Education for life: Educating out-of-school children in Northern India

• In Event: Increasing educational access and teaching skills of relevance for out of school children

Abstract

As of 2002, more than 25 percent of all out-of-school children worldwide resided in India. These children were disproportionately female and were from disadvantaged/minority communities and were often the children of migrant families and the urban poor. Despite the vast diversity that exists across these groups of out-of-school children, there are a few key interventions and approaches that can be employed to provide these individuals an education that is not only propelling but also applicable to their lives.

Divya Sooryakumar after living in a slum community in Chandigarh, India for three years came into close contact with out-of-school children in three different trajectories of life—children, adolescents, and adults – and gained a close understanding of their motivations and incentives. Her experience with community-based educational initiatives have led her to explore supporting parental involvement in transitioning out-of-school children to school, vocational training, and teaching more practical skills like conflict resolution and decision-making to out-of-school females. She will explore these three approaches to engaging with out-of-school children.

Author

• Divya Sooryakumar, Harvard Graduate School of Education