Better learning with Project Sangati

As you know, the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into force on April 1. We told you yesterday that though this new Act has made education a fundamental right for children aged 6 to 14 years (and also requires 25% seats in private schools to be reserved for children from poor families), there has been criticism against it.
For one, the Act excludes children under the age of six and over the age of 14, and, two, it does not address the issue of providing a uniform standard of education to all.


Universal access to education continues to be one of our main goals here at Mumbai Smiles. We understand the issues and believe that it is necessary to work within the system. Our approach, laid out in our strategic plan for the next five years, will be to:
• Protect and provide education to the age groups that the new Act excludes
• Work with public schools to provide a fair and quality education to kids in the 6-14 years age group



We plan to do this by collaborating with other organisations and municipal corporations throughout the city as combining our resources will strengthen our efforts. Just last week, we signed on with Avehi-Abacus, an NGO that works in education, to be a part of Project Sangati.

Project Sangati includes a series of six books and interactive teaching and learning, aimed at teachers and children in government schools and non-formal education centres. Sangati’s emphasis is on links between specific topics rather than isolated fragments of information, offering children a different perspective to understand and analyse the world around them.


The methodology includes group work and discussions to develop communication skills, critical analysis, problem solving and decision-making. Activities such as drawing, colouring, writing, singing and drama help children explore and express their creativity.


An integral part of the Sangati methodology is the use of a wide variety of visual aids: flip charts, posters, stories and games to act as a springboard for discussion and other classroom activities.

From June 2006, Sangati has been introduced in all 923 schools (including 18 special schools) run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. And we hope our involvement will give it a fresh impetus.