Education for Dalit Children in India

Illegal, but culturally ingrained caste discrimination in India traps ‘untouchable’ Dalit communities in a cycle of extreme poverty and exclusion. As a result, Dalit children are ostracised from mainstream education and denied their rights.

Working with our local partner Navjeevan Educational & Social Welfare Society (NESWSD), we support 35 community Learning Centres for over 1000 of the most marginalised children in Bihar State.

Our learning centres offer a safe, protective space for Dalit children to learn and play, with colourful classrooms and nurturing teachers. Video lessons shared through portable projectors bring learning to life and allow the children to connect with their peers around the world.

In addition to academic learning, our partners provide plenty of opportunities for the children to learn about their rights, realise their worth and participate in a huge range of experiences and joyful celebrations that they are normally excluded from in society.

Our partners work with local government schools to encourage integration of the children back into the mainstream school system, where they continue to provide support.

It is extremely rare for Dalit children to obtain a secondary education, so the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) programme prepares students who cannot access secondary school for formal exams. This gives them the credentials needed to apply to college or university, helping to improve life chances, and protect girls from child marriage and child labour.

'Children's Parliaments', consisting of ten elected ‘ministers’, represent their friends, learn about their rights and peacefully campaign in their communities. As well as campaigning, these children lead the way on the programme, creating events, identifying needs in the community and educating their peers.

We also work to inform Dalit communities about their rights and support them to realise them. We support over 1000 women through 100 Women’s Groups, helping them develop essential skills and knowledge so they can provide for their families, realise their rights and peacefully advocate for change in their communities.

Our Community Child Protection Teams consist of adult volunteers who are trained in child protection mechanisms, and linked to local officials and services. Over 100 ‘Community Resource Persons’ are trained and readily available to offer help and support to any child facing violence, trafficking or any kind of abuse.