Period: From June 1996 to June 22, 2018

Inspired by the life and contribution of Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan to India and world at large Rahul Multidisciplinary Research Centre was established to realize his vision of emancipation of mankind and making a India free of hunger where everyone is equal and lives with dignity. It is a non- profit organization of socially active technocrats, academicians and social workers. The organization has been registered (No. S- 29684 of 1996) under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 on 25th June 1996.

The Programs undertaken and the activities done under these programs can be broadly categorized as under:-

  1. Inclusive Education Program for Left-Out Elementary Age-Group Children Living in Slums of National Capital Region of Delhi.
  2. Research and Development of a Rural Drinking Water Plant.
  3. Construction of a Public Library in a Rural Area

Details of Activities under these programs are described below.

1. Inclusive Education Program for Left-Out Elementary Age-Group Children Living in Slums of National Capital Region of Delhi

The General Body Members of the Centre, after formal registration of the organization, decided to send teams to visit various slums of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi and conduct surveys to find out their living conditions. It was discovered that the families live in abysmal conditions with no civic amenities. The plight of children was more pathetic. Even though there was program of Universal Elementary Education these children were left-out due to variety of reasons. There were several reasons for children being left-out but the solution was only one- To take the school (education) to the doorstep of the child.

Program Objective

This is a Non-Formal Education Program for providing primary education to left-out children living in the slums of NCR of Delhi with the objective of their inclusion in to the formal schools. 

We have identified through our direct dialogues and surveys that the elementary age- group children living in slums in and around NCR of Delhi in many cases do not go to formal schools. There are several reasons identified for this- like migratory nature of their families, families not being able to prove their residence in the particular locality and thus the children becoming dropouts, both parents going out to earn and no one available to take the child to school.  The girl child does the household job and takes care of her siblings and thus becomes drop-out. In some cases the school is far enough and the child has no means to reach the school. In some other cases the parents may not have value to education so they do not want to spend for transport etc. This program provides school at the door step of the child instead of the child going to school. Further as and when the parents are willing to send their children to formal schools we facilitate this process through our personal contacts with the nearby schools. Wherever there are problems like the children not having proof of residence, date of birth etc. we solve it by getting affidavit made and submit to the school. We have thus been able to address this specific need of primary education for the children of the community. The need of the inclusion of the children in formal education is also addressed.   

Project Background, Description and Population Served

It is an education program to streamline children to formal schools. In the year 2003 our organization came to this area of Indirapuram. We found that construction work was in full swing and a lot of migrated labor was living in a recently came-up slum. This place was then located near Shipra Sun City. The children had absolutely no provision for schooling. Almost 100% children were not going to any school. Therefore we started this Non-Formal Education Program in this slum cluster of 300 hutments. We admit about 180-220 children in each academic session. This is meant to cover the elementary age group children who were left-out from the coverage of the formal schools and were living in these slums.

The academic session is planned from July to June every year. The classes are held under temporary tin-sheds constructed over a period of time on a piece of land provided free of cost for holding classes. There is no proper sitting place and children sit on mats on ground. The classes are held for four hours a day, normally from 8.30 AM to 12.30 PM. The teachers devote extra half an hour for their own academic planning. The syllabus of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) which is followed by most of the schools in India in Hindi medium with English as compulsory subject is followed. This ensures horizontal migration of the child to formal school.  

The following items are provided to each student free of cost. 

  1. All the books, Notebooks for each subject, Sketchbooks, Stationary.
  2. The notebooks are given three times a year and stationary is given from time to time as per requirement.
  3. The Nursery children are given three-in-one notebook (four times a year), stationary.
  4. The Nursery children are provided with the activities materials.

             No Tuition Fee or any other fee is charged.

Academic Evaluation of the students is done by conducting two unit tests and final examination at the end of the year. The evaluation consists of both oral and written examinations. The Nursery class has no written examination while upper Nursery has a ratio of 60:40 for oral and written examinations. The ratio is 50:50 for the upper classes from class-I to class-IV. Co-curricular and Extra-curricular activities are planned and conducted during the entire academic session. The number of activities depends on the financial resources available with the organization. A special highlight of our program is that every year the children come out with their own magazine (in Hindi) named ‘BAL UMANG’. The Independence Day, the Republic Day and Annual Sports Day are celebrated every year.

Thus far we have been able to send over 2000 children of these slums to formal primary schools.

Some of the highlights of this program are given in Video ‘Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Vidyalaya’ and some pictures can be viewed here.

Innovative/Distinctive features of the Program- The following are the innovative aspects of this program.

  1. This Non-Formal education program covers exclusively the left-out children of slums of the area under NCR of Delhi which is at present situated in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.
  2. The program is conducted according to the convenience of the community in terms of place and time-schedule unlike formal schools.  
  3. The program has been taken to the doorstep of the child rather than asking him to go to the school which he is unable to do due to variety of reasons.
  4. The NCERT syllabus in Hindi medium with English as compulsory subject facilitates migration of students to formal schools.
  5. The program has community acceptance as their views are invited from time to time in parents-teachers meetings and are incorporated after due deliberations.
  6. The school has a ‘Solar Powered Activity Center’ where students get some hands-on experience on computer. They are also shown educational films and documentaries made by ‘Vigyan Prasar’ (Science Popularization), Government of India, National Council of Educational Research and Training etc.       

Experience of Similar Work by the Organization

Our Centre already had conducted (since 1996) a non-formal program for children living in Dallupur near Vasundhara Enclave, Delhi -10096. The areas of Dallupur and Ashok Nagar on either side of Vasundhara Enclave housed thousands of migrant families as they find employment opportunities in Noida. In both these areas there was no school for these children. It was therefore decided to start a Non-Formal Education Program. In order to sensitize the parents and to attract the children towards the program a ‘Walk for Education’ was organized. At the culmination of the walk small snack was distributed and the children left with a promise to reassemble the next day. The parents were told that they should not bother about money as books, notebooks and stationery will be provided by our Centre free of cost.  Over the years the number of enrolled students increased well over 300 and became unmanageable in our limited means. The Centre discussed with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and facilitated opening of a primary school in Vasundhara Enclave and all the students of program were transferred to this school. We already had two such programs running at the Gyaspur Colony, near Nizamuddin Bridge, New Delhi and another among the cluster of temporary hutments near Toll Bridge (opposite Noida Film City). With this experience we decided to start a non-formal education program for the children of migrant workers of Indirapuram.

Program Geography and Beneficiaries

The Place: The present place of work is an open space adjacent to the slum cluster situated near the Kanawani Village (near Delhi Public School), Indirapuram, NCR of Delhi. This open space adjacent has been provided free of charge by Shri Dhanesh Sharma, a resident of the Kanawani village who owns this land. We reached this place after changing two places. At one time it shifted due to fire and on other occasion due to demolition/evacuation. In fact our place shifts with the cluster. As the program progressed tin-shed structures were constructed.  We also got the ground leveled. Later on M/s Philips provided the Centre a solar power system. The land owner allowed construction of a single room so that this system could be installed. This has helped the Centre to conduct several activities and has also helped to keep routine school items.

Community Coverage Range: We admit about 180 to 220 students in each academic session. Assuming some of the children come from same family it can be safely deducted that we cover about 160 families every year.

Breakdown of Expected Grant Activities

  • After teaching from many teaching resource materials we have experienced that the syllabus, based on books published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in Hindi with English as compulsory subject is most suited as it ensures horizontal migration of these children to formal schools. Therefore these text-books will be purchased.
  • The academic session will begin from July 4, 2016. The admission process will start.
  • The admission is a continuous process in our program. However students take admission mostly in the months of July and August.
  • The students will be provided textbooks, notebooks, sketchbook, stationary (free of cost) and classes commence in full swing.
  • The notebooks are given three times a year and stationary is given from time to time as per requirement.
  • The Nursery children are given Three-in one (for English, Hindi and Math) notebook four times a year. The stationary is provided as per requirement. Sketch-sheets are given to the teacher concerned and she distributes them as per requirement.
  • The Nursery students are evaluated for academic achievement by oral tests and oral examination at the end of the year. But they are assessed in cozy environment without informing them. Besides they are also taught social etiquettes. They are continuously monitored that they are not picking up any bad habit. They are told the importance of cleanliness.
  • Annual Sports day is the time when students are awarded for their achievements in sports and games. All the Nursery children are given some prize or other for their skills in various activities undertaken by them.
  • The children present colorful cultural program consisting of songs, dance and story-telling etc. on Annual day.
  • The Independence and Republic days of our country are celebrated with hoisting of national flag. This develops, among children a sense of patriotism and duty towards the nation and people.
  • A student magazine ‘BAL UMANG’ is published every year by the students. The teachers play a supporting role in its publication especially in terms of presentation, indexing and get-up. We have found that students are very creative. They are instant story-tellers, make very good paintings and above all that they have a lot to communicate. Hence it was decided to give a platform for this side of their personality.

Expected Outcome- The expected outcomes are as under-

  1. The children are ready for migration to formal schools.
  2. Parents get value to education and send their children to schools.
  3. They spare money to send their children to nearby schools depending upon their choice and availability of admission.
  4. A significant feature of our program is that we have about equal number of boys and girls. This is significant as the girl child is otherwise forced to work.

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Program- The outcome and the success of the program is measured in terms of –

  1. Number of students covered and successfully sent to next class during the academic session of the program.
  2. Number of girls covered under the program. The emphasis is to bring more and more girl child to the NFE program.
  3. Number of students transferred to formal schools, and
  4. Reduction in number of drop-outs from among the children enrolled under this program. This is done by monitoring those students who migrate to formal schools especially those who have just got migrated. In case we find that some students in any school are finding difficulty in a subject like English or Math etc, we arrange coaching classes.

2. Design & Development of Solar PV Power System and Studies on UV Water Disinfection Plant

Since our organization consists of competent technocrats we decided in the year 1998 to address an acute drinking water supply problem in villages of India. It is also a fact that electricity supply is unreliable it was decided to design and develop a system which works on gravity fall concept (as pumps cannot work without power and using solar power for pumping is no optimization) and should run on solar power. We designed a system and approached the ‘Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission’, ‘Department of Drinking Water Supply’, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India with above said project of the Design & Development of Solar PV Power System and Studies on UV Water Disinfection Plant

The project was accepted for a total outlay of Rs. 7.8 Lakhs and with Dr. Anil Kumar Pandey, the Member Secretary of our organization as its Principal Investigator. Here is a copy of the Sanction Order for the release of First Installment of Grant-in-aid and Sanction letter of the Government of India for installation of the Demonstration Unit at Haiderpur Water Treatment Plant, New Delhi. The system was designed, developed, fabricated and successfully tested incorporating it in the central water supply system of Delhi.

Some of the salient features of this project are as under:-

  • Converts microbial contaminated water to safe drinking water.
  • The drinking water conforms to ISI the national safety standards.
  • Plant consumes only 50 Watts of Solar power.
  • It delivers about 15 liters drinking water per minute.
  • The system can run on Solar Power/AC Power or even 12 V, 120 AH battery.
  • It is rugged system and has been successfully tested under field conditions for six months without any failure.

The technology of the system was given to the Government of India. The copy of the front page of the Brochure can be downloaded here.

3. Construction of a Public Library in Rural Area

The Centre, in the year 2011, decided to extend its activities to rural area. It was deliberated and thought that the alleviation of poverty is possible only through knowledge dissemination in the sphere of their activities. It was therefore decided to establish a public library in a rural area. Kanaila village of Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India being the native place of Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan was chosen as the place and the building (area 600 square feet) of the public library was constructed. The ‘Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Jana Pustakalaya’ (‘Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Public Library) is now operational. It has about 2500 books and some magazines and daily newspaper are also available to the readers. M/s Philips India very kindly installed solar power plant free of cost. This library does not draw power from the main grid.

Solar Powered RMRC Library

Solar Powered RMRC Library

The library is found to be very useful to all the sections of rural population of Kanaila and surrounding villages. The students do their homework as electricity from grid is available only for limited time. The medical camps are organized from time to time. A Farmers Conference on ‘Self-reliance of farmers and his sustained in changing Environment’ was also organized.   

Thus we can say that the library is, in a very small way, playing a positive role in changing the life of people of the area in which it is situated. More and more such efforts are desired.