Issues of Children that need urgent attention

It was a wonderful moment on 26-10-12 for having discussed on the prime issues of Children in Koraqput region as the "Talking Point"  . Here we are listing some of the issues that were highlighted which were needed a greater attention .
1. Schools with less number of teachers and more children
2. Schools with less number of children and more number of teachers .
3.Teaching in Mother tongue of children in tribal areas .
4. Drop out of Children from schools for different reasons
5. Communication gap between teachers and children
6. Language of interaction at Pre-school level . Appointment of ICDS personnel to introduce children in their own language .
7. Lack of ownership by government agencies at grassroots to measures taken by civil society organisations and individuals .
8. Listening to children on issues that affect them .
9.Fear factor in children living in conflict zones like Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon blocks .
10. Knowledge of local language by the service providers for children at grassroots .
11. Local specific content in the syllabus for children .
12. Quality of teachers in the rural pockets .
13. Learning level in children.
14. Teachers overloaded  in other work than teaching .
15. Quality teachers are often taken as Resource persons , CRCC,BRCC preventing them direct contact with children .
16. Accountability of the service providers for children .
17. Shift of concern of educated and capable  parents from Govt.Schools and institutions after admitting their children in private establishments .
18. Non functioning and improper functioning  of most of School Management Committees (SMC) for lack of awareness among people at grassroots .
19. Lack of ownership of SMC for hostels as rarely any child of theirs stay in the same hostel . Children with their parents at far suffer silently .
20 . Inadequate infrastructure like rooms , water source , toilets , bath rooms ,  space for taking food, usable items  etc.. in hostels force children to stay in unhygienic condition .
21. Lack of awareness of people at grassroots , officials on Rights of Children
22. Children are not protected properly in most of the hostels .
23. No provision of a lady superintendent in most of the  Girls Hostels
24. No way for children to speak out their worries . Only serious things are coming to the surface .
25.  Hostels dont have anything to attract children to stay (Except KGBVs)
26. Irregular grants received from Government for managing the hostels .
27. Migration of parents cause serious problem for children to get education.
28. Lack of continuous tracking of issues of children by the community even after an issue gets surfaced . Lack of proper mechanism to monitor by third party for giving better service to children .
29. Issues of children rarely discussed with priority  in meetings from Villages to the district where PRI was involved .
30. Poor Health and Nutritional status of children .
31. Dependence of parents and other family members  over food items supplied to children like Eggs and Nutritional supplement at schools and Anganwadi centre .
32. Health issues like Sickle cell is left without concern .
33. Lack of Anganwadi centres near to children
34. Lack of proper attitude and  monitoring mechanism  by the concerned officials over the issues of children in respective departments  .
35. Preference of people  to adopt male children more  compared to the girls from the Orphanage .
If you have anything more to mention Please add in the comments . They too could be added before we submit the list to different sections of the society .

G.Gouri Sankar Rao , Social Worker

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

1. Malnutrition 

2. Dropout of children from schools 

3. Migration of Children 

Reasons :

1. Lack of Monitoring of ICDS programmes 

2. Irregular provision of Grants to the Hostel Schools 

3. Improper implementation of MGNREGA

Suggested Solution :

1. Emphasis on BCC

2. Proper monitoring of the schemes and programmes in relation to children be made 

3. Teaching Learning process should be made in the local language as far as possible .

4. Proper Village Development Planning . 

Nabin Chandra Sahu , Journalist , Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

1. Language of instruction for children in Schools 

2. Lack of adequate number of teachers in schools 

3. Non functioning of schools in places like Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon for many  days 

continuously 

Reasons :

1. Lack of proper management 

2. Lack of Focused approach by the district administration for meeting these challenges 

3. Lack of functioning of most of the School Management Committees 

Suggested Solution :

1. Regular visits by the administration to access and tackle the challenges that the  children face in these schools.

2. meeting of the administrators with the Parents and teachers at regular intervals(Monthly)   

Nabin Chandra Garada , Social Worker

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

1.Teacher- Student ration in Residential Schools managed by Government 

2. Protection issues in Girls Hostel 

3. Lack of adequate infrastructure in Hotels 

4. Less amount of Stipend for students in the school hostels 

Reasons :

1. Policy level change

2. Gents teachers are posted in Girls Hostels 

3. Irregular Fund release for the hostels 

Suggested Solution :

1. Maintain Student- Teacher ration properly 

2. Appointment of lady teachers for the Girls Hostels 

3. Better Hostel Infrastructure 

4. Regularisation of PTA & MTA meetings

5. Release of Funds for the management of the hostels in time .   

Kalu Charan Chotray , Teacher

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Lower Learning Level of Children according to their Class 

Reasons :

1. Multilevel Multi class teaching are not addressed properly

2. Teachers are forced to show many things to higher officials in the administration like Lesson Diary , Wall Hangings etc..

3. Teachers are engaged in many other work in addition to teaching 

  

Suggested Solution :

1. Teachers Posting as per PTR norms 

2. Teachers should be made Free from work like Construction of buildings , managing MDM etc and should be given more time to teaching in the class 

3. One Pilot programme like Pahach aiming at systemic approach towards better learning . 

Bimal Chand Patnaik , Social Worker

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Language of teaching -learning process in Schools and Dropout of Children 

Bhabani Sankar Mishra , Journalist , Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Protection of Girls in Residential Schools managed by Government 

Reasons :

No Security 

Suggested Solution :

Appoint only Lady Teachers in Residential Schools to manage the hostels  meant for Girls 

Sudarshan Ray , Social Worker , Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Education 

Reasons :

1. Appointment of unskilled teachers in schools

2. Lack of sufficient teachers in schools 

3. Lack of strong monitoring mechanism and Evaluation of the programmes at the school level 

4. Improper utilisation of Govt.Funds 

Suggested Solution :

1. Appoint Teachers who are intelligent and qualified to teach 

2. Stop Corruption in utilisation of funds meant for Education 

3. Relieve teachers from doing other work and apply them for  Teaching alone . 

U. Daniel , Social Worker

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

More and more children are out of school 

Reasons :

1. Lack of awareness and participation of community in school affairs

2. Poverty 

3. Lack of Quality of teaching in Schools

4. Lack of accountability by the service providers at different level 

  

Suggested Solution :

1. Efforts to bring children to the school

2. Develop accountability  of Teachers and Administrators 

Bidyut Mohanty , Social Worker , SPREAD , Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Malnutrition of Children 

Reasons :

Lack of Effective ICDS / Lack of community involvement in ICDS system 

Suggested Solution :

1. Transparency in ICDS 

2. More ICDS centre 

3. Community involvement in ICDS 

4. Mother tongue based pre-School education  

G.Rama Rao Patro , Social Worker , SOVA

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Drop out Children  / Understanding the Language of teaching by the child at the Primary and Pre-Primary school level / Residential School : Quality of Food , Behaviour of teachers towards children / protection of girl children  / Health & Nutrition Problem 

Reasons :

1. Lack of awareness 

2. Lack of Unity 

3. Lack of proper Policy 

4. Lack of Attitude of Teacher and Community 

Suggested Solution :

1. Prepare document on specific issues with proper evaluation 

2. Discuss with District Administration 

3. Civil Society need to come forward 

Sanjit Patnayak, Social Worker ,Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Protection of Girl Children in Residential Schools 

Reasons :

1.Attitude of the teachers towards Girl Child in not friendly 

2. Environment of the school is not Child Friendly 

Suggested Solution :

Promote a district level Child Right Network in Koraput and find out the status of Residential school existing in Koraput and pressurise the district administration to take stringent  action against the guilty 

S.Krishna , Social Worker , SOVA,Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Malnutrition

Reasons :

Early Marriage ,  Lack of Knowledge and Poverty 

Suggested Solution :

1. Creating Awareness among people on the issues 

2. Create Sustainable infrastructure for better livelihood .

Narasingha Das , Teacher ,Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Out of School , Never Enrolled and Drop out Children 

Reasons :

Illiterate Parents , Inadequate Planning 

Suggested Solution :

1. Proper Planning and Monitoring by different agencies 

Dr. Abhilash Nayak , RD , IGNOU,Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

1. Educational backwardness

2. Health concerns like contagious diseases and regular sickness

3. Problem of Orphans 

Reasons :

1. Inadequate Pupil- Teacher ratio in schools 

2. lack of proper infrastructure 

3. lack of appropriate attitude among many teachers 

4. Unhygienic living condition in home and hostels 

Suggested Solution :

1`. Appointment of teachers in Schools with higher density of Pupil-Teacher ratio 

2. Organisation of awareness camps to sensitise the parents and guardians 

3. Development of appropriate infrastructure in schools 

4. Community mobilisation and involvement 

5. Encouraging people to sponsor and adopt Orphans 

Akshaya Kumar Limal ,DPMU , Koraput

The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :

Undernourishment and lower learning level in Chldren  are two   major issues  for Children in Koraput region 

Reasons :

* Low Birth weight of children 

* Adolescent anaemic and Early Marriage 

* Dietary habit has shifted from Local available food to more of Rice consumption after the introduction of PDS 

* Lack of Commitment and accountability in Schools 

* Lack of adequate involvement of School Management Committee(SMC) in the management of the schools . 

Suggested Solution :

* Extensive BCC activities to enhance the marriageable age of girls in the communities 

* Better health Care of Pregnant women and Infant 

* Promotion of Locally available food 

* Intensive monitoring of School and performance of children in addition to fixing responsibility on the teacher for the overall development of the children .

Lambodar Mandal , Social Worker , Koraput

 The most important Issue in relation to children in Koraput region :
1. Increasing trend of Child Migration
2. Increase in HIV/AIDS among the children
3.Increase of Orphan Children
Reasons :
Lack of Livelihood Security / Lack of Proper information at the grassroots .
Suggested Solution :
Introduce Skill Education at High School level  / Ensure Safe Migration and Reduce Migration at G.P. level

Meeting on Issues of Children at Koraput

A discussion on the issues that effect the children in Koraput region is being organised on 26th October-2012 . In these pages we would have views and opinions by people from various sections of society including Children . Please read them and respond in the comment space .