‘Signal schools’ to be launched by the Maharashtra government: Underprivileged street kids to get education

In order to provide proper education to the underprivileged street children who are unable to get the same due to poor socio-economic background, the Maharashtra government has planned to launch ‘signal schools’.

According to a TOI report, it was with the help of Thane based NGO ‘Samarth Bharat Vyaspeeth’ that the Thane Municipal Corporation started the signal school initiative with its main objective to educate street children. Most of them are begging on the street or hawking petty things on signals. There are plans to form a committee also which will suggest measures to tackle the issue.

Set up on June 15, the classrooms have been set up in a remodelled container near Teen Haath Naka in Thane. The school currently caters to 22 children of four families, originally from Osmanabad, Beed and Satara. Here the volunteers teach with the help of audio visual system. A small library also exists and children are also been provided with meal and uniform.

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Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured that the government will seek information in reserved plot issue and will take necessary steps. About signal school CM said, “We will study the Thane signal school concept and will consider it to implement in other cities.”

BJP MLA Amit Satam raised the issue through starred questions in the legislative assembly.

“Will the state government formulate the policy to provide education of street children and instruct BMC to construct 8 night shelter for them as soon as possible?” While referring the 2011 census, Satam pointed out that in Mumbai 60,000 people are staying on street with most of them are children.

source”cnbc”