Majri Grant is a village in Doiwala Block in Dehradun District of Uttarakhand State. The village population consists mainly of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and lags behind in terms of basic education.
Getting parents motivated to send children to school
“The most difficult part was to change the attitude of parents to send their children, particularly the girls, to school,” says an SRF Foundation volunteer.
To increase the enrolment of students in the school, the teachers and head master of the Government Middle School conducted door-to-door meetings with parents in the village for six days in a row. Night meetings were organized so that both the parents could participate in the discussions. The volunteers and the teachers urged the families not to send children to work in the mines and construction sites. Through day and night meetings with parents, bhajan mandalis, we have reaped rich dividends,” states a volunteer from SRF Foundation. Ramesh Kumar, father of four, who has been a part of these night meetings, is convinced that if his children study, they will get better jobs. “They won’t have to work as a laborer like me. They will have a better future,” he states.
We have seen thirty new enrolments since then. We believe it will go a long way in making a positive change in our society.
