, etc. are some of the prime reasons for such gaps. In India, 92Mn children of 6-18 years migrate, of which 22Mn never enroll in schools.
Available hostels are not enough to deal with the large number of migrating children. With a lack of basic literacy and education, these children transform into potential victims of child labour, and an unemployable workforce leading to poverty and conflicting societies.

What We Do

We provide educational support to children aged 3-18 years in India poorest and most illiterate tribal district, Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh, where the literacy level is around 37% and most families migrate to Gujarat to earn a livelihood. We also support children in Assam Tea Estate Gardens, where many are deprived of primary education and work in tea gardens. Our key intervention involves retaining irregular or potential migrant children, strengthening School Management Committees, and creating a learning environment in schools under the purview of the Right to Education.

Career Guidance & Life Skills

Approx. 90% of students opt for the wrong career paths due to a lack of career guidance and persistent gaps between skills and aptitude.
Only 90% of students aged 14-21 know just seven career options, whereas more than 200 career options are available.
Only 15% of children receive formal training on life skills.
This situation is worst in rural and tribal areas, where only 2.5% of schools have career counselors. As a result, children keep trying for all the jobs, private or government, randomly, without any preparation, knowledge, or required skill set.

Intervention

Without proper career guidance, students often remain unaware of diverse career paths and fail to realize their full potential and the lack of life skills training hampers students' ability to navigate everyday challenges effectively. We reach out to public school children, 14-18 years, and share information around range of career options, relevant studies, subjects and avenues. During the sessions, children are encouraged to share their doubts, queries, myths and apprehensions around various emotions and perceptions. We use different film screening, IEC and group or one to one discussions which help them to push their mind to think, visualize and have a basic plan to materialize their dreams.