With an engineering degree, Shubhdenru Pandey could have, like many others of his ilk, joined some big multi-national corporation at an attractive package, something his parents must have wished.
Shubhdenru, instead, chose to do something entirely different. His job would not earn him an odd package yet give him satisfaction and a sense of joy as he felt that it provided him an opportunity to pay back to society. Shubhdenru and his team of young volunteers have been working with the most-disadvantaged children living in urban slums and villages of Uttar Pradesh.
He said that his focus is on education and making difference to the lives of children living in slums and villages (mainly beggars, rag pickers and nomads). “It is our firm belief that education is the best tool to change lives. We dream of a society where each child can benefit from Right To Education,” Shubhdenru said.
“We believe that the accident of birth should not decide a child’s access to opportunities to learn, grow, play and be happy,” he stressed. “Our primary aim is to improve the lives of these underprivileged children using education as a tool,” he added.
Shubhdenru who started his work in 2013 with just seven children today, with his team, takes care of educational needs of more than 700 children spread across seven locations. “One of our key focuses is the quality of instruction. We want our children to become not only literate but also responsible citizens, who are aware of their duties and responsibilities,” Shubhdenru told DH. Daily free classes are held in the heart of the slums. The children are taught English, mathematics, general awareness and behavioural skills.
Shubhdenru, who set-up Sarthak Foundation for the specific purpose of attaining his objectives, said that his team also takes care of the children’s clothing and health needs and psychological well-being. “We arrange for fee to get the children from the most marginalised sections enrolled into mainstream schools,” he said.
Shubhdenru has young professionals who have left lucrative private sector jobs to do their bit for society. “All of us work very hard every day to reduce the gap in opportunities for our children and it is happening little by little,” he remarked.
Poverty in Uttar Pradesh exceeded that of the 26 poorest African countries and the state has one of the lowest literacy rates in India. Literacy rate in UP is 56.2 %, according to the 2011 Census.
Shubhdenru said that despite being the capital of India’s populous state, there are 793 slums just in Lucknow as per the official records. Children living in slums become vulnerable and could to take to crimes due to lack of educational opportunities. “We feel that opportunities for education and good lifestyle can help children live a dignified life,” he said.
The foundation reaches out to children who cannot afford quality education and take them beyond “just being literate”. “We set up supportive after school model in the heart of place of their residence to improve the rate and level of their learning by holding classes daily,’’ he said.
There is a great emphasis on holistic development and personality improvement (stress on etiquette/manners). Hygiene and health are important part of the curricula. The team of volunteers of the foundation conducts survey of the slums to identify children not attending schools regularly and divide the into two categories. “We divide the children into Tenderfeet (basic) and Advancers (one level above basic) and then set up open study centre and hold classes six days a week after school hours. The idea is to prepare them for admission to the mainstream schools,’’ he said.
The team works on improving the children’s learning skills. It strives to gain children’s confidence and work on their personality. “Basically the children get a learning environment after school,” said Shubhdenru.
Children attend classes regularly as they are held close to their place of stay. “It also makes easier for us to interact with children and their parents after class and counsel them,” he added. The average attendance of the children in the classes conducted by the foundation is more than 90%, he claimed.
Special focus is given to the education of girls. The foundation also deals with children not attending schools. It tries to kindle interest in them towards studies. It looks out for school dropouts and helps them.
The pre-school children acquire a minimum standard of pre-primary education while the children in higher grades acquire appropriate knowledge grade. “Around 80% of our children get enrolled in schools,’’ he said.
Shubhdenru said that it was not easy for him and his team to transform rag pickers and beggars into school-going children. Convincing their parents not to put their children into labour was even more difficult.
Shubhdenru’s journey though satisfying was not an easy one too. He worked in a software company in Jaipur for a few months as per the wishes of his parents but finally he managed to convince them to allow him to pursue what he had always desired.
He fully realises that what he is doing is negligible. He wants to expand the reach of his foundation. He wants to open more number of centres and provide skill training to the teenage boys and girls.
“The task is difficult but not impossible. I sincerely feel that we must also realise our obligations toward society…a lot many problems will be resolved if that happens,” he said.
Published 26 August 2017, 19:50 IST