Action Initiative for Development (AID)
#864/2, Shantha Nilaya, Srirama badavane, Nituvalli, Davanagere-577004. Mob:09035247600, 09481309481
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Supplementary education to Pourakarmikas and Manual Scavangers children in  Davangere City, Karnataka State
 
Our activities for continued education of children of pourakarmikas
 
Though, on the outset Pourakarmika families appear as government employees, their situation is very pathetic. There are 400 permanent pourkarmikas working in Davangere city and 350 of them are working on outsourced basis. Totally 750 families are working at the Davangere City Corporation limits and there are more than 1000 children aged between 0 to 18 years of age, out of which 85% of the children have dropped out of schools before completing high school and are involved in various works, especially in construction works, rag picking, hotel suppliers, cleaners and mechanic workers.
Many of them are engaged in works like cleaning latrines at localities like Jagjeevan Ram Nagar and New Kundawada, Nittuvalli Dalit Colony, Gandhinagar and Chowdeshwari Nagar. They work in inhuman conditions for just Rs. 500 to Rs.1000. Thus, many of them are working as manual scavangers and their number is more than 100.
These pourkarmikas also work in very unhygienic and inhuman conditions. They are forced to pick garbage from drainages with bare hands and without any safety measures. Thus they can also be called as manual scavengers.
Problems of Pourakarmika families/children:

1. They get up early in the morning at 4 am and start working
2. Manually they are clean the soak pit and the toilets as there is no safety measures adopted or machines are used
3. While many of the workers are women, their children will be alone at home during these hours there will be nobody to help them
4. These children lack suitable guidance
5. As there is no one at home to prepare food for them to take it with them to school, it is very difficult for these children to go to schools
6. Hence, many children have dropped out of schools and are remaining at home
7. 95% of the families have inculcated alcoholic habits
8. 95% of the families are used to borrow money from money lenders
9. Many women are forced to beg for food in the morning, while they are working and usually they will be given stale and remaining food
10. Hence, many of the members of these families have fallen prey to alcohol consumption habits
11. The quality of schools which are located near to the places where these people reside is also very low
12. The condition of these schools is not fit for learning. Naturally the teachers look down upon these children and thus they are neglected
13. A major portion of their salaries will go towards repayment of loans and hence the educational needs of the children are usually neglected
14. It is also common that many pourakarmikas die while on duty and moreover their profession passes on to their children, which has become a practice from ages. It is a hereditary job from Father to Son and Grandson
15. A few children are forced to pick rags, while a few involve in anti-social activities like stealing
16. Such families lack farsightedness, especially they don’t care about their children’s education and their economical status
17. Many pourkarmikas are working from the last 10-12 years and are being paid around Rs. 7,000 monthly salary, which was earlier just Rs. 800. But many of them are forced to borrow money from money lenders and the rich, inevitably to meet their household expenses and other needs
18. A few of them work as manual scavengers, which involves cleaning of toilets and underground drainage
19. Though a few families in localities like Nittuvalli Dalit Colony are not pourakarmikas, they too work as manual scavengers for want of money. They get Rs. 200 to Rs. 1000 for their inhumane work, as per residents Shamanurappa, Hanumantappa, Anjinappa.

The educational status of the children of these pourakarmikas and manual scavengers is pathetic. Hence there is a need to provide supplementary education to their children.
Community opinions:

1. According to a pourakarmika woman Kalyanamma, it is very difficult to even feed their children as they have to get up at 4 am in the morning and leave for work. We cannot know whether our children will have breakfast and lunch or not, whether they will go to schools or not. Even schools do not take interest in our children and thus they are neglected.
2. Education is very important for our children as we are illiterates and we cannot teach them, says Tippamma.
3. Lakshman and Hucchangappa are of the opinion that they would definitely send their children to the ‘tuition centre’, as they consider education as very important.
4. The Devadasi women of Jagjivanram Nagar and Bhangi community women and Madiga community women expressed their view that they would definitely send their wards to the ‘tuition centre’, so that their children can also learn and become literates.
5. Nittuvalli Dalit Colony residents Hanumantappa, Anjinappa, Manjanna, Shamanoorappa opined that cleaning toilets and drainages was their profession and it is inevitable for them. They also feel education is important for their children.
6. Children dropping out of schools have become a common thing for Ratnamma, Durgesh, Devraj, Poojarappa of Jagjivram Nagar and they promised that they appreciated the idea of opening ‘tuition centre’ and they would definitely send their children.

Need of supplementary education (tuition centre)

1. It is essential to create awareness among the pourakarmika community, about the importance of their children’s education.
2. Children can become good citizens if they are provided good education.
3. It will help them to inculcate humanistic character and lead a respectable life.
4. While children become literates, they will be able to lead a good life in the society.
5. Through proper counseling the children can be helped to fulfill their dreams
6. By creating child groups, they can be given their rights and through extra-curricular activities their creativity can be explored and further encouraged.
7. By identifying the condition of the vulnerable families, they can be provided suitable training and enrolled to special schools (like Morarji Schools, Kittur Rani Chennamma, Jawahar Navodaya Schools, private schools under Right to Education Act) and also help them to avail hostel facilities in Govt.Schools
8. By building a competitive attitude among children, future life values can be introduced among the children and they can be helped to inculcate a pro-society approach.

Colonies where tuition centres can be started

Sl. No.	Name of the Colony	No. of Children	Teaching time, discuss with the community and fix a time which is convenient for them and provide supplementary education to the children.	Remarks
1	Gandhinagar	30	2 hours	From Monday to Saturday, daily morning or evening. Children will be taught to read and write. Duration 2 hours
2	Chowdeshwari nagar	30	--//--
3	KTJ nagar	30	--//--
4	Nittuvalli Dalit Colony	30	--//--
5	Hosakundawada Dalit Colony	30	--//--
6	Jagjivanram nagar	30	--//--
7	Azad nagar	30	--//--
8	Behind graveyard (Gandhinagar)	30	--//--
9	Anekonda Dalit Colony	30	--//--
10	Chikkanahalli Dalit Colony	30	--//--
	Total	300

Details of pourakarmikas, Davangere

Sl. No.	Colonies with more pourakarmika population	Total no. of families, including both contract basis and permanent pourakarmikas	Total no. of children (0-18 years)
1.	SPS Nagar	150	110
2.	Gandhinagar	350	220
3.	Chowdeshwari Nagar	108	70
4.	KTJ Nagar	20	14
5.	Jagjivanram Nagar	23	12
6.	Nittuvali Dalit Colony	19	10
	Total	670	436

There are two pourakarmika sanghas, one contract basis pourakarmika sangha, having 350 pourakarmikas and another permanent pourakarmika sangha with 350 families.
Babanna,DS
Secretary
Action Initiative for Development
Mob. 9035247600
e-mail:aidorg@yahoo.in