In
2014, efforts to build and maintain strategic roads in the areas along India’s border
areas were ramped up. In the remote and hilly regions of the Himalayas, the
roads are usually shut during the winter, and when open, the elements and the
terrain often conspire to cut off access.
Most of the laborers who work on the roads are
migrants from the plains. It is a matter of irony, then, that the children of
those who work to improve and maintain connectivity to these remote regions
have little or no access to education themselves. While most children are enrolled
in the local schools, the itinerant nature of the workers’ lives leads to a
large percentage of children dropping out of the schools altogether.
At Pragya, we believe that if you cannot
reach the schools, then the schools must come to you. Mobile Education Units
(MEUs), popularly known as ‘My School on Wheels’, are vans equipped with
digital equipment, and specially designed material by the folks at Jodo Gyan. These vans are working to improve basic literacy
in these regions.
The strategy of our ‘My School on Wheels’ is
multi – pronged: to operate a Basic Minimum Literacy program for children and
adults, while encouraging the children to enroll in the local schools and
minimizing the drop out rate. Simultaneously, Pragya is also in the process of
promoting health and safety awareness among the migrant laborers. Members from
Pragya act as facilitators between the employers and the laborers, conducting
campaigns and holding awareness camps about basic health and safety standards.
Two ‘My School on Wheels’ are already operational in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh
and Chamoli, Uttarakhand, serving a total of 12 migrant camps in both the
districts. So far, 78 sessions have been conducted and 148 children have
already enrolled in the program.
