VEDANTA KHUSHI - BE POLITE TO THE CHILDREN OF STREET, SAYS “KHUSHI”

I was travelling from Bangalore to Delhi in Karnataka Express. With fatigue of travelling almost 40 hours in train, with tons of baggage, it was quite an irritating and hectic journey. The time I got down on Delhi Station with all my baggage, a child not more than 6-7 years started pulling my shirt and started asking for money. As my hands were full of luggage and had a bag on my shoulder, I was getting terribly irritated. In all this push and pull my bag fell down and it opened. Everything inside the bag was on road. This was enough to push my patience and my hands did the rest.

Everyone who passed looked at me with anger and disgust. No one helped me. Rather everyone sympathised with the little child.

Though I left the Railway Station, that guilt of letting lose my hand stayed with me. From that day whenever I see a child begging I experience that guilt. Today, after almost 24 years, when I am attached with Vedanta’s “Khushi” campaign - for the underprivileged children in India, for their education, nutrition and health, I feel I am doing a bit for myself and for my country. My guilt has been now converted into energy.

The very first line that “Khushi” wrote to its members was ‘be polite to the children of street – they are not on street by choice but by force’.

With largest child population in the world and almost 1/3rd of world's malnourished children living in India, our country has to find a future for these crores of children. 

”Khushi” encourages individual efforts are what the country needs today.  Government, NGOs and Corporates cannot do it alone.

With about 50,000 members in the “Khushi” group on facebook from across the world, many want to donate money. But “Khushi” is not about donating money, but for donating time. Donations are not encouraged or accepted.

I am sure, many of you must be carrying some feeling for the underprivileged children in India. Here it is a chance to put value to life.. Join “Khushi” – www.facebook.com/groups/vedantakhushi. 

VEDANTA KHUSHI - LAKSHMI GOT SURPRISE GIFT OF HER BOOKS-NOTEBOOKS TODAY..

Lakshmi’s father works as car cleaner and has been cleaning many cars, including ours. A  work that he starts early morning. He is determined to educate his daughter, Lakshmi, and wants her to study till she wants. He has a cycle and daily drops Lakshmi to school, though the school is not far from his house. He proudly says, ‘I will clean more cars and do other work sir but education of Lakshmi will not stop’.  

We have been asking him about the education of his daughter since the final school result had come-out. He informed that she has passed satisfactorily and is now in class-I. After repeatedly asking, Lakshmi father informed that he has not been able to get the books for his daughter due to sudden expenditure pressure. May be he would buy after the summer vacations and till than he would save money.

Lakshmi has been asking for books from her father almost daily. Carrying empty bag to school, for a child who is keen to study, is very disappointing and discouraging, he informed.

My fear was that in all this financial crunch education of Lakshmi should not be left and the school should not remove her from the school.

This is when we decided to buy school books and other school items to Lakshmi so that she is sure of her continuation of school.

Adhering to the “Khushi” philosophy, giving cash was never considered. So I decided to go to the school myself, call Lakshmi and accordingly buy all the books and notebooks to her.

Today perhaps was the day. Lakshmi was called by the Administration Head of the school and she came with an old water bottle and an empty school bag. Neatly dressed she was quite, wondering what is in store for her. I told her that she would get books and notebooks and all other things that she requires to get good marks right now.

Lakshmi smiled and smiled and smiled.. also wondering why I was buying for her.

I requested the Administration Head to kindly get the books-notebooks. Lakshmi constantly kept looking at the Office Assistant who was to get the books. Honestly, the books did not cost much.

The Principal of the school asked me, ‘how was I related to this matter’. I explained him the objective of Vedanta’s “Khushi” and told him that ‘I did because I could’. ‘Someone else would also do, if he could too.’ 

I experienced a satisfaction of doing something for a needy child who wants to study.. and for Lakshmi, it was a bright “Khushi” on her face, a priceless “Khushi”. 

VEDANTA KHUSHI - VEDANTA ADOPTS 3056 ANGANWADI CENTRES IN RAJASTHAN

1000 Anganwadis in Rajasthan to be converted into Model Anganwadi Centres

Government of Rajasthan, Hindustan Zinc (a Vedanta Group company) and Vedanta Foundation today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) to adopt 3056 Anganwadi centres in five districts of Rajasthan - Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Ajmer for 5 years. This adoption will benefit more than 90,000 underprivileged children in the age group of 3-6 years and will contribute significantly towards their overall development that would include nutrition, education and primary health.

As part of further strengthening of these Anganwadi Centres, Hindustan Zinc and Vedanta Foundation would also convert 1000 Anganwadi Centres into model Anganwadis. This project would also be spread across a period of 5 years, and in each year 200 Anganwadis would be converted into model Anganwadis.  In these selected Model Anganwadi Centres, Hindustan Zinc and  Vedanta Foundation will carry out repair & renovation of the building, construction of child friendly toilets, story painting on inside wall, provide water filters, daris and swings. Uniform will also be provided to all the enrolled children.

All the Anganwadi Centres will get clean drinking water, new utensils and smokeless chulha for the kitchen. Supplementing morning breakfast, poha and groundnut will be provided.

Pavan Kaushik, Head of Corporate Communication, Hindustan Zinc, informed that “our focus is on overall growth and development of these rural children. Colorful books & charts, toys and other pre-school educational material will be provided by the company to encourage interactive play-way method. Hindustan Zinc will also provide special training on pre-school education to the Anganwadi workers of the all these Centers and to our own field coordinators for better coordination, understanding and learning.”

As per the new WHO guideline, adopted at all selected Anganwadi centers, digital weighing scale and hygiene up-keep items like hair oil, talcum powder, hand wash shop, phenyl and detergent will be provided. Special emphasis will be given to health & hygiene and weight measurement of these children.

Vedanta Group has a strong focus towards care for the underprivileged children. Mr. Anil Agarwal, Chairman – Vedanta Group has set his vision to make India a child malnourished free nation.

Since 2008 the Group has been associated and supported about 14,000 child care centers in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, and Odisha reaching about 500,000 rural children – for their nutrition, health and education. Incidentally the first MoU on adoption of Anganwadi Centres by Vedanta Group company Hindustan Zinc was also signed about 7 years back in the presence of Rajasthan Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje and Chairman of Vedanta Group, Anil Agarwal.

Vedanta had launched campaign “Khushi” that sensitizes common people towards care for the underprivileged children and take-up individual steps for such cause. The campaign is first of its kind ‘Non-Funding’ campaign which has more than 45,000 members across the globe on facebook. “Khushi” itself has 75 child-care Centres across India benefiting directly to about 2500 underprivileged children. Hindustan Zinc and Vedanta Foundation will be executing this project under “Khushi” campaign.

The MoU was signed today by Tribhuvan Pati, Additional Director (ICDS) from Government of Rajasthan and by CSR Mehta, Head-Corporate Relations, Hindustan Zinc. Also present on the occasion were Smt. Anita Bhadel (Independent Charge), Women and Child Development and Dr. Gurjot Kour, Additional Chief Secretary(WCD), GoR, Jaipur.

VEDANTA KHUSHI - TIMES OF INDIA - 1 IN 5 PRIMARY TEACHERS UNQUALIFIED

Subodh Varma, TNN | Apr 5, 2015, 12.41 AM IST

NEW DELHI: A fifth of all elementary school teachers in the country do not have the requisite qualifications to teach young children. If this doesn't shock you, take a look at what's going on at the state level. 

In a wide swathe starting from all eight states of the North-East (including Sikkim), through West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and up north in J&K, the share of qualified teachers is much lower, ranging between 29% in Arunachal Pradesh or 30% in Nagaland to 68% in MP and 70% in Jharkhand. It is through these untrained hands that the foundation of education is being laid in children. 

What is even more worrying is that according to district information system for education (DISE) - it's a school education database managed by the National University for Educational Planning - this condition has persisted for past many years. 

In larger states 90% or more teachers are professionally qualified. In Odisha, the proportion is 79% while in Uttar Pradesh it is 78%. Karnataka (96%) and Punjab (88%) show decline in proportion of qualified teachers. 

It's essential that teachers, especially of smaller children, be professionally trained, stresses Anita Rampal, professor at Delhi University's department of education. 

"Just knowing a subject or being a graduate is not sufficient qualification to become an elementary school teacher. You need to be trained in understanding the learning process of children, their diversity, and you need to develop necessary teaching skills under trained supervision," she said.

The situation in the eight North-Eastern states has been like this for many years. Elementary schools in Assam, the biggest state of the region, are running on just 39% trained teachers, virtually the same share as in 2006-07. Arunachal Pradesh has slid from having 35% trained teachers in 2006-07 to 29% now while Mizoram is facing a calamity - its share of trained teachers has plummeted from 61% in 2006 to 40% currently. Tripura and Sikkim have seen improvements, but at a worryingly slow pace. 

Bihar has one of the lowest shares of trained teachers, because teachers training colleges remained closed for about a decade, says Rampal, who explains the condition in North-East as arising from lack of teachers training colleges. In 2006-07, the share of qualified teachers in Bihar was 62%, which has now reduced to 43%. In West Bengal, too, the situation is fast sliding as the share of qualified teachers went down from 75% in 2006-07 to 49% in 2013-14. 

In Chhattisgarh, with 59% share of qualified teachers, and in Jharkhand with 70%, there has been only a marginal improvement in the past seven years. A similar situation exists in J&K where only 51% teachers were qualified in 2006-07 and now this share is 52%. 

School education is in the concurrent list of the Constitution with both, the states and Centre having power to deal with it. A large proportion of funds are provided by the Centre through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a centrally sponsored scheme. The regulation of teachers' qualification is done by a Central statutory body, the National Council for Teachers' Education. While it is mandatory for states to appoint qualified teachers to schools, clearly, the law is being brazenly flouted. 

The trend towards appointment of contractual or para- teachers which acquired great popularity through the 1990's has also contributed to the decline in teachers' qualification standards, experts believe. 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1-in-5-primary-teachers-unqualified/articleshow/46809604.cms