Schooling for the urban poor: Insights from a slum study

Abstract

Empirical data from Sanjay Colony, a slum settlement in Delhi, shows, through micro statistics, that the inability of parents to bear expenses on books, uniforms and stationery was a significant cause of low enrolment and high dropout in this area. Parents had make these school related expenditures, which was difficult, as most of them were engaged in the unorganised sector with irregular jobs and low salaries. Another constraint is that there is only one primary school in the area, which is not able to cater to the needs of all children of the 6-10 years of age group. Also, in the absence of a middle school in the near vicinity, parents fear for the safety of their children who would have to commute long distances to attend school and be exposed to dangers such as having to cross busy roads en route. Moreover, most of the families of Sanjay Colony are migrants from neighbouring States, and children who accompany their parents to their native places for holidays tend to overstay, with the result that their names get struck off the rolls. It is however noteworthy that parents here want to educate their children, boys and girls both, but are deterred by crumbling infrastructure and want schooling facilities at an easily accessible distance.