homelink newsletter, vol 3 issue 15 may june

Homelink Newsletter

Inside this issue:

RTE & its Reality in

India

2

Missing Children:

Who cares?

5

News from Partners 6

Case Studies 10

Monitoring Visit

of HLK Partners

12

Repeal & Re-

enactment of Juvenile

Justice Act

13

Educational Status

Report

14

Children's

Performance

15

Director’s Desk

“The child’s mind is indeed not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ig-

nited” – Plutarch

Every child is special as he/she is born with his/her own set of unique inher-

ent talents, latent potentials, skills and creativity. They have a right to live

with dignity. We as the citizens of this great nation should give every op-

portunity to their intellectual, spiritual and social growth. The steps to be

taken are not only by protesting, taking out rallies and making laws, but to create awareness

by changing their mind set.

Dear Friends & Partners, this issue of Homelink Newsletter highlights on EDUCATION &

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES rendered by our Networking Partners. Every child has a

right to education. Is it a wishful dream or reality for our children?

It is said that one day partially deaf four year old child came home with a note in his pocket

from his teacher. “Your son is too stupid to learn, get him out of the school”. His mother

read the note and answered, “My son is not too stupid to learn, I will teach him myself”. And

that son grew up to be the great Thomas Edison. He had only three months of formal school-

ing.

Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way. History proves that

many slow learners have become qualified writers and scientists in their lives, because the

teachers offered them basic skills necessary for learning at the rate of a normal student at

their stage.

“Every piece of marble has a statue in it waiting to be released by a man of sufficient skill to

chip away the unnecessary parts. Just as the sculptor is to the marble, so is education to the

soul. It releases it. For only educated men are free men. You cannot create a statue by smash-

ing the marble with a hammer, and you cannot by force of arms release the spirit or the soul

of man,” so says Confucious.

The socio-economic, political, pluralistic religious and cultural scenario, prevailing in India

today, with its challenges and opportunities, impels us to re-look at the Right to Education

and its realities. Let us listen to the voice of a child, “If you touch me soft and gentle, if you

look at me and smile at me, if you listen to me and then talk to me, I will grow, really grow”.

This voice challenges us to be true educators to prepare our children to learn and to enter a

global world, to participate in a democracy, make a living wage and be lifelong learners.

Let us acknowledge that every child in India deserves quality education. Let us recognize

that the surest path to development is through quality education to our children. Let our

motto be “overcome evil with good” and let our goal be “quality education to every child”.

Joe Prabu

National Director

“We must view young

people not as empty

bottles to be filled,

but as candles to be

lit.“

Robert H. Shaffer

May-June 2014

Volume 3, Issue 15

RTE & its Reality in India

The importance of education cannot be denied in one‟s life. It is

essential for eradicating poverty and it allows people to be

more productive and playing greater roles in economic life and

earning a better living. The education is the key which allows

people to move up in the world, seek better jobs, and ultimately

succeed in their lives. The importance of primary education has

been neglected by India since independence knowingly or un-

knowingly. However, Government of India tried to improve the primary education by bringing

legislation i.e. Right to Education Act (RTE) 2009. The law that is in force in the country from

April 1, 2010 is derived from the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act. The Act entitles each child

aged 6 to 14 years to free and compulsory elementary education as the fundamental right. With

this, India has moved forward to a rights based framework that casts a legal obligation on the Cen-

tral and State Governments to implement this fundamental child right as enshrined in the Article

21A of the Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of the RTE Act.

The important features highlighted in RTE are:

Every child in the age group of 6 to 14 years shall have a right to free and compulsory edu-

cation in a nearby school.

Private and unaided educational institutes shall have to keep 25% of the seats for students

belonging to the weaker sections.[The Supreme Court ruled that minority institutions were outside the ambit of

the Right To Education (RTE) Act and they cannot be hence obligated to reserve 25 per cent seats for students from so-

cially and economically weaker sections of the society (Utkarsh Anand, Indian Express, New Delhi, May 6th 2014)]

No child should be failed or expelled and will not be required to pass any board examina-

tion till the age of 14.

It lays down the norms and standards relating inter alia to Pupil Teacher Ratios (PTRs),

buildings and infrastructure, school-working days, teacher-working hours. All students who complete their elementary education shall be awarded certificate.

Financial burdens shall be shared between the center and states.

RTE lays down a timeframe of three years to meet all the norms except for the tar-

get of teacher training to be achieved by 2015. On 1st April, 2013, India completed

three years of enactment of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Educa-

tion Act, 2009. This legislation, laid down a time bound agenda to address some of

the long pending gaps in the educational system, yet to be realized. Only eight per

cent schools have complied with the Right to Education (RTE) norms despite the

deadline for their implementation coming to an end about a year ago (http://

www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-only-8-schools-have-complied-with-rte-norms-1969172).

The Act has brought out some changes in the education system. It is an undeniable

fact that additional government resources have been allotted, more teacher posts created and infra-

structure sanctioned and administrative changes brought about. This enactment opened new possi-

bilities for improving the quality of school education in the country. Consequently, several initia-

tives were taken at the national and state levels by individuals, groups, networks and alliances.

Though the Act brought some sporadic changes in education, much had not reaped as per the Act

outlined. For example, the Act does not take care of the children who fall between the age below

six and over 14 years. There is no auditing or review to check whether RTE is implemented in the

states. Although the Act was notified in 2010, and all states were asked by the Centre to imple-

ment the Act, its efficacy has not completely been proven in many states. Again there is no reliable

statistics available on out-of-school children in our country. There are no criteria mentioned to

check the quality of learning except for Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).

The Supreme Court ruled that

minority institutions were outside

the ambit of the Right To Educa-

tion (RTE) Act and they cannot

be hence obligated to reserve 25

per cent seats for students from

socially and economically

weaker sections of the society

( Indian Express,New Delhi,

May 6th 2014)]

2 Homelink Newsletter (May-June 2014)

http://indianexpress.com/profile/author/utkarsh-anand/

The Twelfth Five Year Plan document points out that (2) only 4.8 % of the

school in the country achieved RTE compliance in all the nine indicators

(Twelfth Five Year Plan, Vol.III, and Social Sectors). According to RTE Stock Tak-

ing Forum (2013), "Irrespective of the party in power, no state has

fully implemented RTE. This is the case from Gujarat, with a 14.4%

compliance rate even in Ahmedabad, to Mizoram with the lowest com-

pliance rate of zero per cent in Serchhip district (Status of Implementation of the

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009: Year Three (2012-13)

The Act has faced some challenges for a proper implementation in all the states.

The major challenges to achieve the objectives and promises are financial challenges, qual-

ity of education and qualified teachers, adequate infrastructure, to bring child laborers to schools,

etc.

Financial challenge

The fiscal burden of the RTE has to be shared between the center and the states in the ratio of

55:45 and 90:10 for the North-Eastern States. Many states of India like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and

Punjab have expressed their incapability to mobilize funds and they would not be able to imple-

ment the Act in the absence of funds from the center. The state of Orissa wants the same status as

of the North Eastern states with respect to the Act. With this situation, how can the implementation

of RTE expect improvement in infrastructure, trained teachers, more facilities in schools?

Quality of education and qualified teachers

The number of hours of teaching has a significant

impact on learning. It is a fact that, about one

fourth of the teachers of government school remains on leave in India at any given point of time

and most of them are not able to do full justice to their professions due to numerous reasons. No

consistent provision for substitute teachers is made available in the schools. The Act emphasis that

school drop outs and other kids who are unable to get education, would be brought back into the

education stream again. This provision demands recruitment of more teachers in school. Accord-

ing to a report (www.dnaindia.com), only 59.67% of students are in schools that have met the teacher

student ratios outlined in RTE. Further, while RTE mandates that all teachers in the country be

trained by 2015, (3) India has 6.6 lakh untrained teachers and 5 lakh vacant positions.

The actual situation in few northern states is that there are hundreds of students in one class. An-

other report says that, the average Student Classroom Ratio (SCR) across schools in Bihar was

found to be 82 indicating a significant load of students per classroom, which is 30 at national level

(The Economic Times (Aug 27, 2013), Bihar schools lag in implementing right to education). The

average Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) was found higher than the RTE norm and all India count of 30

in states like Bihar (51), Jharkhand(39) and Uttar Pradesh(38) as per official statistics of National

University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), 2013-14.

RTE Act prohibits holding back and expulsion of a child from school till the accomplishment of

elementary education. The „no detention‟ provision in the RTE Act does not mean that children's

learning will not be assessed. The RTE Act makes provision of Continuous and Comprehensive

Evaluation (CCE) procedure to assess the child‟s learning and performance in a more constructive

way. The CCE became very mechanical in nature and making the children busy without learning

anything substantial. Children come to these schools, get a free meal and it bothers no one whether

Only 4.8 % of the

school in the country

achieved RTE

compliance in all the

nine indicators

(Twelfth Five Year

Plan, Vol.III, and

Social Sectors)

India has 6.6 Lakh untrained teachers and 5 Lakh vacant

positions.

Homelink Newsletter (May-June 2014) 3

they are making any progress at all. (4)Enrollment level has gone up and de-

clined in reading and writing skills among children. It led to the preference

for private schooling by the parents and created the demand and need for pri-

vate tuition. According to a research study conducted in Haryana, found that

most of the investigated schools are able to fulfill basic infrastructure ex-

cept a few but

with regard to curriculum assessment, teachers training and other related issues

they are lagging far behind. The findings showed that there has been some progress

only in terms of enrollment/basic infrastructure but towards guaranteeing quality educa-

tion in terms of student learning the state has to go a long way (Ojha Seema S. Implementing Right to Educa-

tion: Issues and challenges, Research Journal of Educational Sciences, Vol. 1(2), 1-7, May (2013),

Infrastructure

Infrastructure spell out the requirement of number of class rooms, library facility, play ground and

playing materials, toilet facility for boys and girls separately, drinking water facility, all weather

building, etc. The survey on 'Elementary Education in India', conducted by the National University

of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), highlighted the fact that almost half of the

recognized elementary schools in the country do not have separate toilets for girls. In the same sur-

vey (5)found that the government schools in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand do not have sufficient class rooms (Department of School Education and

Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India, DISE 2013-14, National University of Educational Plan-

ning and Administration, 2014, New Delhi). As per the findings of a study commissioned by State Commis-

sion for Protection of Child Rights, Bihar lagged on different counts of infrastructure and basic

facilities like kitchen shed, library, playground, sanitation, free text books and potable water facili-

ties (http://cp.bangladeshinfo.com/education/indian-schools-lag-in-implementing-education-act). It is very clear that the

financial burden shouldered by Centre and State have not produced any expected impact. And also

there is no clear demarcation between the responsibilities of the center and state and it seems to be

a challenge to work out the details.

RTE and Child labour

RTE has become a fundamental right of each and every child, therefore, the

children who are out of schools and child labours should be brought back to

schools. Childhood poverty and slavery (includes slavery-like practices such as

debt bondage, forced marriage, and sale or exploitation of children, human

trafficking and forced labour) has forced many children into the workplace

rather than the classroom. The dropout and never enrolled children tend to be

the most marginalized and most disadvantaged such as child labourers, street

children, migrant children, children in conflict affected areas and the disabled

need more focused efforts. Meeting this target would require huge efforts from

the state to accelerate implementation of the existing provisions under the Right to Education Act

and eventually provide equitable and quality education. Despite the government‟s 2012 ban of all

types of child labor under the age of 14, little has changed in the past two years. According to the

recent Global Slavery Index, (6)India ranked 4th among countries with highest prevalence of mod-

ern slavery (www.globalslaveryindex.org, www.globalslaveryindex.org/country/india/).

Enrollment level has

gone up and reading

and writing skills has

declined .opened the

door to prefer private

schools by the

parents and more

demand and need for

private tuition to

their wards.

The government schools in

Andhra Pradesh, Madhya

Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Orissa, Rajasthan and

Uttarakhand do not have

sufficient class rooms (National University of

Educational Planning and

Administration, 2014, New

Delhi).


Conclusion

I would like to state that passing an act is not sufficient. The need

of hour is to implement and monitor the Act properly. The level

of basic education has got changed and the urgent necessity is

that to focus on more in higher level of education than the pri-

mary education. Teachers should be free from all types of extra duties

assigned to them by the government. The consistent monitoring and intention of

the political will is a must to implement the Act successful to bring the intended results in our

country. Along with the political will, the success and failure of RTE would

largely depend on participation of all the stakeholders. Budgetary allocation of

funds should be sufficient in achieving universal elementary education. Infrastruc-

ture and quality of teachers .should be enhanced as per the Act. To curb the drop

outs from the school, school environment need to be converted into child friendly

through the inclusion of more practical learning. The youth and civil society

should come forward and spread the usefulness of education to illiterate parents

who are unable to appreciate the relevance of education in curbing the social evils

Sr. Mary

Program Coordinator

India ranked 4th among

countries with highest

prevalence of modern

slavery

(www.globalslaveryindex

.org).

Missing Children: Who cares?

Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanagam the Regional Councillor

for South Asia, and the President of SPCSA, released

the book by presenting the first copy to Fr. Fr. Balaraju

Raminedi, the Provincial in-charge of the SPCSA for

the YaR regional commission, on the first day of the

SPCSA General Assembly Meet.

Fr. Maria Arokiam handed over the second and third

copies to Fr. Koshy George, the newly appointed Sec-

retary of YaR, and to Fr. Mathew Thomas, the outgo-

ing YaR Secretary, in the presence of other 40 Sale-

sians from all the Salesian Provinces of the South Asia region, including all the Provincial Superiors.

``The whole issue of child protection, particularly of missing children, is a matter of growing concern

among child rights activists and policy makers``, said Fr. Prabhu prior to the book release. He bewailed the

lack of coordination among the different stakeholders of child care, and lack of knowledge of procedures

and the insensitive handling of cases of missing children in general. He expressed the motive behind the

publication of the book saying that ``The vision of a safe and secure environment for all children as envis-

aged in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, is still a distant reality. But we

can, and we must, push for more concerted action to control and eliminate the growing menace, and we

cannot allow this to be swept under the carpet.`

``Missing Children: Who cares?`` brings together recent statistics, relevant laws, guidelines, court-rulings,

initiatives and interventions of many stakeholders in their task of working to find untraceable missing chil-

dren. The book has informative chapters dealing with the concept of the Missing Children; International

and national protocols on Missing children; Interventions on Missing Children from the Government of

India, the State Governments and NGO`s; and ways and means of tackling the problem of missing children,

including efforts by YaR through Child Safety Net and Home Link systems. The book is dedicated to the

victim children of the country in the hope that it will provide a breakthrough for child safety net in the lives

of Indian children.

.


World Day against Child Labour

On 12th June, 2014, during the morning assembly at Shelter

Don Bosco, Mumbai, Fr. Jesu Robinson, Mr. Eustace & Mr.

Datta Gade gave a session on Child Labour. The important

information about child rights and child labour was pre-

sented by speakers in detail. Current issues about child la-

bour in Mumbai city were also explained. It was an interac-

tive session as boys participated in discussion. A video

presentation on Child Labour was also filmed. By the end

of the program all the children became aware about Child

Labour and also understood that Child Labour is a mishap

to our society.

The boys at Shelter Don Bosco were grateful for the knowledge provided

to them by the coordinators and speakers at the center.

Mr. Datta K. Gade

Mumbai Hub Coordinator

English Vinglish Don Bosco, Anbu Illam, Coimbatore, hosted a summer camp from 21st April to 17th May, 2014 for

students who have completed 10th, 11th, & 12th classes. Chil-

dren were taught Spoken English and basic grammar. „Speak

English‟ became a slogan among students, as they conversed

only in English and accordingly individual points were

marked. During computer classes, the basic functionalities of

Microsoft Office were taught and shortcut keys were intro-

duced to enhance their speed. The weekly revision and

month long program was tested through Quiz Programmes

and Games and points were awarded.

The peak of the summer camp was on the final day, when the

students organized the „Goodbye‟ function with all the cul-

tural programmes presented in English with great surprises of

their ability to express themselves in English. It ended with

the distribution of certificates and prizes according their per-

formances.

Ms. Jacqueline

Coimbatore Hub-Coordinator

Education is the most

powerful weapon we can use

to change the world.

Nelson Mandela

Education is not prepara-

tion for life; education is

life itself -

John Dewey

Only the Educated

are Free…


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.706076756116112.1073741896.100001413821420&type=1

“Stop Child Labour, Protect Child Rights”

On the eve of the International day against Child Labour, 11th

June 2014, BOSCO CHILDLINE in association with the

schools surrounding Charmarajpet and city market along with

the Bangalore Police took out a massive rally to create aware-

ness to the public as well as to identify pockets where children

are employed for various forms of labour and checked the pos-

sibilities of rescuing them. The inauguration of the rally was

held at Old Fort High School Ground, more than 500 hundred

children from various schools participated. The rally was

flagged off by Shri R.V. Devaraj MLA Chickpet, who insisted

the need for stopping child labour from all commercial and non-

commercial sectors. He also mentioned that today‟s need is

education and it is important to give best education to all the

children and by employing them as child labourers we are

harming the society as well as the child‟s future.

On this occasion he released the posters and volunteers distributed pamphlets to the passengers,

shop keepers, bus travelers, auto owners, drivers, garage people and hotel owners, where child la-

bour is still prevalent. BOSCO prepared a CD on the rights of the children. Shri Devraraj appreci-

ated the efforts of BOSCO in reducing the child labourers in the city of Bangalore.

Children were brimming with energy and they wanted to tell everyone that the need of the hour is

to educate all children. So, they held high placards with beautiful themes like „Stop child labour,

send children to school‟ and shouted slogans to end the exploitation of children. A street play high-

lighting the theme was put up in Kalasipalyam and Shanti Nagar bus station by the children in a

specially designed vehicle.

The rally went through areas like Kalasipalya, JC Minerva circle, Vinobha Nagar where child la-

bour is usually at a high rate and ended at the Lalbagh Main Gate where the concluding ceremony

was held. The gathering was addressed by Shri Hungund, a Human Rights member. He empha-

sized on the need of awareness among the people on the issue of child rights. He referred about the

government sectors, especially the Child Rights Commission and the Human Rights Commission

for the role they have to play regarding the issue of child rights.

BOSCO undertook a week long door to door campaign in child labour prone places like Kalasi-

palyam, Agrahara, Gopalpura, Shivajinagar, KR Market, Vinobhanagar and Gandhinagar and is-

sued notice to the employers under JJ Act, Section 26. A signature campaign was also organized to

make these places child labour free. More than 5000 signatures were collected from

the public to stop child labour in their work places and its vicinities. On

the Anti-child Labour day, 12th June, BOSCO submitted the

memorandum to the Labour Minister, Labour C o m -

missioner and District Collector during the public f u n c -

tion at Kanteerva stadium.

Mr. Binu Varghese

State MCB Coordinator


An investment in

knowledge pays the best

interest. Benjamin Franklin

State Level Consultation on Children in Kerala

A State Level Consultation on Missing Children and Track

Child System was organized by Kerala State Commission

for the Protection of Child Rights in the State Capital of

Kerala, Trivandrum, on 22 May 2014. Fr. Philip Parakatt

SDB, Member of Kerala State Child Rights Commission,

was the key Organizer of the Consultation. Fr. Philip be-

longs to the Salesian Province of Bangalore. He was in-

volved in the ministry towards young at risk for the past

two decades. The forum consisted of ministers, bureaucrats, Police Officers and activists in the

field.

Vocation Camps at Don Bosco Lonavla

The cradle of vocations to the Mumbai province, Don Bosco

Lonavla, hosted two vocation camps beginning from May 2-12,

2014. Seventy enthusiastic young boys participated in these

camps. The house of Lonavla, with its beauty and inspiring his-

tory, gave way to a wonderful experience to the campers.

Addiction to De-addiction Snehalaya in collaboration with SOS conducted a de-

addiction camp, a first of its kind in Assam, at the SOS

village at Bhakatpara, Darrang District. 22 boys from

Snehalaya Drop-in Centre as well as Railway Station,

streets, markets and slums of Guwahati participated in

the month-long camp from 2nd to 29th May 2014. The

children participated in the camp voluntarily as they

want to quit the habit of substance abuse.

One of the most challenging issues of the vulnerable

children is their addiction to substances like dendrite,

erasex and tobacco products which are easily available in the stationery shops and general stores at

cheap rates.

Since there are no de-addiction treatments available specifically for children in Assam, it was

thought that a child-specific intervention may wean the children from these substances. The camp

was an effort to provide these children an environment where not only these substances are not

available but several positive inputs like green surroundings, recreation like sports and music, craft

activities along with professional counselling were provided.

The outcome of the camp has been very encouraging as most of the children are determined to quit

the habit and study further. Most of the children from the camp are now at different homes of Sne-

halaya and are preparing to enrol in regular schools. The others are in touch with the workers of

Snehalaya and are being supported in keeping away from substance abuse.

Ms. Meenal Gandhe

Guwahati Hub-Coordinator


Evening Degree Course for Disadvantaged Youth

In keeping with the Spirit and Mission of Don Bosco, St. An-

thony`s College, Shillong will open its doors to the under-

privileged youths of the state who desire to continue their

education and to graduate from a reputed institution. Its

Bachelors of Arts Pass Course (Evening Shift), due to begin

from 2014 onwards is geared specifically towards meeting

the needs of students who were unable to find admission into

good colleges of the town due to their low percentage.

Young at Risk have Great fun at Summer Camp

Don Bosco Navajeevan Rehabilitation centre, Raman-

thapur (Hyderabad), Home for Street involved and young

at Risk Children, organized a month long summer camp

which began on 1st May 2014 and ended it with sweet

memories on 31st of May 2014. The children from Don

Bosco Navajeevan, Nampally too came over to Raman-

thapur for the concluding programme. Fr Thathireddy

Vijay Bhaskar, the Vice Provincial of the Salesian Prov-

ince of Hyderabad, was the Chief Guest for the event.


Education for Life!

“315 million Indians are studying,” as reported in Times of India (3rd July 2014). If they were to

form a country only of their own, they would form the fourth largest country in the world. The US

has a total population of only 318 million. China, despite being the most populous country in the

world has only 252 million students – perhaps a result of its decades-old one-child policy.

It is interesting to note that over 33 million Indian students are above the age of 30 and it isa great

sign. I wonder whether this number consists of those who are only studying or includes those that

work and study at the same time. I used to be amused by people who say, “I have completed my

studies.” What could that mean – that there is nothing left for them to learn? – that they are not

studying anything specifically towards getting a certificate, diploma or degree? The smart people

are those who keep learning something new every day, whether formally or informally, whether

for a “degree” or for better results at work or for their own personal growth and satisfaction.

It is even more interesting that 1.2 million Indians above the age of 60 declare that they are

“studying”, and 120,000 people above 80 are also “students”. If this is not the result of a poorly

worded or badly misunderstood question in the census, but reflects the reality, it is wonderful

news. I once met a person in Belgium who was above 70 and was studying Aramaic so that he

could read the Bible in the language of Jesus. How wonderful the attitude of people above 60 and

80 who take up serious studies once again!

10.5 million Indian students are in the age group 0 to 4. They are 10% of all the kids in that age

bracket. Is that a “good” sign or a “bad sign”?

M.C. George

Director - BoscoNet

Ask, Search and Knock

P. Eshwar, 10 year old, hails from Nellore. He came to

Vijayawada in search of his father, who was selling waste

paper in a town of Vijayawada. During the search the boy

lost his way and ended up at a railway station in Vijay-

awada. He was picking up rags in order to earn his living

that is when the Street Presence team from Navajeevan

Bala Bhawan spotted him and brought him to the center.

Initially the boy was kept in a temporary shelter through

childline in Tana Rescue center. The boy wanted to go home desperately, thus, the Home Integra-

tion staff decided to search for boy‟s parents. At first Nellore police station was approached but on

receiving no response from them, Childline office was approached, yet the parents of Eshwar were

not found.

Then, staff from Navajeevan along with the boy went to Nellore in search of his parents. After a

long search in areas like Yana Dula and D.Dibba the team was successful in restoration of the boy

with his parents.

Alias Rajesh Rajesh, a 14 year old boy was found roaming aimlessly in

Visakhapatnam Railway Station in school uniform. From

his behavior he was identified as a first time run away and

was brought to Navajeevan by the field Staff, Mr. D.

Raviprasad. He was a student of a welfare hostel and on

reaching home for Dasara holidays he found that both his

parents died in a road accident and that nobody had in-

formed him about this as he was the only child and they

had settled down in that locality from a distant place very

recently. Even his only maternal uncle had left the house

some time ago after a family dispute. He did not want to return to the hostel as the thought of his

dead parents kept haunting him. He adjusted well to the Navajeevan climate and was found to be

happy and well behaved.

After spending much time with him in counselling by Fr. Thomas, he gave the number of his

school Principal and agreed to return to the school. On contacting the Principal we were told that

the boy had not returned to the hostel after the holidays and that both his parents were alive. He

has an elder brother and a younger sister too. His parents were contacted immediately and they

Mr. Prakash, construction worker and Mrs. Mamatha, housewife rushed to Navajeevan without

any further waste of time as they were looking for him frantically everywhere and had even filed a

missing complaint with the police. Mamatha had made up to end her life if the boy was not found

for two more days.

They told that his real name was Velanganni Raju and not Rajesh as he had told us. While he gave

the information as a 5th class student, in fact he was studying in 9th Std. His parents were loving

people and he too was very caring and affectionate to them. They told that his real name was Ve-

langanni Raju and not Rajesh as he had told us. While he gave the information as a 5th class stu-

dent, in fact he was studying in 9th Std. His parents were loving people and he too was very caring

and affectionate to them. Whenever he used to ring up from the hostel he advised them to take the

10 Homelink Newsletter (May-June

medicines regularly and not to neglect their health. So for them too it is a mystery why he ran

away from home.

In the course of the conversation his mother told that her father was run over by a lorry and killed

on the spot. Perhaps this thought lingered in his mind and he imagined that his parents too will be

lost in a similar manner. Therefore he dreaded such a tragedy and was running away before it

could happen. What drives people to different untoward deeds is a mystery but a helping hand and

a loving word at the right time can save a life and even a family too. His parents left the Nava-

jeevan Office with tears; may be that of happiness or that of gratitude, or even a mixture of both.

Next day they returned with the entire family beaming with joy and a donation for Navajeevan.

May Velanganni Raju grow up to be a blessing to himself and to his family.

At last I am back Home!

V. Satish, a 16 year old hailing from Vissanna Peta, Krishna Dis-

trict, ran away from his grandfather‟s house at the age of eight.

The boy was found by the staff of Navajeevan Bala Bhawan,

was placed in Chiguru, and then shifted to government home in

Eluru. At Eluru he was diagnosed with HIV positive, due to

which he had to be shifted to Nirmal Hriday Bhavan.

The boy was missing his parents and wanted to meet them. So,

the Home Integration staff decided to home place the boy. The staff took the boy to his village Pu-

trela. Reaching the village they found out that the boy‟s parents had migrated to Hyderabad long

back. The staff continued their search and got to know that his parents had later shifted to another

place called Kotipallygudem. It is after talking to the Gram Sarpanch they got to know that the

boy‟s parents had died because of HIV and the elder sister was married off.

The staff continued their search in search of other relatives; at the end they were successful in find-

ing the boy‟s uncle and aunty in the Putrela Village. Both the boy and the relatives were overjoyed

on seeing each other. They were grateful to Navajeevan Bala Bhawan and Nirmal Hriday Sisters

for their care and concern throughout the home placement process.

Shocking! Appalling! Shameful!

On 25 June, 2014, Jayanti Nayak, 14 years, from Ganjam District of Orissa, committed suicide.

Jayanti needed a fresh notebook and pencil. Her parents could not afford to buy them as her father

was bed ridden and is just back to work after three months. On the same day Jayanti told her

mother she could not go to school without the notebook and pencil and would stay back home for

the day. After her mother left for work she doused herself in Kerosene and set fire to herself. The

neighbours saw fire and smoke coming out of the house. They rushed in and took her to the hospi-

tal, but she passed away.

Some people wonder why NGOs get into education when we have so many government schools

and a wonderful programme like Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan (SSA). A lot remains to be done despite

our beautiful policies and schemes. NGOs like Don Bosco still have a LOT to do!

The Purpose of Education is to replace an

empty mind with an open one.


Montu makes Snehalaya proud

Montu Kalita is a 17 years old boy living at Snehalaya, Guwahati, since

2004. In last ten years he has blossomed into an intelligent youth with many

talents. His cheerful and confident demeanour impresses one and all. He

recently passed his matriculation examination with 73% from Don Bosco

High School, Hojai. He also received laurels in subjects, like, English,

Computer Science and Social Science. He is a student of the school since

2005 and has excelled in many co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

He also has been a class monitor and a „House Leader‟.

Other than studies, Sports are Montu‟s favourite activity. He has won nu-

merous medals in sports, like, football, basketball, cricket, badminton, etc.

He loves to travel and make new friends. He is a role model for the children

of Snehalaya and his school. Snehalaya family as well his school is extremely happy at Montu‟s

achievement and wish him all the very best.

Monitoring visit of Homelink Network Partners

The monitoring visit was conducted by the National team, com-

prising of Joe Prabu, Austin Francis and Mary, during the

month of June 2014 in different Hubs in South India. The pur-

pose of visit is to understand the efforts and achievements of

each Hub in Homelink Network programme for the children &

young at risk, to appraise the functions of the Hub in line with

the MoU and to guide the Hub personnel for further monitoring

of their Nodes.

The team visited Coimbatore, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hydera-

bad Hubs and some of their Nodes as well from 3rd June to 13th

June. Hubs presented the current status of their nodes and their

level of documentation with the usage of Child MISS Web ap-

plication. Field visits were made to interact with organization

staff and children to comprehend the ground realities and its

application to Child MISS. Meetings were held with hub and

node directors discussing on the progress and development so far, the challenges and way for-

ward. The national team introduced simplified formats for the data entry of child basic and fur-

ther information, proposed the possibility of multi-user license for data entry at department or

sub centre level and demonstrated on the various possibilities of data filtering and report genera-

tion. We also discussed brief about the presentation of monthly reports of the status of the vari-

ous services rendered to children and young people in the staff meeting of the organization. Dur-

ing the monitoring visit, each Hub was given a checklist on Hub functionalities and performance

for their own internal assessment and later it was submitted to the National office.

In short, the outcome of the visit is that all the hubs and nodes had taken a progressive step for-

ward to make the respective hubs and nodes active in function.

Sr.Mary

Program Coordinator


Repeal & Re-enactment of Juvenile Justice Act

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children".

- Nelson Mandela

The Women and Child Development Ministry has decided to repeal and re-enact the JJ Act, 2000.

A draft of the proposed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 incorporating

the suggestions already received during previous consultation process has been uploaded on the

website wcd.nic.in for suggestions/comments from the civil society organisations, non government

organisations and individuals by 3rd July 2014.

Over the last few years, concerns regarding protection of children and implementation issues re-

lated to the legislation have arisen, which need to be addressed as a priority through strengthening

of existing provisions and introduction of new clauses in the Act. The Women and Child Develop-

ment Ministry had discussions with States / UTs and Civil Society Organisations and the following

issues came up:

1. Increase in reported incidents of abuse of children in institutions, family and communities.

2. Inadequate facilities, quality of care and rehabilitation measures in Homes.

3. Delays in various processes under the Act, such as decision by the Child Welfare Committees

(CWCs) And Juvenile Justice Boards leading to high pendency of cases.

4. Delay in adoption process.

5. Inadequate provision to deal with offences against children.

6. Provisions related to juveniles in conflict with law, in the age group of 16 to 18 years, etc.

We as a network have presented two-fold suggestions with explanation (issue based & on specific

sessions) with the view that this bill will ensure the objectives of child rights preservation, holistic

development and protection of children. The following are some of the highlights for amendment:

1. Name of the Act: Children in Need of Care and Protection Bill 2014 or The Children (Justice,

Care And Protection) Bill 2014.

2. Children are all those below 18. There should be no exception whatsoever. There should be

mandatory age verification by authorized hospitals.

3. CWC and JJB must be with competent people who are committed to the welfare of children,

without any magistrate or lawyer or Public servant in it.

4. Child in Conflict with the Law (CCL) has to be a sub-section of Child in Need of Care and

Protection (CNCP). The child is presented before CWC and the committee decides those to be

referred to JJB.

5. Cases involving detention, prosecution or penalty of imprisonment. Matters or processes relat-

ing to apprehension, production before court, disposal order and restoration and hence restora-

tive justice is applicable to CCL and not retributive justice.

6. Definition on Missing Children and the need to create a social network system like that of the

Missing Child Bureau to address the issue with Govt. support and NGO Network.

7. Procedures and decisions related to adoption of children and rehabilitation and reintegration of

children in conflict with law or as the case may be, in need of care and protection under such

other law.

8. Means to ensure the rights of the child from the Government and its functionaries and to pro-

vide sufficient human and financial resources.

Joe Prabu

National Director


http://wcd.nic.in/

Educational Status Total No. of Children : Male 914

Female 624

Total 1538

S.No Educational Status No. of Children

Male Female Total

1 Classes 1-5 353 269 622

2 Classes 6-8 286 172 458

3 Classes 9-10 94 31 125

4 ITI Formal & Informal 121 104 225

5 Polytechnic/Degree Course/Certificate/Diploma 13 19 32

6 Not attending School 34 24 58

7 Any Other 13 5 18

Total 914 624 1538

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400 353

286

94121

1334

13

269

172

31

104

19 245

Male Female

HLK Partners—Educational Status

Children's Performance

S.No Name Age School Organisation’s Name % Photo

Class X

1 Ravi Chandran M. 15 St. Paul‟s Hr. Secon-

dary School, Salem

The Salem Don Bosco

Anbu Illam Social Ser-

vice Society

81.4

2 Shiv Kumar 17 Madakeri High School,

Hosept

Don Bosco Hospet 80.96

3 D. Vinitha 15 Ganapathy Govern-

ment Hr. Sec. School

Kovai

Marialaya – Coimbatore 76


4 Kotresh 17 Patil High School,

Hospet

Don Bosco Hospet 75.86

5 Montu Kalita 17 Don Bosco Hojai Snehalaya Don

Bosco,Guwahati

73

6 Ashok 16 St. Michaels Boys. Hr.

Sec . School Don Bosco Anbu Illam,

Coimbatore

65

7 Vinitha Mary 17 15 Velampalayam Marialaya, Tirupur 53

8 Sagar 16 Govt.High School Tar-

fail Don Bosco PYaR, Gul-

barga

48.80

9 Laxmikant 16 Govt. High School Tar-


barga

48.48

10 Baburao 16 Govt.High School Tar-


barga

47.04

Class XII

1 Asha Baby 17 15 Velampalayam Marialaya, Tirupur 85

2 Krishna V 18 Corporation College Bosco Sumanahalli 71

3 Murugan 17 St. Michaels Boys .

Hr.sec School Don Bosco Anbu Illam,

Coimbatore

70

4 S. Mari Sarala

Mary

19 Presentation Girls Hr.

Sec. School - Kovai Marialaya – Coimbatore 62.75

5 Gangadar 18 Pragathi Bosco Sumanahalli 60

6 Gowtham. M 17 St. Paul‟s.

Hr. Sec. School Salem The Salem Don Bosco

Anbu Illam Social Ser-

vice Society

57.3

“The roots of Education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”

Aristotle



“Education is not the lightning of a pail, but the lightning of a fire”

W.B.Yeats

homelink newsletter, vol 3 issue 15 may june

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