DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement

Over the past month, I have worked in two different branches of Prayas. For two weeks I was with self help groups in Gujarat and Delhi, while for another two weeks I worked with 6-14 year old children in a non-formal education center in Delhi. How I was perceived by those who I worked with actually differed a lot between the two groups.

The self help groups I interacted with were comprised of poor adult women. To them, I probably seemed something like a peculiarity. This was extremely apparent in Gujarat for I do not speak any Gujarati, their native language, and a local staff member had to translate for me. (Although I am from India, I foolishly forgot about the language problem I would face in Gujarat when I designed my DukeEngage project with a week there). Inadvertently, the fact that I knew no Gujarati led to questions about where I’m from, and when the women found out that I go to college half way across the world, their impression of me would change from that of just-another-temporary-staff-member to one of a novel specimen. Thus followed the questions on life in America, the food there, and how long it would take to get from India to America by train. Although the middle and upper class in Delhi has certainly eaten at Dominoes, these women, not surprisingly, never had. Thus when they asked me what I ate in America, I miserably failed to explain what pizza was.

The children at the non-formal education center in Delhi, seemed less interested about life in USA. To them, the answer that my college was “very far away” from where they lived seemed to suffice – they had no reason to believe that life, culture, and society would be any different at this far away land. No, these children just seemed to want one thing – attention – and lots of it. The instant I would walk into the classroom, the children would surround me wanting to show me the work they had done. What insured was often utter chaos with the children playing tug of war with my sleeves and pushing notebooks into my face. I would tell them to calm down and sometimes refuse to check anyone’s homework until they took their seats. I got the feeling that these children, who addressed me as bhaiya (Hindi for big brother), thought of me as their friendly teacher rather than a novelty.

Fortunately, both the staff members and the people I worked with, whether they considered me a friend, novelty, subordinate or teacher, were very friendly and helpful. This made my initiation period virtually trouble-free and thus even though I’ve worked at multiple centers over the past weeks, setting in to the centers has not been a problem.
 

I have an exit option. Pretty soon, I will be out of this community, and will return to my old life to worry about the usual problems of classes, tests, and whether I should eat lunch at Chic-fil-A or Blue Express. If I were a permanent resident of this community however, life would be a lot tougher and the problems a lot more serious.

If I were a child here in the slum, life would be very different. My parents, who would probably be working as laborers, rag pickers, or rickshaw pullers, would have a joint income of about Rs. 1500 ($40) per month. Half of this would go towards rent for the tiny 7 foot by 7 foot dingy room in which my parents, my three siblings and I live. Once I had turned six years old, none of my older family members would have stayed at home to look after me. Rather they would have all go to work, leaving me home to look after my even younger, one year old brother. A few years later, my parents may choose to send me to school. Most likely however, I’ll have to start working as a child to supplement the family income. In fact only one out of every four children here will go to a formal school.

Basic amenities like water and sanitation are huge problems here. Water has to be brought in buckets from a nearby tap and stored in our room. There are only a few common bathrooms in the entire slum and many people just go to the toilets in the open sewers or drains. A light bulb hanging from the roof and a small fan are the only electric appliances in a typical house. If a family does not have enough money to pay the electricity bill, even that privilege gets taken away.

In situations like this, it is often with the help of organizations like Prayas that basic education and facilities are provided to the children. Without such external help, the children will grow up to have families just like the previous generation and a vicious cycle would ensue.

 

The last leg of my DukeEngage project consists of working in Prayas’ Observation Home for Boys (POHB). The observation home is used to keep juveniles (those less than 18 years of age) in conflict with the law. The observation home is comprised of two parts: the office section and the juvenile section. The juvenile section, not surprisingly, is the portion of the complex where delinquent juveniles are kept. This section is locked from the outside and a guard opens the door when a staff member needs to go through.

My individual project proposal consisted of a two week span at POHB, interacting with the juveniles and taking part in their vocational training classes, games and activities, counseling, and so on. However, I was not previously aware of the fact that any interaction with the juveniles of a non-POHB staff member required prior consent from the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). The JJB is legal board in India that decides cases for juveniles since cases regarding juveniles don’t go to the regular courts. Unfortunately the board was observing a ten day long summer vacation that coincided with my time at POHB. As a result, during my two weeks at the home, I did not get a chance to interact with the children for the entire first week and a little of the second.

During that period, Prayas put me to work on a research report about POHB and its evolution since its inception a decade ago. Initially, I was disappointed at having to do research instead of actually spending time with the children. I wished that I had been informed early on that I would need permission from the JJB to meet the juveniles and that the JJB would be on vacation, in which case I would have requested for permission before vacation started.

However, I later realized that the situation may actually have a silver lining. In its entire ten years of operation, POHB has never produced any publicly available written material on it except for a small one page brochure. This report was thus going to be a first for the home. Indeed, this was my chance to leave behind something tangible, something that will remain with Prayas, from my DukeEngage experience. At POHB, I met a law student, Sahiba, who was interning there, and we decided to tackle this report together. (To my surprise, it turned out that Sahiba and I had graduated from the same high school in the same year!). Together we laid out plans for a 20 page report, interviewed staff members, and went through tons of files, all covered with dust and cobwebs, regarding cases of juveniles who have stayed at the home over the last decade. Finally we put our findings on paper and turned in a draft to the observation home.

I did get to meet the children during my last few days at POHB. When the board returned from vacation I went to the board magistrate for permission to enter interact with the detainees. The magistrate turned out to be a rather strict lady who loved to yell at police officers and throw files in their faces when they showed ignorance regarding laws relating to juveniles. When my turn came to meet her, I felt as if I was standing in my high school principal’s office after having done something wrong. Fortunately, she approved my request after informing me that, as per the Juvenile Justice Act, I was not allowed to publish names of any of the children I talked to, and ten minutes later, I was in the juvenile section of the home.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000

Evolution of the Act

The first Juvenile Justice Act in India was implemented in 1986. This act aimed to provide a rational way of dealing with neglected children and delinquent juveniles. In 2000, this act was replaced by the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act. “The main deficiency in the old Juvenile Justice Act of 1986 was that it did not provide for the differential approach to delinquent juveniles and neglected juveniles” . An amendment to the act was passed in 2006. This amendment mostly clarified parts of the 2000 act; for example, it explained that the age of a person at the time of committing a crime shall be used to determine whether he/she is a juvenile, not the age at which the case is reported. In 2007, the Department of Women and Child, Government of India, published rules under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000.

Essence of the Current Act and Rules

The current act was implemented in the year 2000 and amended in 2006. The current rules under this act, implemented by the executive, came into force on 26th October, 2007.

The act aims to provide proper care, protection, treatment, and rehabilitation to children in need of care and protection as well as juveniles in conflict with the law in a child-friendly manner that is in the children’s best interest.

The rules made under the act lay down child-friendly principles to be followed in implementing the act including principles of presumed innocence, treatment of children with dignity, children’s right to be heard, best interest of the children, safety (protection from harm and abuse), privacy and confidentiality, and fresh start (by erasure of past records).
The act is divided deals with juveniles in conflict with the law and children in need of care and protection in separate section.

Juveniles in Conflict with the Law

• The competent authority dealing with such juveniles is the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) consisting of three members. There should be one or more JJB(s) every district.

• While an investigation is underway, a child may be temporarily housed in an Observation Home. If convicted, a child may be kept in a Special Home. However, the child can never be kept in a police lockup or jail.

• When a juvenile in conflict with the law is apprehended by the police, he/she must be presented before the JJB within 24 hours of apprehension (excluding any transportation time to and from the JJB). If the child’s guardians are present, the JJB can release the child on bail depending on the nature of the crime. If bail is not granted to the child, he/she is sent to an observation home. The police must then file a charge sheet before the JJB (within 90 days if the child has not been granted bail). During investigation, the JJB may meet the child multiple times. Once the trial is over and if the juvenile has been found guilty, the JJB may pass orders against him/her including:

(a) Counseling of child and guardians. The child may also be sent for group counseling sessions.
(b) Order the child to perform certain hours of community service.
(c) Pay a fine.
(d) Release the child to parents or a “fit person” on probation of good conduct for up to three years
(e) Put the child in a special home for up to three years.

• To protect the child’s privacy, no media may publish the child’s name, school, address, or any other identifying information.

• The act also specifies punishments for exploiting a child, employing a child as a beggar, providing a child with drugs or intoxicating substances.

Children in Need of Care and Protection

• The competent authority dealing with such neglected children is the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) consisting of five members. There should be one CWC for every district or group of districts.

• The child may be brought to the CWC by the police, an NGO, or any citizen. While an investigation is underway, a child may be temporarily housed in a government recognized Children’s Home (not Observation Home or Special Home). If the child cannot be restored to the parents (ex. child is an orphan, situation at home is not conducive to the child’s development and growth, etc.), he/she may be handed over to a children’s home, shelter home (for street children), a fit person (ex. foster parents), or other recognized children institutions.

Challenges in the Functioning of this Act

There have been a number of challenges in implementing the Juvenile Justice Act. Although Prayas is doing a wonderful job handling the observation home in Ferozshah Kotla, a study similar to the one in April 1996 by the government high powered committee is needed to determine if the issues raised in the study, such as physical/sexual abuse of children and derelict conditions of the homes have been solved in the homes that are still under government branches. Sometimes, when there are too many cases pending with the JJB, Prayas Observation Home is forced to run in overcapacity and it becomes difficult to abide by the rules under the act that mandate minimum room space and other requirements for the children. With the establishment of a second JJB in December, 2007, cases are now being disposed off much faster and now the home generally runs at much less than its maximum capacity of children.

 

Naya Prayas

THE CENTER

The third fortnight, I worked at Praya’s alternative education center in Vasant Vihar section of South Delhi. Like most of Prayas’ centers in Delhi, Naya Prayas is heavily involved in alternative education for slum children, vocational training for youths, and self-help groups for the adults in the slums. I volunteered in the alternative education activities of Naya Prayas during my time there, teaching the children, and making home visits when required.

The Naya Prayas center, situated in the middle of a slum, is comprised of five rooms surrounding a tiny courtyard. One of the rooms is the main classroom consisting of about eighteen benches arranged in three rows facing the teacher’s desk. On the front wall is a small black board and on the back wall are bookshelves with some books and stationary. The room on the right of the classroom is a computer center used for computer vocational training classes. The next room over is a small kitchen used to cook lunch for the children. (Prayas provides free lunch for all its alternative education children). The fourth room is divided in two parts by a line of bookshelves. One half is used for cutting and tailoring classes as part of vocational training, whereas the other half serves as a small library with a reading area in the center. The final room is the main office where the project manager, Shabana Roz, sits.

Classes are run in two shifts – a morning shift from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm and an afternoon shift from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Each shift consists of about thirty children in the age group of 6-14 years. The time in between the shifts serves as lunch time when students of both shifts eat together. A child may choose which shift to attend based on his or her convenience. There is only one teacher, Bimla Singh, who takes both shifts. Bimla herself lives in the slum surrounding Naya Prayas and has been teaching at this center ever since it opened fifteen years ago. Other staff members include the project manager, a cook, a driver, a librarian, teachers for the vocational training centers, and other basic office helping staff.

THE EXPERIENCE

(contd below...)

The two weeks I spent at the center turned out to be a lot of fun. The children were always extremely jolly, and although it was a challenge to keep them at their desks, working with them was a real pleasure. Some children loved coming to the center so much, they often showed up hours early. The children in a shift were divided into three “grades” – A, B, and C. The ‘C’ grade comprised mostly of new children who could not read or write at all. The ‘B’ grade comprised of students who could read and write basic words in Hindi and perform two digit multiplication on paper. The ‘A’ grade consisted of students who could read paragraphs in Hindi, read basic words in English, and perform multiplication and division in math. There were only three grades as the basic aim of Prayas’ alternative education center was not to substitute school. Rather, the center served as a ‘catch-up’ center for children who did not go to school at the right age and now were too old to join kindergarten or the first few grades in a regular school. Hence, once the children were brought to the grade appropriate for their age, Prayas had them admitted in the nearby public school.

Teaching all three grades together, however, was often an issue. While it was possible to teach the B or A children in a group using the blackboard, this method completely failed with the C children – instead, these children needed a person to sit with them one on one and show them how to write basic letters. Bimla, the teacher, handled this by first giving the A and the B students an assignment on the board. While these students were at work, she would then call up the C students one by one, show them how to read and write numbers and letters, and give them assignments in their notebooks. As one can imagine, this method led to a lot of confusion. Some of the children would quickly finish their work and would come running up asking the teacher to correct their answers and give them more work. Others would just sit in the back and idle away until the teacher called on them. In a scenario where each student had different levels of ability, and needed personalized attention, one teacher was evidently insufficient. Seeing the situation, I decided to spend my weeks teaching these students. I would seat the students into rows according to their ‘grade’ and concentrate on one or two group of students enabling the teacher to work with the others.

(contd below...)

(chidren showing me how to dance...)

The center faced a number of serious problems. There was an extreme shortage of books for the children. In fact, there were no basic English or math books for the children. The teacher did have about half a dozen copies of a Hindi text book that taught how to write letters and words. However, she seemed reluctant to hand out those six copies simultaneously to the children fearing that they would mishandle the books and rip them. As a result she would either call the children one by one and teach them from a single copy of the book, or would make too many children share one book. She stated the lack of funding as a reason for the lack of text books; however I found children textbooks to be cheap enough that their cost should have been inconsequential to Prayas compared to its other running costs. One night during my time at Naya Prayas, five out of the six Hindi textbooks “disappeared” and we were left with a single half torn book to teach out of. The books in the library were also no good since almost all of the library books, having been donated by larger public libraries, were novels and non-fiction books targeting an older audience. Although Prayas did the surrounding slum community a wonderful service by allowing community members to borrow the books, these books were grossly inappropriate for its own children. Seeing the situation, I went out and got thirty textbooks for the alternative education center. I made sure not only to replace the Hindi text books but to get math and English books as well. This enabled me to teach an entire group of children providing every child in the group with a book simultaneously.

Teaching methods were also rather bland, obsolete and rote-based. For example, the teacher simply wrote down the multiplication tables in children’s notebooks and told them to memorize it. A girl I was working closely with, Vaini, had no idea why 2X3 was 6. I tried to explain the idea to her through colored bits of paper, and she seemed to catch on. Later during a conversation with the staff at Prayas’ head office I was informed that Prayas does provide its alternative education centers with indigenously developed teaching and learning methods for the children. However the teachers at many of these centers are low-paid nearby community members who need to be properly trained in using these methods before the methods can be successfully used.

(contd below...)

Maintaining the strength of the children at the centers was also an issue. Since a number of the urban slum population consists of rural migrants, some of the slum children and their families left to visit their relatives in the villages over the summer. To counter the dwindling class attendance, I made some home visits to students who had not left for the summer but still were not showing up to class. Reasons for children not coming to school were not as simple as one would first think ranging from drunk fathers to family health problems. The efforts were effective and some of the students who were not coming earlier did start coming (see case study section below).

Despite numerous problems, the center did achieve one basic goal. It brought numerous slum children to a level where they could be admitted to regular schools and then helped the students during the admission process. As a result, children who would otherwise have never learned to read or write are now getting proper education. On my last day at the Naya Prayas center the project manager, Shabana, gave me a card thanking me for all my help. She also gave me a large chart crayon drawing by one of the children at the center which I am trying to find a way to mail to the DukeEngage office.

Case Studies of Children

Vikas – Vikas is an eight year old boy who has been coming to the Prayas center for six months and is currently in the center’s ‘B’ group. He has four brothers and three sisters in his family. His parents, both laborers, aren’t very keen on sending Vikas or his siblings to school. One day I asked Vikas to read a paragraph from his textbook to me. He said that he wanted to first read it on his own. I agreed, and then called him later to show me what he had read. He seemed hesitant to read from his book so I told him nicely that I would help him if he got stuck. All of a sudden, Vikas ran out of the classroom and straight out of the Prayas campus without a word, leaving his notebook and belongings in class. Worried that I had said something wrong, I explained the situation to Bimla, the full time teacher who worked there. Bimla told me that running away was a regular habit of Vikas and he had done so many times in the past. Bimla later met Vikas’s grandmother (they live nearby) and requested her to send Vikas to Prayas the next day. Vikas showed up two days later and has not run away again in the time I have been there.

Sonya – Sonya, a girl from the nearby slum, had not come to the Prayas center for over a month. Other slum children told me that she had not gone anywhere for the summer and was at home. I paid her a home visit to see why she wasn’t coming to the center. I found out that Sonya’s father was a heavy drinker who hardly went to work. Her mom, despite earning most of the household income, was often subject to domestic violence by her father. (This drinking problem has become a very widespread problem in many poor urban slum families and is something that was brought to my attention at every slum I worked in this summer. The women refuse to leave their husbands despite this situation because of social pressure and the culture they have been brought up in.) Sonya’s father was frequently found lying at home drunk and would not allow his kids to leave home. One day when I went to Sonya’s house her father was actually awake for a change. Turned out, he had not paid his electricity bill for a year and the electrician had just come and cut the power supply to their tiny slum home. With no working fans, he could no longer sleep in the summer Delhi heat. I talked to him then and urged him to send Sonya to the Prayas center. Although he said that he would, he seemed eager to get rid of me and hence I wasn’t very hopeful that he would follow his words. The next day however, Sonya did come to class and has been since.

Amrita – Amrita, a ten year old girl, lived with her family in a small seven foot by seven foot room in the slum. When I visited Amrita’s place, I saw that the room was in a terrible condition full of flies and with no lights. Amrita’s mother had recently given premature birth to a seven month baby. The baby was in an extremely frail condition and needed to be looked after. Amrita’s mom worked as a laborer and would go to work in the mornings and return in the afternoon. She would leave Amrita to take care of the baby while she was gone, and thus Amrita had been unable to come to school. I urged Amrita’s mother to send Amrita to class in the afternoon shift after she returned from work. Fortunately she listened and Amrita showed up to class the next day.