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The tsunami tragedy has affected the children as well as the community and aggravated poverty. There were less employment opportunities and abnormal fish catching, which has driven their immediate need from sending children to school to send them to some small establishments. Child Labour practice is not new to them. If the situation of the uncared continues then the vast number of school going children will be sent to work.
1. Most of the people in the fishing villages are illiterate and do not realize the importance of education, as a result the children are not enrolled in regular schools at the right age.
An enrollment campaign would bring in awareness and motivate parents to enroll their children to regular schools.
2. Due to poverty and inadequate income of the family, parents feel children as an asset in their family. By the time the children complete their primary education, both boys and girls become school dropouts. Boys take to their traditional job (fishing) and girls engage themselves as domestic maids or take care of their younger siblings while their parents are out on the job.
There is a need to identify such potential dropouts and motivate them to continue schooling through mentoring centers.
3. The high rate of school dropouts is not only due to the economic background but it also largely dependent on the local schools, proper teaching methodologies adopted by the school teachers, the ratio of teachers and children and also the association of parents with teachers. Most of the local schools in the villages have inadequate teachers, as a result, managing children becomes highly challenging. The children do not receive adequate attention and drop out.
Hence appointing well qualified teachers also becomes an important project for this community. SEA works together with PTA and supplements government schools with more teachers.
In November 2008, Asha Dallas decided to support the motivational centers in two villages, and two teachers salary components for government schools in Gangadevankuppam and Alaperikuppam. In 2009, we have extended support to 2 more villages.
Motivation center:
Motivational center is a supportive education center for the school children. The educational qualification of teachers working in a Motivational center is 10th (pass)/ +2. Here they teach moral education, academic subjects, sports and general knowledge. Educational Materials are given by Action Aid to all the Motivational Centers. Both in the Motivational Center and in Schools, they follow the ABL Method to teach (Activity Based Learning Method). Each Motivational center has a minimum of 25 students. To avoid dropouts in the schools they run these motivational centers. These centers are usually rented front yards or terrace of a resident's house.
SEA has been working in 45 villages for the past 5 years and have been very successful in implementing a good education system for the whole community with majority support from NGOs like us.
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