Role of NGO

1) Targeting under -served children: The Government could support

the efforts of NGOs to bring out -of-school children into schools,
through timely supply of teachers, classroom space, and other
resources. Targeted action is needed to reach different types o f
out-of-school children - those who work, those who live in slums,
those on the street, those who are members of tribes, or of
migrant families, and those who live in places without schools. To
encourage young, first -generation learners to stay in school,
requires a supportive, and nurturing environment. To help make
learning interesting, and worthwhile for such children, teachers in
government schools could receive special training in new methods
developed by NGOs.

2) Enhancing quality: Improving the qua lity of education requires

working closely with key agents of change, such as teachers, school
heads, school management committees, and village education
committees. To develop a cadre of trainers for primary school
teachers, teacher training institutes wo uld do well to evaluate, and
learn from NGO models for teacher training. Teachers need a range
of knowledge, and skills to teach underprivileged children
effectively. Here again, NGO models would be a useful tool for
teacher training institutes. NGOs, and the government could
collaborate in developing appropriate, and flexible learning
assessment tools, in line with innovative teaching, and learning
methods. But without safeguards, large -scale replication by the
government of such NGO innovations as the"alt ernative school"and
the"voluntary teacher"could lower the quality of education.

3) Government-NGO links: The Government and NGOs will need to

share a common vision on how to achieve universal primary education
if India is to reach this goal. NGOs can be c redible partners with
the government in shaping policies for primary education. This
entails collaboration, rather than parallel initiatives by NGOs. To
stay at the cutting edge in education, NGOs should continually
evaluate, and refine their models. If NG Os are to play a policy role
in education, two areas that have been neglected will need to be
addressed - NGO capacity building, and organizational development.

4) Most important aspect to boost the spread of education is to

spread awareness amongst the p arents and the communities and
every child needs education. The message needs to spread far and
wide and getting quality education is the legitimate right of all
children, no matter which social or economic background they come
from. Save the Children conn ects with the most backward
communities, where there are several instances of children
squandering their childhood in fields and factories or dropping out
of school, and counsels parents and elders on the importance of
sending children to school.

5) The NGOs engage heavily with the local communities to form

Children Groups (CGs) and School Management Committees (SMCs)
and work with them to ensure that they take accountability of the
development of the children in their community. Massive enrolment
drives are conducted in which out -of-school and vulnerable children
are mapped and enrolled into formal schools in age -appropriate
classes.