A Bridge School Comes up For Poor Muslim Children
Hyderabad: Concerned over the sharp rise of school dropouts, mostly due to poverty, and ths children ending up in some etty jobs or taking to vices, a mosque in Jalpally, south of Hyderabad, has collaborated with an NGO to establish a bridge school for children from poor families and slums. They will be provided free education.
A survey finding reveals that 27 per cent of Muslim children from the lower strata have dropped out of school, while five per cent have never attended school. The main reason has been financial constraints and the inability to put the wards in private schools. Added to that is the dearth of teachers, no government schools in close proximity and the poor infrastructure in government-run schools.
The first of its kind bridge school has been set up in Masjid-e-Rehmat-e-Alam on Pahadi Shareef road, Jalpally. In the first batch, 110 students from primary to secondary level have been registered from the nearby slum areas.
The survey was conducted by NGO personnel, who went around urban slums in the city. The bridge courses will be conducted in different formats — foundation level course (FLC), a 60-day programme emphasising the foundational aspects of English, mathematics, EVS from nursery to LKG.
Another 60-day programme will cover advanced topics for UKG and first standard. The senior level course will be a final 90-day program that will delve into advanced levels of learning for Classes 2 to 5.
Evaluation of the progress by way of assessments will be conducted every three months. The child’s performance will determine the transition to mainstream education. Each student will be provided free transportation and midday snacks.
