KAGAD KACH PATRA KASHTAKARI PANCHAYAT AND SWaCH

“Educating the Children of the Waste-Pickers”

A Report On

“Implementation of the 25% reservation provision of the Maharashtra Right to Education Act

by Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP)”

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Master of Arts in Development

Azim Premji University

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

ORGANIZATION GUIDES: UNIVERSITY GUIDE:

MAITREYI SHANKAR – KKPKP REMADEVI T

PRATIBHA SHARMA – SWACH AZIM PREMJI UNIVERSITY

COMPILED BY:

ANUPA CHAKRABORTY

MASTERS OF ARTS IN DEVELOPMENT

MAD13026

JULY 18, 2014

ABSTRACT:

The report presents an interesting work that is being carried out by the Kagad Kach Patra

Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP), which is a trade union of waste pickers and SWaCH Seva

Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit, which is a cooperative of the waste pickers themselves. The waste

pickers are the people who make a living only by collecting, sorting, recycling and selling waste

materials that someone else has thrown away. They are the vital actors in an economy who are

not really given any recognition. Over the years, in Pune, KKPKP and SWaCH have helped and

worked for the welfare of these waste pickers. These waste pickers have always been involved

in such minimal jobs and now they do not want the same for their children. Therefore, this

report is a tiny effort to throw a light on the brilliant job that the activists and members of

KKPKP and SWaCH have done in order to help the children of the waste pickers so that they get

a better life other than waste picking, through providing the children with free education

facilities under the 25% reservation provision of the Maharashtra Right to Education Act, 2009.

The report will also give a brief idea about the Act and the particular clause relating to the 25%

reservation provision. For better understanding, a survey was conducted which will give an idea

how much the organization has been able to carry forward the task of helping in provision of

free education to the children. The data collected through the survey will be used to analyze

the same. The report will also give an idea of the learning and interests of the children admitted

under the RTE provision through the references of case studies. In fact, the report concludes

with the achievements and goals that can be achieved in terms of the Right to Education Act.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The assistance provided by Ms. Maitreyi Shankar, Activist (KKPKP), helped in compiling the final

report. She has been constantly guiding me throughout the development of the report and has

been a constant support and provided valuable advice to make this report a success. I would

also like to thank her for giving me valuable information which helped me to gain the

knowledge about the provisions and clauses of the Maharashtra Right to Education Act. I had

several informative sessions and beneficial discussions with her over the period of my project

which had immensely helped me to compile this report. It had been a great learning experience

for me and the materials and structures of the work made me enjoy my work under her.

I would like to thank Ms. Pratibha Sharma, Assistant Business Manager, SWaCH Plus. She has

been a constant support during the tenure of my internship and has guided me throughout,

mostly with the SWaCH Plus initiatives and sales increasing mechanisms and programs.

Additionally, I would like to thank my friends and family for being supportive of the work I have

been doing and all the help and guidance they have provided and continue to provide.

This Report contains sincere efforts and lot of informative ideas which will allow the readers to

understand the Act and the implementation of the particular clause which has helped the

children of the waste pickers.

I sincerely thank everyone who had worked as helping hand to me.

THANK YOU

INTRODUCTION:

Formation of Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat: In 1993, waste pickers and itinerant

waste buyers in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad came together to form Kagad Kach Patra

Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP), a membership-based trade union. The union aimed to establish

and assert waste pickers’ contribution to the environment, their status as workers and their

crucial role in the Solid Waste Management (SWM) of the city. Today, KKPKP has 9000 plus

members, 80 per cent of whom are women from socially backward and marginalized castes.

Each member pays an annual fee to the organization and an equal amount towards their life

insurance cover. Members are given I-cards that are endorsed by the PMC, and can avail of

other benefits like interest-free loans and educational support for their children. KKPKP uses

the twin strategies of peaceful non-violent protest and resistance and development of

alternatives, to mobilize around some of the key issues facing waste pickers. This includes

campaigning for waste collectors to be regarded as "workers" and waste collection as "work" by

local, state and national government, organizing social protection (e.g. medical insurance and

co-operative credit / savings schemes), and integrating waste-pickers into the doorstep

collection and management of urban solid waste. KKPKP also mobilizes against the exploitation

of waste-pickers – redressing grievances, organizing boycotts against moneylenders, and

fighting for compensation in cases of harassment. KKPKP has also established cooperative scrap

stores to service the waste pickers and ensure better returns for them on the sale of scrap.

KKPKP is also active in social issues – in campaigns or struggles against rape and sexual

violence, child marriage, and child labor (promoting education among children of waste

pickers).

Formation of SWaCH: Over the years, the KKPKP launched a pilot programme in collaboration

with the Pune Municipal Corporation, where the waste pickers were integrated in door to door

collection work. This paved the way for the formal institution, SWaCH, a wholly owned workers

cooperative as pro - poor Public Private Partnership to undertake something like this. SWaCH

was born in 2007 and it entered into a formal memorandum of understanding along with the

Pune Municipal Corporation for door to door collection of waste in 2008. The SWaCH is a

workers’ cooperative and the powers vests in its workers. Mangal Pagare, who is the CEO of the

cooperative, has worked with women’s issue for the past 17 years and in addition to this she

has been actively involved in organizing women’s development forums. Having said this,

women in SWaCH constitute 78 per cent of SWaCH membership. The presence of men is higher

in the youngest age group and the aging. The members of SWaCH used to work as waste

pickers and still do and they are happy to introduce themselves as the same. Members of the

Scheduled Castes continue to be a majority in SWaCH. Other Backward Classes and middle

classes are also represented in the cooperative. The goal of SWaCH is to become a successful,

self – sustainable social enterprise of waste pickers aiming to improve their living conditions,

along with focus on sustainable solid waste management. It aims to engage an entrepreneurial

workforce of waste pickers into an efficient, responsive and accountable organization and work

in partnership with the municipal solid waste management system to transform the solid waste

management situation in Pune. SWaCH also envisions a society that is socially just,

economically equitable, culturally plural, politically democratic, environmentally sustainable,

peaceful and humane.

Research Objectives:

1. Help in creating awareness about the Right to Education Act and the Schools which

come under the 25% reservation provision clause of the Act among the waste pickers

and their families.

2. See whether the amendments made in the laws and acts are helping in implementation

of the clause by the organization and the schools listed under the 25% reservation

provision clause under the Act.

3. Gain familiarity with the notion of Right to Education and the Maharashtra provision of

25% reservation of seats in schools at primary level as well as achieve new insight into

the phenomena that would help in exploring the sub themes of the research report to

an extent of logical analysis.

4. Look into the issues of the waste pickers regarding the Right to Education Act.

5. Examine whether the rights regime applicable to the waste pickers under relevant

legislation is being delivered in the required manner.

6. Get a reality check to find out the actual situation of the work carried out by the

organization in terms of admission of the children and grand - children of the waste

pickers.

Research Hypothesis:

An effort towards implementation of the 25% reservation provision clause under the

Maharashtra RTE Act is a thoughtful initiative undertaken by the KKPKP which resulted in

successful provision of admission to a significant number of children of the waste pickers into

good private schools, which would not have been possible otherwise. It can also be observed

that admissions into the private schools can be a way to change the attitude of the children for

the forseeable future.

Study Partners or Institutions:

Data Sources:

Primary Data Secondary Data

Interview, Personal Interactions with activists,

Lawyers, members (waste pickers) of KKPKP

and SWaCH.

Organization reports, Legislative Acts,

Organization videos and newspaper articles.

Insitutions

Government of Maharashtra

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC)

Non State Actors

Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat

(KKPKP)

Solid Waste Collection and Handling (SWaCH)

Methodology:

Interviews of different waste pickers and their families were conducted in order to gather

information. Personal interaction with the waste pickers and activists were held. A proper

survey has been carried out to prove the hypothesis and beyond, the questionnaire has been

annexed later.

Sites:

The field visits have been conducted over a number of areas in Pune City. Below is the list of the

same:

a. Vishrantwadi

b. Yerawada

c. Padmavati

d. Shivajinagar

e. Pimpri

f. Chinchwad

g. Nigdi

h. Bhosari

i. Kalewadi

j. Hadapsar

k. Dandekar Pul

l. Bibwewadi

m. Gultekdi

n. Kothrud

o. Kondhwa

Limitations:

The most important problem faced at initial stages was getting access to the residences of the

waste pickers because they are spread over whole of Pune and beyond. It was difficult to find

out where they lived as only the name of the slums they lived were known and their proper

addresses were not clear. There are more than hundreds of households within each slum so it

was difficult to actually locate their houses for the conduction of survey. Also language was

another problem. Though some of the waste pickers could understand and speak some amount

of Hindi but mostly they were Marathi speaking people so language was a barrier.

BACKGROUND OF WASTE PICKERS:

Even before the economic reforms, much before the British Rule and even during the Mughal

and feudal periods, the waste pickers did the same kinds of jobs. This is because of the age old

caste system that prevailed in the Indian sub - continent. The waste pickers are considered to

be predominantly low caste people essentially from the Dalit community. These are the

stigmatized caste that is supposedly meant for removal and disposal of waste and nobody else

from any other community is involved in such kind of “dirty” job. Ever since the origin of cities

and towns, the same community has been exploited since the feudal period and they continue

to live under conditions of social exclusion because of their caste and caste based occupation.

The work which the waste pickers deliver is seen as dirty, unhygienic and unclean due to which

they continue to be ostracized and which leads to social immobility. This not only derogatory in

many ways but it also leads to inferiority complex and segregation from the other communities.

These people have been forced to do such form of work because they are hardly qualified for

any other employment. Therefore now they are increasingly organizing themselves so that their

children and the future generations do not have to do the same kind of job. They have started

to engage their children in education so that their lives can be changed. Waste pickers, known

for their independence and individualism, are increasingly motivated to organize and fight for

recognition and a place within formal waste management systems. Organizing benefits waste

pickers by raising social status and self-esteem, improving members’ incomes and their quality

of life, in part by circumventing middlemen, improving working conditions and contributing to

better health quality, facilitating the development of networks, providing institutional

frameworks for hiring of waste pickers for local bodies/ firms, preventing harassment and

violence, eliminating child labor in waste picking. KKPKP formed a non-profit cooperative of

waste pickers called SWaCH. In 2008, SWaCH entered into an agreement with the Pune

municipality to collect waste, and in subsequent years, the system was expanded to create a

zero waste system in 16 wards that fully integrated informal waste pickers.

EDUCATING THE CHILDREN AND GRAND – CHILDREN OF THE WASTE PICKERS:

Earlier the waste pickers did not believe that education was important. In fact they avoided

sending their children to schools because their children acted as helping hands in their work.

They are a community of illiterate waste pickers and manual laborers. These kinds of work do

not require a university degree and they also remained afraid of the fact that investing in

education may not be helpful if the children remained jobless even after educating them. But

now many members of KKPKP feel the need to educate their children because they do not want

their children to do the same job. As the waste pickers are getting exposed to the outer world,

they have understood the importance of education and more and more waste pickers have

started sending their children and grand – children to school. Also, before the Right to

Education was in place, the waste pickers who actually wanted their children to study sent

them to the municipal corporation school where education was free. But there were problems

in this situation too: municipal school teachers routinely sent the children home. Sometimes

because they were ‘dirty’, at other times because they were rude. If a child wandered off home

the teacher did not even notice it. But KKPKP activists had to convince the school teachers that

it was their duty to teach children to read and write and keep themselves clean and behave

themselves. After the Right to Education Act was passed by the Government of India, KKPKP

had helped the waste pickers to admit their children in good private schools for free. We shall

look into the Act and the particular clauses relevant for the study in the next section.

THE RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009:

The Right to Education Act says that “all children of the age of 6 to 14 years have a right to free

and compulsory education in a neighborhood government school till completion of elementary

education (Classes 1-8). They have a right to full-time elementary education in a recognized

school. No part-time classes/non-formal schools or unrecognized schools are considered as

legal alternatives. All recognized schools must provide good quality education which includes a

set of basic facilities, minimum instructional hours and an adequate number of teachers, as

specified in the Act”.

In Maharashtra and Pune City, the State Government has laid down a definite clause for the

economically and socially disadvantaged children who are to be admitted into the schools for

elementary education. According to the 25% reservation provision, 25% of the seats in each pre

- primary classes up to class 1 shall be reserved for the economically and socially disadvantaged

children of the society. They will be allowed to receive education in private aided, private

unaided, minority aided and minority unaided schools as per the Act define. The schools cannot

charge donations or capitation fees, and neither can student admissions be based on the

testing of children or any screening procedure, including the interviews of either children or

their parents. The children cannot be subject to physical punishment or mental harassment, be

held back in a class, or be expelled from school till completion of elementary education.

Why 25% reservation provision?

Values of equality, social justice and democracy and the idea of just and humane society could

be achieved only through inclusive elementary education to all. In that case, not only schools

run by government but also the private schools have responsibility to provide education of

satisfactory quality to the disadvantaged children.

The 25% reservation was considered reasonable because the proportion of the economically

and socially disadvantaged children was more than 37%. Including these children into the

classrooms would make them feel secured and help in academic, social and psychological

adjustment of the children. It will promote inclusive growth of children.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS:

Data has been collected by personally reaching out to the waste pickers and their families in

their residences. A proper survey was conducted with the help of questionnaire method which

is annexed later. The following data collected and analyzed are for the children admitted under

25% reservation provision under RTE for the year 2013. It should be noted that the children are

mostly grand - sons and grand - daughters of the waste pickers. Their parents have different

occupations or no occupation at all.

1. Number of Households or Waste pickers’ families surveyed:

- 102 families

2. Number of children admitted under RTE among the 102 Waste Pickers’ families:

- 53 Children

3. Slums in which the survey was conducted:

- Vishrantwadi, Yerawada, Padmavati, Shivajinagar, Pimpri, Chinchwad, Nigdi,

Kalewadi, Hadapsar, Dandekar Pul, Bibwewadi, Gultekdi, Kothrud, Kondhwa.

4. Number of admissions in each slums:

Vishran

twad

i

Yeraw

ada

Bibwewad

i

Padmav

ati

Shiva

jinag

ar

Chinchwad

Pimpri

Nigdi

Kalewad

i

Hadap

sar

Gultekd

i

Kothrud

Dandek

ar Pul

Kondhwa0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Number of Children Admitted in each slum

Number of Children Admitted

As per the survey, Shivaji nagar area has the highest number of admissions followed by

Pimpri and Hadapsar. It has been observed that there were some issues due to which in

some places like Chinchwad admissions could not happen. It will be discussed later in

the report.

5. Names of the schools the children had been admitted in:

Serial No Name of Schools Address

1. Second Home School Padmavati

2. Ramanand School Pimpri

3. Poddar International School Pimpri

4. B.T. Memorial School Kalewadi

5. St. Peter English Medium School Nigdi

6. Dr. D.Y. Patil Public School Pimpri

7. Arya Samaj School Pimpri

8. Pratibha English Medium School Nigdi

9. Sane Guruji Vidya Mandir Dandekar Pul

10. Vishwakarma Vidyalaya Bibwewadi

11. City International Gultekdi

12. Vidya Pratishthan Magarpatta City

Public School

Hadapsar

13. Sadhna English Medium School Hadapsar

14. Pranath Hari Purandhare Prathamik

Vidyalay

Shivaji Nagar

15. PES Modern English Medium School Shivaji Nagar

16. Pune Police Public School Shivaji Nagar

17. Vanaz Parivar Vidya Mandir Kothrud

18. M.I.T. Pre Primary Marathi Medium

School

Kothrud

19. The Trinity School Alandi Road

20. St. Francis Pre Primary School Vishrantwadi

21. Agresan High School Yerawada

22. Rashmi English School Fulenagar

23. International School Yerawada

24. SNBP School Yerawada

25. Valley View School Kondhwa

6. Monthly Income of Parents:

- It should be noted that these are the combined monthly incomes of both the

parents, if both of them are working. Also, all the parents are not waste pickers. The

waste pickers are the members of KKPKP and their family members including their

children and grandchildren get the benefits of education. Therefore it is not

necessary that the income graph is only of waste pickers. The parents also have

different occupations.

0-5000 5000-10000 10000-15000

15000-20000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Combined Income of both the parents

Number of families

7. Occupations of the parents:

1

15

12

1

3

Mother's Occupation

HousekeepingDriverLaborerElectricianService

The above diagram shows that 44 women out of 53 women are housewives. This means

83% of the populations of women surveyed are housewives and other occupations of

the women are waste picking, tailoring and housekeeping.

1

15

121

3

4

1

5

11

1 5

Father's OccupationHousekeepingDriverLaborerElectricianServicePainterBusinessScrap dealerSWaCHTechnicianTelecomWaste picker

From the above data we can see that there are various other works in which the parents

are involved other than waste picking. In fact, 30% of the men are working as drivers

and 24% of the men are laborers. This shows that the generation before this was

involved in waste picking and now everyone has started to take up jobs other than

waste picking.

8. Percentage of male and female children admitted under RTE:

- Out of the 53 children admitted under RTE, 32 were male and 21 were female

children which means that 60% are male children and 40% are female children

32

21

Percentage of Male and Female admitted under RTE

MaleFemale

9. Catchment area:

- The catchment area of the schools for the children in a particular locality is 1 km and

it has been found that most of the schools are within 1 km distance from the houses

of the children admitted under RTE. It is only in some cases that if there are not

enough children in the locality then the catchment area is extended to 3 km and

there are students whose schools are at a distance of 2-2.5km from their residences.

10. School admission related details about the children admitted under RTE:

- 60% of the children admitted under RTE in 2013 according to the survey are males

and 40% are females.

- As according to RTE, 25% seats should be reserved for the economically and socially

disadvantaged children in the pre – primary classes till class 1. Therefore all the 53

children have been admitted into Nursery, Junior Kg, Senior Kg and class 1.

- All the 53 children have been admitted in private schools under 25% reservation

provision of RTE and 94% of these children surveyed have been admitted in English

medium schools. Only 6% of these children are in Marathi medium but private

schools.

- Most of the schools are at a walking distance from the residences. If the schools are

at a distance of more than 1 km then they hire rickshaw or school bus or parents

drive themselves to school. Parents have to pay in such case – rickshaw: 500 – 800

rupees per month, bus: 900 – 1500 rupees per month.

- Most of the schools are English medium schools, parents are hardly educated, it is a

problem for them to learn and understand English and teach their children in return.

They therefore keep private tutors for their kids and pay them monthly from a 100

rupees to 600 rupees per month.

- Most of the parents meet the teachers almost every month because of the problems

they face in terms of home works, English language, assignments and projects.

Those who are unable to meet the teachers frequently, do so during the parent

teachers meetings.

- Had it not been for 25% reservation provision, 68% of the parents would have sent

their children to Municipal Corporation School where education is free but not at all

good quality.

- Obviously 98% of the parents prefer sending their children to private English

medium schools because they want a better life for their children. The Municipal

Corporation Schools are not in good conditions, the classes are crowded and there is

no discipline at all; moreover the teachers are ignorant and take no responsibilities

for the growth of the children, most of the times they are absent and if at all they

are present they do not care for the children. This is not the case in private schools;

according to Rajni, the mother of Siddhanth, a student of Vidya Pratishthan

Magarpatta City Public School, “private schools do take money but they provide

quality education and the teachers take all the responsibilities of quality output of

the children.” Again another parent, Jayashree, the mother of Tejas, a student at the

Trinity School said “there is not much difference between corporation schools and

private schools, the only distinction would be that the private schools charge huge

money whereas corporation schools give free education.”

- When asked about the admission system at place presently, most of the parents had

a common answer – “we are not educated so the admission system should be

explained in a detailed manner to us and all the information regarding the list of

schools and issuance of admission forms and any other matter of importance

should be informed in order to ensure transparency.”

11. Issues or problems faced during admission process:

- There were several issues problems which arouse while admitting their children

under the RTE:

a. Names of children, who applied for admission, did not appear in the lottery list in

the schools listed under 25% reservation provision under RTE.

b. It has been mentioned very clearly that socially disadvantaged children are

required to provide caste certificates while economically backward children are

required to provide income certificates during admission process but the schools

were asking for both the certificates and were not allowing admissions to people

who did not have both the certificates.

c. Some schools have refused to give admission to any students claiming that they

do not have Nursery/ Playgroup level in their school and admission will only be

given to the 1st grade.

d. Some schools have even turned away the parents asking them to come later due

to which the admission dates got expired.

e. Some schools have refused admission to all parents saying RTE Act is not

applicable to them.

f. Some schools asked money from the parents to get admission forms and for

filling up admissions forms.

12. Learning Experience of the children and changes that came along:

- The children have undergone an ample amount of behavioral change in them

according to most of the parents:

The children have started to learn to overcome their fear of talking to people

They have become more disciplined

They have started to converse in English so that they can excel in their

respective schools and not be any less than a rich child; they have learnt to

be confident to speak to anyone and in front of a crowd as well.

Some children have developed better attitude towards their parents,

teachers and even towards studies.

They have learnt to build a good rapport with their peers and show the

credibility of working in a team.

Some children have acquired a very good grasping power and are fast

learners.

SOME EXAMPLES OF VIOLATION OF 25% RESERVATION PROVISION UNDER RIGHT TO FREE

AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009:

Sl. No

Name of Parent Name of Child

School admitted or applied in

Class Complaint Relevant provisions

1. Shubhangi Hanumant Chavan

Harshada Second Home English Medium School

1st The school has taken a fee of Rs. 925 and has asked the parents to buy uniforms, books and shoes from outside

Section 3(1) &(2)Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoRule 5(1) + Expl. of Maharashtra RTE Rules, 2010Section 13(1) & (2)R. 7 of Maharashtra Admission Rules, 2013

2. Bapu Jalindar Alhat

Prithviraj Sane Guruji Nursery The child was admitted under RTE in 2012. The school is now saying that parents would have to pay fees Rs 6000 for 2 years or the child will not be allowed to sit in class

Section 3(1) &(2)Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoSection 13(1) & (2)R. 7 of Maharashtra Admission Rules, 2013

3. Archana Shravan Hanvate

Bhakti Second Home English Medium School.

1st The school has asked the parents to buy uniforms, books and shoes from outside.

Section 3(1) &(2)Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoRule 5(1) + Expl. of Maharashtra RTE Rules, 2010

4. Sharda Vani Bhagwan MIT Marathi Medium

1st Spent Rs. 940 on uniforms,

Section 3(1) &(2)

School shoes and the school has sent them a circular asking for Rs.210 for a full sleeve sweater and Rs. 175 for a sleeveless sweater

Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoRule 5(1) + Expl. of Maharashtra RTE Rules, 2010Section 13(1) & (2)

5. Md. Gulab Shaikh

Afreen Bharat English School

1st Have been asked to buy uniform, school shoes and school bag from outside

Section 3(1) &(2)Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoRule 5(1) + Expl. of Maharashtra RTE Rules, 2010

6. Dada Sathe Diksha Sadhana Eng. Medium School

Nursery The parents have been asked to purchase school supplies and uniforms from outside

Section 3(1) &(2)Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoRule 5(1) + Expl. of Maharashtra RTE Rules, 2010

7. Komal Bhaskar Yatan Pune International School

1st The school has asked for fees of Rs. 10,000. Paid Rs. 5000 already

Section 3(1) &(2)Section 12(1)(c), ProvisoSection 13(1) & (2)R. 7 of Maharashtra Admission Rules, 2013

8. Archana Kamble Rohit SNBP School, Nagpur Chawl

1st The application for admission under RTE was taken in January. The school kept telling the parents that they would be

Rule 8 and 9 of the Maharashtra 25% Admission Rules, 2013

called once there as some final decision about the admissions. In May, the parents were informed that the child could not be admitted as the year of entry to the school was Nursery.

KEY FINDINGS:

1. The intended beneficiaries are the waste pickers and their children or grand-children

but there has been a complete disconnect with the intended beneficiaries.

2. There have been no publicity or awareness drives about the Right to Education Act in

the slums where most of the beneficiaries live.

3. There are no standard manual of norms, rules, regulations, operations etc. Even if the

list of schools have the name of a school then that particular school refuses to allow

children under RTE and there is no one to supervise such things.

4. Messages on mobiles are sent in English and it is hard for the beneficiaries to

understand any information served in this manner.

5. Only those who have access to internet and understand how to use it have true access

to all the information, i.e., educationally and economically secure individuals and civil

society groups. A large chunk of intended beneficiaries – the economically backward

and those with multiple disadvantaged are squarely excluded.

6. Help-Centers only possess information relating to the admission process and not the

actual norms and regulations.

7. There is no uniformity as to class levels prior to 1 st standard. Entry levels of Mini, Jr. KG

and Balwadi are clubbed as one. Some parents applying for Jr. Kg. (two levels below

class 1) have found that school has 3 pre-primary levels – Mini, Junior and Senior. Also,

there is no legislation/ regulation governing the functioning of such classes.

8. There are no enforcement mechanisms regarding imposition of penalties or remedying

grievances.

9. Help centers are open only on weekdays. The waste pickers have to work from morning

to evening on weekdays, so they cannot leave their jobs to go seek help.

10. There is no uniformity in the age criteria and norms. The norms regarding the age for

the pre - primary classes have been changed 4 times till date.

SUGGESTIONS AND REOMMENDATIONS:

1. In order to keep the admission system transparent, proper information about admission

procedure should be provided through publicity and awareness drives in the slums

where the beneficiaries actually live.

2. The help centers and grievance redressal cells should be open even on weekends

because that is the only time that the beneficiaries can come to the centers.

3. Written communication, circulars, resolutions, press notes should be released regularly

and uploaded on the website and put up in every school, help-centre, education

department offices, local authority offices, ward offices etc. with a summary of rules and

such notifications.

4. There should be legislation or regulation governing the functioning of the classes prior

to first standard.

5. The education department must devise some form of enforcement mechanism.

6. The Government must find a way to impose penalties and deterrents on erring schools

and officers. The only remedy available as of now is de-recognition of school for any

violation of RTE Act and Rules.

7. The central and State government have imposed the responsibility of admissions under

RTE on schools. They should pay reimbursements to schools for admissions to such

classes for any student.

CASE STUDIES:

1. Siddhant Ashok Dahire:

Siddhant Ashok Dahire, son of Rajni

Ashok Dahire and Ashok Sitaram Dahire,

is a brilliant kid. He is about 6 years of

age and he had been admitted into Vidya

Pratishthan Magarpatta City Public

School under the 25% reservation

provision of Right to Education Act, 2009.

His grandmother, Rajni’s mother,

Draupadi Soniram Waghmare, is a

member of Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari

Panchayat (KKPKP). It is because of this

that Siddhant got an opportunity through

the Sangathana to study for free in the

school. According to Rajni, she is very happy and thankful to her mother that his son got

admission through the 25% reservation provision in the school. She said “the KKPKP

activists have helped a lot in getting admission into the school”.

Even the school authority have themselves helped her because at that time her son was

quite older to get admission in nursery but even then the authority told them to wait for

some time and themselves gave a call announcing that her son can study in the school in

nursery class. She also said that, in other schools, children who are admitted under RTE

are treated differently than the regular

students but the principal of the

Magarpatta City School has made it very

clear that all the students are equal and

should have equal opportunities. The

regular students and the RTE students are

mixed up in a class and there is no

discrimination in the school as such.

According to Rajni, Siddhant is a brilliant kid and she does not want his education to

stop because of lesser money that they have been earning. She said, “Had it not been

for RTE 25% reservation provision, I would have had

to pay a fee of Rs. 60,000 a year and my husband

earns hardly Rs. 12000 a month in which I have to

adjust almost every other expenses.” It should be

noted that Rajni herself holds a Master’s Degree in

Marathi and is searching for job and would like to help

her child get all the benefits of education. Siddhant is

her elder son and she says that they live in a slum

where all kinds of activities take place but this does

not stop Siddhant to do well in school. He takes part

in almost all the activities and has acquired certificates, a gold medal for winning the

running competition, a silver medal for winning a recitation competition and so on. He

has come first in class as well in the previous year and says that he wants to remain the

first. Also the teachers in the school are proud of him saying that “Siddhant has talent

and he is an exceptional child and a really fast learner, he has all the more scope of

development and we will do our part in developing his talents.” Rajni says that they talk

in Marathi at home but Siddhant makes sure to try and talk in English as much as

possible with his mother. He is good in his studies, dance as well as sports and almost an

‘all-rounder’. It makes us utterly happy that the efforts of the organization of the waste

pickers are bringing about a change in the lives of the next generations.

2. Harshada Hanumant Chavan

Harshada Hanumant Chavan is the daughter of Shubhangi Hanumant Chavan and

Hanumant Ashok Chavan. Her father works as a waste picker and earns a meagre Rs.

3000 to Rs. 4000 a month. Her mother is a housewife now; earlier she was working for

the waste pickers as a karyakarta of KKPKP. Harshada is a bubbly and an extrovert child.

She has the ability to convince people at this young age. Harshada was also admitted

through the 25% reservation provision under RTE in Second Home English School is

quite happy to go to school but not because she likes to study but because she is

interested in sports. Shubhangi, her

mother, says, “I have 3 children, 2

daughters and 1 son. It is because I

wanted my children to study that

they are studying otherwise my

husband is against sending the

children to school.” It seems her

husband does not want the children

to study because it is not worth

anything and money goes waste while investing in education according to Hanumant

Chavan. Shubhangi herself could not go to school; therefore she wants her children to

study as much as possible.

She says that she has gone through a lot of hardships while admitting Harshada into

school. Firstly, there is no support from her own husband, he is a drunk and he creates

disturbance in the house and beats up Shubhangi. Still she says that her children are her

world and she can go through anything to make them successful. Against the wishes of

her husband she went ahead and admitted Harshada in the school; she is extremely

thankful to the Sangathana for helping her in this matter. Secondly, the school had

demanded money for admission, books and uniforms and she was all alone to fight

Charges for notebooks, uniforms and school fees

against this. She went to the Education Department and fought with the concerned

authority to open their eyes towards the provision of free education under the 25%

reservation. She fought with the school authority and she got her child admitted against

all odds. She says, “it is worth fighting for the kids, I am happy that I am able to provide

education to them and I will fight for them as long as I can even if no one else supports

me.” She is of the view that not only her children but other children of same age and

who have problem because they are poor should also get to study and she helps them

as much as she can too.

According to Shubhangi, Harshada is an extrovert child, for that matter a talkative one

too. She does not like to study but she is extremely interested in sports like shot put,

volley ball and football. Her mother wants her to go to sports classes as well but the fees

is very high – about Rs 10,000 per 10

months but the sports instructor is keen

on Harshada coming into sports, so she

has been given a concession and asked

to pay Rs 930 per month if possible. But

the meagre Rs. 4000 that Hanumant

Chavan earns per month that too if he is

regular in his work is far too less to even

cater to a family of 5 people. Both Shubhangi and Harshada have this dream of

Harshada becoming a ‘sports star’ one day. We all wish that the dream comes true and

that their efforts bear fruits.

CONCLUSION:

The report gives an idea of the efforts that is carried out by the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari

Panchayat regarding the education of the children of the waste pickers. The 25% reservation

system under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 provides

children of economically and socially disadvantaged groups to get free education in any

government or private education system or schools. Although the activists and the members of

A drawing made by Harshada in school

KKPKP had been trying to give a better life to the children through the provision of 25%

reservation but it is not possible if there is no awareness among the parents, teachers, school

authorities on the Right to Education Act. It is necessary that the waste pickers mainly are made

aware of the system of admission so that there is transparency in the process. This will help

them to voice their concerns about their children and their education and demand their rights if

any clause under the law is violated. Also, this is just a start; it will take time to join the pieces

of the puzzle of the issue of education. But it is not to be forgotten that KKPKP has achieved

quite a goal in this stream.

ANNEXURE:

Questionnaire

Personal and Family Information

1. Child’s Name _________________________________________________

2. KKPKP members name __________________________________________

3. Child’s relationship to member____________________________________

4. Address: Slum_______________________________, Nearest

landmark_____________________

Mother Father

5. Name

6. Education

7. Occupation

8. Monthly income

9. Phone number

School admission related details

The child admitted under RTE

10. Sex

11. Std.

12. Name of

School

13. Address

14. Type of

school

(Municipal/Pvt aided/Pvt unaided/ other

___________________ )

15. Board (SSC/ICSE/CBSE/IB)

16. Year of

admission

17. School Fees

(Rs.)

(Actually paid by the parent)

18. No. Of

children in

class

19. Distance from

home

(Km)

20. Travel time to

school

(mins)

21. Mode of

travel

PMT/School Bus/ Van/ Rickshaw/ Bike/Cycle/ Walking

/_______

22. Monthly cost

of travel

(details)

23. Medium of

instruction

Eng/Hindi/Marathi/Kannada/ Telugu/Urdu/

_______________

24. Cost of

uniforms

(attach copies of bills)

25. Cost of books (attach copies of bills)

26. Incidental (monthly)

school

related

expenses

27. Midday meals

provided

Yes/ No

28. Cost of

midday meal

(monthly)

29. Pvt. Tuitions (yes/No)

30. If yes, school

teacher/other

31. If yes,

monthly

cost?

32. Picnic cost

33. Annual/

Sports day

34. Any other

expenses

(please

specify what)

35. Parents meet

teacher

Outside of the PTA meetings (yes/no)

36. If yes, how

often

37. Purpose of

visit

38. Parents

meeting

(how often is it held- weekly/monthly)

39. Parent

attends/does

not attend

40. Language of

parents

meeting

41. Schedule of fees charged by the school (for regular students)___________________

42. Subjects discussed in Parents meeting

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

__________________________

43. Does your child enjoy going to school?

44. What do you think your child has learnt at school?

_____________________________________

45. How do you feel about sending you child to the school?

_________________________________

46. How do the school authorities relate to you?

__________________________________________

47. How do you relate to the school authorities?

__________________________________________

48. Any experience/evidence of discrimination against children or you

________________________

49. If not for 25% which school would you have sent children?

___________________________

50. Given a choice again would they prefer municipal school or private and why?

_______________

51. Are you satisfied with your decision to send your child to this school?

________________________

52. What do you think are the two most important differences between a government

school and this school?

1.___________________________

2. ____________________________

3. ____________________________

53. What were the difficulties you encountered in getting admission

a. ___________________________________

b. ___________________________________

c. ___________________________________

54. How can the system for admission be made better?

55. Was there any person in the school that you remember as being particularly helpful?

56. What does the child say about his/ her experience in school? (casual discussion with the

child)