Education & Child Rights
The Problem
Education Challenges
Purva Bharati Educational Trust’s education programme focuses on equal access to quality education, especially for girls, in the tea garden and rural areas of Assam and developing young minds towards social justice, and inclusive society through an internship programme.
The key issues impacting children’s education in Assam with a special focus on the Tea Gardens are:
- Insufficient budget allocation
- Neglect of government schools
- Limited allocation for tea garden schools
- Minimal allocation for management and regulation of the socio-economic and political phenomena that impact the education
- scenario in the tea garden areas
- Gender disparity in the dropout rate.
Child Protection Challenges
Purva Bharati Educational Trust’s child protection programme focuses on several key areas and initiatives aimed at ensuring the well-being and safety of children in the most vulnerable areas.
The key issues impacting children are:
- Children face multiple risks, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
- Child marriage is a prevalent issue, with young girls forced into early unions, robbing them of their childhood and educational opportunities.
- Many children are coerced into dangerous work, jeopardizing their health and future prospects.
- Child trafficking where they are forcibly taken away and subjected to unimaginable horrors remains a critical and urgent concern.
Read the PBET and Centre for Budget and Policy Studies’s study for greater insights into this issue.
Our Solution
Education is an undeniable human right that holds the power to shape destinies, ignite passions, and revolutionize societies. It is the catalyst that propels us forward, fueling innovation, fostering critical thinking, and nurturing boundless creativity.
At PBET our intersectional approach brings us to understand child rights from a gender and marginalisation perspective. We focus on enhancing access to education for tribal girl children in tea garden areas where we operate.
At PBET, we stand unwavering in our commitment to empowering young girls with the education they rightfully deserve. We firmly believe that every child, irrespective of their background or circumstances, should have equal access to quality education.
By breaking down barriers, championing social justice, and cultivating inclusivity, we strive to create a world where education becomes a beacon of hope, illuminating the path to a better tomorrow.
Our Key Milestones
Education Rights Training
Collaborated with Assam Mahila Samata Society and Sarva Siksha Mission in 2011 to train Mothers’ Groups on the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 in Jorhat and Sivasagar districts.
Girl Education Programme
Initiated in 2011 to provide education to underprivileged girls affected by violence or from single-mother households through sponsorship programme.
Initiated in 2019, a girls’ education programme in the tea gardens in Jorhat, Tinsukia, Cachar and Lakhimpur districts to ensure continued quality education.
Developed 45 Education Promoters and formed 41 Students’ Clubs, reaching over 10 thousand girls, boys, and gatekeepers.
Community Centre
Established “Shishu Kunja” community centre in 2011 in the Gootonga Tea Estate in Jorhat districts in collaboration with local community members to support dropouts.
Internship Programme & Sports
Provides internship opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds.
Focuses on the feminist perspective and challenges gender-based violence.
Promotes sports like football, frisbee, handball, and taekwondo to empower young girls and engage with authorities.