Asha for Education

Project Brief: We are generating and utilizing funds for the implementation of the Delhi Government 20% reservation clause in Private schools for the students who come from economically backward section.
Project Type: Formal Schools (description)
Primary Focus: to go to formal school (description)

Secondary Focus: children from slums

Area: Tribal
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Munich

Status: CLOSED - ENDED
Project Steward: Dinesh Upreti
Co-Steward: Ravi M.R.
Project Partner(s): Uday Gosain
Project Address: Paradarshita - Delhi Govt School Reservation
5, M-1 Street,IIT, Hauz Khas,
Delhi, Delhi 110016
Stewarding Chapter: Munich

We are generating and utilizing funds for the implementation of the 10% reservation clause (earlier 20%).The Delhi Government stipulated that private schools, who obtained land at a very nominal rate, have to enroll children from Economically Weaker Section (EWS) of the society into these schools. 10% of seats, therefore, should be reserved for these children.
Asha Delhi supports this project as this enables usage of a provision within the law leading to a systemic correction, even of the mindsets of the fee paying parents, bringing in social harmony.

This rule got buried, not known to the public and was being violated by the school since 1962, until 2004 when Dr Nalini Juneja (Senior Fellow NUEPA) discovered this clause, and Mr Ashok Agrawal of social activists' group (Social Jurists) filed a PIL in court regarding this. The court battle is still going on, but as for now, the Delhi High Court has favored the Private Schools and reduced the reservation to 15% seats.

For the academic session for 2005-06, a Parivartan a citizen’s group based in Delhi, promoting The usage of the Right to Information Act, 2005, enrolled 40 children living in Seemapuri into private schools and found that these children did extremely well in the school. The Right to Information Act was used as a tool to facilitate the admissions.

It was decided that we set up an Asha Delhi Project with directly paying Honourarium to capable individuals, with a commitment that they would expand the program to other areas of the city. We focused on East & North East Area supervisors work in their defined area, identify children for enrollment, and work with the schools for enrollment.

As the children might face difficulties with the teaching, the projects will be providing tuition classes in the evening to enable the children to keep up with the teaching in the school.
The supervisors perform the following activities:
Documentation work
- Enrolling children
- Monitoring their progress
- Interacting with the government officers to get the program implemented
- Interacting with the school to get the children enrolled.

In the Academic Sessions of 2006-07 & 2007-08, total of 450 children benefitted from this clause and a total potential at entry level classes is approximately 5400 children.


Some changes in the processes of getting children admitted in these schools were also changed. The first was the set up of the Free Ship Cell in the Deputy Director Education ’s office in each District. Second was to get a Common Admission from clause introduced.

[July 2007]
After seeing the success of the project in the previous two years, this project year we decided to expand the project to more areas in Delhi. Supervisors from different groups were identified in South West Districts of Delhi as well.

This year the focus was not only on getting the children admitted to solve a larger systemic problem.

[2010]
With the passing on the Right To Education Act, the supervisors – Ritu, Parvati, Prakash, now are focusing on getting the RTE implemented. Around more than 2500 children have benefitted from the clause so far in the last 5 yrs.

[2011]
The funds from Asha Seattle have dried up and hence the continuance of the project is under discussion.
Regular Updated are posted on the project website.