World over remedial programs are used to close the gap between what a student knows and what it is expected to know. In a country like India, such programs play a critical role to support the education of underprivileged children studying in mainstream schools. The Remedial Education Programme (REP) at Swati was initiated to provide support to the school going children of our slums and to ensure that there are no drop-outs on account of poor performance. REP classes are conducted for children from classes I to VIII. These children attend regular government schools but require additional support which our after school classes provide.
They are also taught about things beyond their course material (such as self-awareness, gender sensitisation etc). Our children also get to participate in various extra curricular activities including dance, art, craft and theatre, which further enhances their confidence and personality. It provides them with a platform to interact with new people and enjoy other activities, beyond studying.
It is seen that students from underprivileged backgrounds, though able to gain admission to mainstream schools, lag behind in their studies and often drop out before achieving even a basic level of education. Children living in slum areas are usually first generation learners and therefore have no access to learning assistance at home. Their parents are mostly migrant labourers, domestic helpers etc. Infact, such children are often expected to help their parents in earning a livelihood from a very young age, and their education takes a back seat. Teachers at government schools are unable to take out time to give the extra attention required for such children (and often lack the motivation or interest to do so).
At Swati, our teachers work with great enthusiasm. By using innovative strategies and teaching tools, we are able to help our children advance to a higher academic level. Innovative methods of teaching like e-modules and interactive videos are employed to gauge maximum attention of the children. Catering to the needs of the children being the utmost priority, during examinations Swati teachers hold extra classes to help children perform better. Some of our teaching modules have become extremely popular and teachers from government schools often come to our centre to learn the same.
