Karnataka: Community problems, children-led solutions

In Anekal taluk, Bengaluru Rural district, children are emerging as active participants in the special Makkala Gram Sabhas.

They take the lead in presenting well-researched issues, drawn directly from their communities, along with practical and contextually grounded solutions.

Guided by committed schoolteachers and supported by civil society organisations, children from the Shantipura and Bannerghatta gram panchayat limits have been motivated to critically engage with their surroundings, explore local concerns in depth, and bring meaningful issues to the attention of the panchayat.

“We observed that although the Makkala Gram Sabhas were being organised regularly by the Children Welfare Committee, children’s participation had gradually become more symbolic. It became evident that an intervention was necessary — both within the framework of local governance and in how children were being engaged,” explains Pratibha Narayan, co-founder of Involve, an NGO dedicated to pedagogical innovation and youth empowerment. The organisation piloted these efforts specifically within the Shantipura and Bannerghatta gram panchayats to revitalise the Makkala Gram Sabhas.

To nurture critical thinking and a sense of civic responsibility, the ‘Holiday Project’ was introduced during the Dussehra vacation. The initiative was designed around a structured template that guided children to systematically observe, investigate and document real-world problems. As part of this process, they were encouraged to speak with neighbours and other members of the community to better understand the root causes, broader context and frequency of the issues they uncovered.

Solution-oriented

“This year, we wanted to build further on their capacities by asking children not just to identify community issues, but also to propose actionable solutions to be included in their Makkala Gram Sabha presentations,” says Arya Mishra, a solutions design lead at Involve. While the children were provided with some direction and mentorship, the emphasis remained on independent inquiry and original thinking, allowing them to take ownership of both the problems and the solutions.

Kushal, a middle-school student at a government school in the Shantipura gram panchayat, shares his experience: “Through the holiday project, I realised that illiteracy was a serious issue in my village. There is a lot of stigma — people laugh at those who cannot read or write. I also noticed that many of them were being tricked by scams because they could not understand documents or messages,” he explains.

Moved by the insights he gathered, Kushal began conceptualising viable interventions. At the sabha, he proposed organising adult literacy classes at government schools after regular school hours. For the next Makkala Gram Sabha, he intends to raise concerns about inadequate sanitation facilities in government schools.

Meghana, a Class 8 student from Shanbhoganahalli village, identified several challenges. “I noticed that our school lacked both a first aid kit and a sports kit. There was also a raj kaluve (stormwater drain) behind the school that smelled terrible and attracted mosquitoes,” she recalls. Among the various issues, she chose to focus on the accumulation of waste around the school premises. “I recommended increasing the frequency of waste collection and conducting awareness campaigns to encourage people to dispose of garbage properly,” she says.

Having participated in the Makkala Gram Sabha, Kushal and Meghana recognise that apart from being a channel to voice their concerns, the sabha was also a valuable opportunity to overcome stage fright and develop confidence in public speaking.

By researching real issues, formulating solutions and presenting them before local leaders and community members, the children also gradually learn to articulate their thoughts clearly and assertively.

Local governance

While children were being encouraged to approach community issues methodically and present thoughtful solutions, the success of the initiative also hinged on the responsiveness of local governance. “We made a concerted effort to engage with gram panchayat members, orienting them to the goals of the Makkala Gram Sabhas, and emphasising that children’s inputs must be treated with seriousness,” Pratibha explains.

Initially, many gram panchayat leaders saw merit in the Makkala Gram Sabha in terms of being a good learning opportunity for children. At the end of the sabha, S Madan, a Shantipura gram panchayat leader, recognised that the experience was useful from a local governance perspective as well. “Children recognised where streetlights were missing, and identified drinking water issues and problems related to schools. We have remedied most issues related to the school,” he says.

“Each student’s thinking is unique, and it is nice to see how their perspective interacts with society and local governance. They also learn how to speak and get over stage fright and shyness,” he adds.