Where the poor can prove themselves
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COMMENTS 
There are 1.17 million slum children in Delhi. Deepalaya's schools are making sure that at least some of them have a bright future.
In Delhi, a child living in a slum doesn't need too much money to get a good education. Not if she is fortunate enough to be studying at a Deepalaya school. Education at Deepalaya is not just about mastering the formal English curriculum, but building up the confidence of children through fun-filled activities in sports, arts and crafts. Deepalaya wants the children to dream of a future beyond the slums they live in, by giving them quality education at an affordable cost.
Deepalaya charges a monthly fee of Rs 200 from parents who can afford it. For those who can't, like Pooja from the Transit Camp in Raghubir Nagar, there is a solution. "I was very keen on going to school but my parents could not afford it. Deepalaya gave me the opportunity. They paid for my uniform and books and gave me scholarships. Today I am in high school and am doing well," says Pooja.
The Deepalaya school takes students only up to standard VIII, but children can continue their association through coaching classes. The school provides a good academic and extra-curricular environment, the absence of which is is a major reason why many slum children drop out of school.
Deepalaya firmly believes that students from the slums are as good as any other. What they need is an enabling environment that they can afford. The school concentrates on providing opportunities for developing latent talent, vocational skills, visits to places that the children can learn from, and the creation and animation of parent groups so that they take a direct interest in the education of their children.
The school has programmes for young men and women too. Kishan Kumar, from the jhuggis in Raghubir Nagar, had dropped out of school and was spending his time drinking and gambling. Then he joined Deepam, Deepalaya's drama club, which gave him a new direction. He has now joined the National Open School and hopes to become a professional actor.
The efficacy of Deepalaya's value-based approach to qualitative learning in a conducive environment is apparent in the pride with which Nisha, the daughter of a teastall owner,tells you that she is completing her BCom Honours at Delhi University; in the happiness on the face of six-year-old Sudhir Sharma, who is from a dysfunctional family; in the hope in the eyes of Kishore who, at 11,already has a history of drug abuse. There are many others like them, who have found their way to a different life.
In a city where 1.17 million children live in 11,000 slums, Deepalaya is a small step towards a better future.
Deepalaya started off with five children and a formal school in 1979. Today they work in 62 slum locations in Delhi and in 40 villages in Haryana
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Contact: Deepalaya
46, Institutional Area, D Block
Janakpuri, New Delhi - 110 058, India
Tel : 91-11-554 8263/559 0347
Email:
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