Dream School (Kanasina Shaale)
APSA’s Dream School, a well-planned, well-designed, child-friendly inclusive education program for children from urban slums was built in 2005. It provides education to former child labourers, street children, out-of-school and dropout as well as urban poor children from the communities surrounding the APSA campus. The school caters to children in the age group of 3 to 18 years. The school follows the non-formal education pattern under the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as well as the State Board (SSLC) (which children enrol under as private candidates), but enriches the experience for children with its creative teaching-learning methodologies delivered in a child-friendly environment. After completing school final examinations under NIOS and the State Board, they are enrolled in high or higher secondary classes in mainstream schools. The Dream School addresses the educational needs of five specific groups of children:
• Former child labourers between ages 10-14, who are enrolled for Bridge Program courses and later mainstreamed into formal schooling.
• School dropouts, slow learners and those unable to cope with regular classes for whom coaching in Class VII and X prepares them for the Board exams as private candidates.
• Children in the age group 3-6 years from migrant construction or domestic worker families or daily wage labourers living in the vicinity of APSA are given day-care facilities, nutrition support and taught the 3 Rs in Early Childhood Care & Development (ECCD) Centres (APSA creches) and eventually mainstreamed in government schools.
• Children in crisis who have been rescued through the Child Helpline run by APSA, for whom special bridge/ non-formal education classes are held.
• Children enrolled under the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) or under the State Board for their 10th standard (SSLC).
Since its inception, the Dream School has provided non-formal education to more than 250 to 300 children annually, and in all over 10,000 children to date.
The Dream School has also been making active efforts to raise corporate sponsorships, and have succeeded to a large extent. Event-based corporate sponsorships include medical camps, cultural and creative programs for talent development, exposure visits, celebration of special days and exhibitions of children’s craftwork. Besides, corporate employees themselves have volunteered time with the children in various activities including teaching song and dance, drawing and colouring, conversational skills, career guidance, counselling, craftwork, art of letter writing, gardening, visual education on social sciences, cultural programs, sports events and computer skills.
Other innovative facilities that the Dream School offers for children include Hole In The Wall, 2 systems of which were designed and installed by NIIT, weekly karate classes, an Inchara Room to encourage creativity in music (including musical instruments and keyboard), a library to inculcate love of reading in children, computer classes and individual care plans for each student in creation of which the child is fully involved.
