Facilities readied for Right to Education

5 RESIDENTIAL CENTRES OPENED TO PROVIDE SPECIAL TRAINING TO PREPARE OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN FOR ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
GANGTOK, 08 Dec: The HRD Department has established five residential centres in the state for providing special training to out-of-school children in order to prepare them for their age appropriate class.
The RTE Act has specific provision for such special training for those children who never enrolled in any school or dropped out before completing elementary education so that these children after completing this special course can join the mainstream schooling system at their age appropriate class, informs a press release issued by the State Project Director, SSA.

According to the release, there are two types of programmes under this scheme, Residential Special Training [RST] and Non-Residential Special Training. Under RST, once the out-of-school children are identified as per norms they will be admitted formally in the schools at their local area (i.e. within the walking distance) at their age appropriate class and they will be taken to Special Training Centre identified by the concerned authority.
For this purpose, the HRD Department has established five Residential Centers, for the session 2011-12, which are: Narayani Pratibha Social Club, Sumik Aritar, East [Ph No 9733167848], Mutanchi Lom Aal Shezum, Dangeythang, North [Ph No 9733338416], Amar Jyoti Sewa Samiti, Arithang Chongrang, West [Ph No 943418375], Drishti, Namchi, South [Ph No 9434187997] and Himalayan Educational Society, Namthang, South [Ph No 9002728966].
The child will be provided special training in the center after duly assessing his/her cognitive ability and will be provided further support in all respects. After periodic assessment, if the child acquires desired outcome in scholastic and co-scholastic area, he/she may be promoted to next higher class and accordingly be taken to his/her age appropriate class. After completion of prescribed course, the child will be admitted in the formal school system at his/her age appropriate class.
The entire duration of the course in these Special Training Centers may range from 3 (three) months to 2 years, depending upon how a child develops the required competencies for the age appropriate class. No fee of any kind will be charged from the children and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan will pay the centers to meet the cost of running this programme as per the norms. There are separate hostel facilities for boys and girls.
The Non-Residential Special Training is very similar to that of Residential Special Training with the only difference that the identified out-of-school child can attend the regular school in his/her locality from his/her own residence. The child can attend the formal school in his/her neighbourhood like any other day scholar of the school.
The child will initially be admitted to his/her age appropriate class and the time-table of such child will be the same as that for the regular school. However, such children should be provided special training, within the school premises with the help of SMC/school Head or teacher to acquire desired outcome in scholastic and co-scholastic area so that he/she may be given next higher class and accordingly be taken to his/her age appropriate class.
School Managing Committee or school head will arrange for a special teacher from among the teachers in the school without hampering the smooth functioning of regular class room teaching or any other Education Volunteers can be engaged as per the requirement.
The duration of this type of special training may range from 2 months to 2 years depending upon the pace of progress made by the child. Similarly, no fee of any kind will be charged from these children, further such children will get all the facilities that other children get in the school.
The teacher or the volunteer who takes charge of this category of children will be paid remuneration as per the norms.
The release further informs that it is the responsibility of local authorities, SMC’s, Local NGO’s and all concerned to undertake community level household survey to identify such out of school children and encourage them to join this special training programme.
Such children will continue to get all the support once they are admitted in regular schools so that they are integrated with other fellow students socially, emotionally and academically, the Department assures.