Slum children face many barriers to education, including poverty, lack of infrastructure, and social stigma. 

Common Issues Related to the School Education in Slum

While our center has made significant progress with many families and students, there are some issues, narrated below, that present challenges, as shown below:

• Poor quality education in the schools and the parents who lack education themselves require additional coaching for children.
• Many children lack reasonable attention span. In some situations, parents do not provide motivation to their children and the children begin to fall behind in academics. This discrepancy is wider in the government school going students. Many of such students drop out from the school especially after 8th grade.
• Both parents are working and older children are assigned to care for younger children. Domestic violence impacts students’ academic and emotional lives; many adult males and females are using tobacco products and alcohol setting poor role models.
• As students move beyond 6th grade, many of them start falling behind in academics. Multiple reasons can be attributed: heavy curriculum, lack of habit to study at home, lack of space and facility for independent study, weak parental support, adolescence, increasing negative influences of peers, malnutrition, increasing influences of TV and mobile phone, etc.
• Major issues with slum population are: lack of long-term vision, poor concentration power, irregularity and lack of sincerity.
• Because of surrounding atmosphere in slum, students do not have habit of completing homework or independent reading of textbooks. In order to maintain a consistent level of proficiency, the students should read regularly at home the material such as textbook, newspaper, magazine, etc.
• Majority of the slum children suffer from malnutrition that impairs both physical growth and academic performance.
• The issue of premature admission especially in government school is on e of the causes for poor academic performance in some of those students. Parents get tempted thinking that the child will start learning earlier; they may not get admission next year, and will get free benefits of lunch, books, etc. Such an underage school admission impairs child’s academic achievement, development of social behavior, emotional skills, quantitative skills, intelligence, reading skills, and other academic skills. We try to counsel the parents to avoid such premature admission or to retain the child to repeat that grade. It is to be noted that the current education policy does not allow such retention. Most of the parents do not agree to our suggestion; and those few who follow our advice show better academic performance in their children.
• Even though many of the 8th graders are smart and intelligent students achieving A grade, their parents would not allow them to attend distant but school for safety reasons. Such reservation is more common for girls than boys. This can result into school dropout or studying in nearby less competitive school. In spite of such strong resistance, we could pursue one girl and one boy to go for far distance good school for 9th grade.

Barriers to education

• Lack of birth certificates: Many slum children lack the documents needed to enroll in school. 
• Underdeveloped schools: Schools in slum areas may be poorly equipped and have unqualified teachers. 
• High fees: Good schools may charge fees that are too high for many families. 
• Child labor: Children may have to work instead of going to school. 
• Social stigma: Children in slum areas may face social stigma. 

Programs to help slum children

Education on Wheels

• Raise awareness and promote inclusive policies.
• Advocate for educational equity for children in slums.
• Provide access to counseling and mental health services.
• Train community members to recognize and address mental health issues.
• A mobile classroom program that provides free education to children in slums. 

Poor learning outcomes for slum children 

Without skills and self-confidence these children are trapped into lives of low paid manual work. The most common reasons given for dropping out are lack of interest in their studies, cost of education and family pressures. Many parents have little education themselves.

Our Role

We provide free of cost education to the needy children of slums and working for the nation buildup. We do provide all the necessary equipment's and atmosphere to inculcate best possible outcome.