Introduction:

Education is the process of acquiring knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. It is the discipline that is concerned with the methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like environments through non-formal education, both with the aim to give practical exposure on practical aspects of real time situations, imparting with the necessary technical skills required to face the practical situations.  

Why do we need Education?       

Education is a fundamental human right to which every person is entitled with; the urban poor children are no exception.  A quality education equips children with the knowledge and skill required to adopt healthy lifestyles and take an active role in socio-economic development of the society and the country as a whole. It is the most important factor that assures the grass-root eviction of the cycle of poverty and is the main basis for sustainable development.

Education is the only weapon with which one can kill ignorance and fight with unawareness. An educated person is able to understand all the faces of any problem and is able to handle the situation in a better way, which leads to a better life. 

Status of Education in Nepal:

Status of education is high in developed countries but if we talk about developing countries, the scene is just opposite. The literacy rate in developing countries like Nepal is very low. The condition in urban poor communities is even more pathetic. Though continuous efforts are being made by the government and other organizations to achieve the higher literacy rate but still the target is far to achieve and it will take years to achieve the targets. 

Why is this so?

Lack of education and infrastructure facilities prevent the literacy rate from being reaching up to the desired mark. Poverty is also a major factor which is preventing the parents from sending their children to schools. Gender inequality is also a cause due to which female are not given the same preference as the male. The traditional caste practices also play a major role in preventing the light of education to reach all doors. 

What do we do?

We at Lumanti, ensure that every child in the urban poor community has the access to quality education and provide a foundation to a healthy dynamic society. Lumanti has set forth its activities in Education and Child Development through both formal and non-formal education. For this purpose, several activities have been conducted in the urban poor communities that have been quite fruitful so far. 

Formal Education:

As a part of the formal education, Community School Support Program has been conducted that has supported 7 community primary schools in the informal settlements around Kathmandu Valley.

The activities under the formal education include:

• Support to the school management
• Construction and improvement of the  school infrastructure
• Capacity building program for the teachers
• Funding for scholarships and teachers' salaries
• Linkages with the government and other agencies working in similar areas

Non-formal Education:

Lumanti has also extended its programs on education through non-formal education, which is mainly focused on Child Development. For this purpose, Child Learning Center (CLC) has been introduced in the communities of Kathmandu Valley, Birgunj, Dharan and Bharatpur. These centers provide a regular forum for children to interact with each other and plan activities together.

The activities under the non-formal education include:

• A daily two hours tutorial by a community facilitator
• Box library programs
• Various competitions on general knowledge, debating and others
• Trainings on leadership and child rights
• Exposure visits and interactions
• Support to the children’s monthly publication “Sangalo"                
  
  
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  Last Updated ( Monday, 15 February 2010 22:05 )