Executive Summary and Conclusions

Project Mala Schools in India - Impact and Creating Educational Culture
the full version of the report is available from Project Mala.

 

 

 

          Project Mala Schools over the years has become like a brand name which leaves behind a legacy. A mere association with Project Mala schools in Mirzapur itself rings a bell in the minds of the stakeholders. These schools have excellent infrastructure facility and image of quality education provider, who also provide quality nutrition, health care and other basic services for the marginalized people.

 

          All the 6 Project Mala Schools are accessible and the school buildings are designed specially to provide quality education infrastructure for Non-formal education. The Schools have spacious and well-ventilated lecture halls, vocational training, and dinning halls. The School buildings stand out impressively from rest of the surroundings and are hygienically and aesthetically constructed and appropriately landscaped with refreshing plantation, spacious front lawns, sports field, and kitchen garden. All the schools have drinking water and toilet facilities.

 

 

          The study indicates that 65% boys and 61% girls continue further education, while 13% boys and 11% girls join work and the rest 22% boys and 28% girls remain idle at homes after completing the Project Mala Schooling.

 

          The quality of education provided by the Project Mala schools is good as a significant proportion of children (40% boys and 62% girls) are enrolled in class 7 and 8 directly after completing only three years of non-formal education in the Project Mala schools.

 

 

          Although mainstreaming in the formal schools is attempted effectively but follow-up and appropriate monitoring of the enrolled students in the formal schools is weak, with the result a significant number of ex- Project Mala children drop out from formal school within two to five years. However several Ex-Project Mala children (27% boys and 31% girls who were enrolled in formal schools) have completed formal schooling up to class 10.

 

          The nature of job undertaken by Ex-Project Mala School children were diversified as compared to the jobs undertaken by the non-school going children. Small self trade activity was one of the new job activities taken by the Ex-Project Mala school children.

 

 

          Similarly the earning capacity showed improvement among the ex-Project Mala students as compared to the non-schooling going children thereby depicting positive impact for seeking their due entitlements from the employers after the Project Mala schooling. 

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

 

 

 

Professor Bupinder Zutshi ( bzutshi@gmail.com)

Centre for the Study of Regional Development

Jawaharlal Nehru University

New Delhi - India