• To realise Azim Premji Foundation’s vision related to equity in education, the Foundation has chosen to focus on some of the disadvantaged and underserved groups of children. Of special concern are children from the large number of migratory families serving the booming construction industry in urban India. A majority of these children do not go to school given the migratory nature of their families and the lack of suitable access to proximate quality schools. With the result that not only are they deprived of education in any form but are also in a way to forced to seek other kinds of engagement that may not be constructive to their development.
• Despite recognition of the presence of such children and some provision to address their issues through tent schools etc., Governmental efforts have been minimal in this space raising the significance of this project.
• There are several issues involved in the education of such children ranging from their possible multilingual composition, varied profile in terms of exposure to any kind of schooling, the temporariness of their habitation etc.

• Explore and experiment to understand what it takes to meet the development and educational needs of disadvantaged children.
• Develop a curriculum, pedagogy and education process most suitable to children that constitute a heterogeneous group necessitating a package that meets multilingual, multicultural and multisocial requirements for the above profile.
• Evolve multi-grade and multi-level teaching learning methods / practices for children who are exposed to formal education for a varying degree of uncertain duration.
• Build a replicable and sustainable model of quality education for children of above profile to enable them to join the mainstream.

• That the migratory character of the children’s profile requires a different (non-traditional) approach to meeting their educational needs.
• That this intervention necessarily requires a holistic approach of development of such children including health and nutritional components.
• That the major stakeholder in this project is the builder/developer of the site who is also the employer of the parents of the disadvantaged children.

• Azim Premji Foundation, in partnership with the builder/developer, sets up experimental school on construction sites for children of labourers employed by the construction industry.
• Curriculum and Pedagogy is designed to suit the profile and needs of these children. The schools are managed by Azim Premji Foundation either alone or in partnership with other identified organizations working in the area of education for children of a similar profile.
• A study is conducted at each identified construction site on the perceptions and expectations of families from education for their children.
• This intervention attempts to:
• Provide basic facilities like appropriate classrooms, blackboard, teachers who can meaningfully address the learning requirements of the children, drinking water, toilets and appropriate teaching-learning material at the school.
• Achieve universal enrolment and attendance of the children of the families employed at the construction site and living in the construction premises.
• Develop a curricular package to effectively deal with a complex context: multi-grade, multi-level, multi-lingual, and uncertain duration of stay.
• Develop child friendly processes and culture.
• Effectively address the health, hygiene and nutrition needs of children.
• Motivate families of the children to send their children to school – fully convinced that what is happening in the school is in the interest of their children.
• Mobile Computer Aided Learning
  A unique feature of the program is supplementing the classroom processes through Computer Aided Learning that is made available to children by Azim Premji Foundation in collaboration with other organisations. The Computer Aided Learning is aimed at attracting the children, engaging the children meaningfully and contributing to their curricular learning as well as personality attributes such as self confidence, concentration, psychomotor skills, thinking etc. It is also an attempt to address the digital divide between the disadvantaged children and the rest. The details of the Mobile Computer Aided Learning are given at Annexure 1.

• Availability and maintenance of the necessary classrooms.
• Extent of enrollment in the school – at least 95 per cent enrolment.
• Extent of Attendance at the School – at least 75 per cent children attending 90 per cent of the time.
• Health Status of the Children – specific health indicators to be evolved – at least one health check up every three months and necessary treatment on identified health issues.
• Nutritional Status of the Children - all children being served clean and wholesome food for breakfast, lunch and an evening snack.
• A joyful, child-friendly / non-threatening environment measured through feedback of children and parents (qualitative observation).
• Progress of the Children in gross and fine motor skills, language and communication, social skills, independence in self-care, other non-cognitive areas and academic achievement – measured through non-rote based competency testing (at least 60 per cent of children possessing expected competencies relevant to their age group) at the end of 24 months.
• Possibilities of Educational Mainstreaming (this will depend upon how many parents stay continuously on the project. This may have to be tracked carefully in case the children move away due to migration of their parents).
• Value Education/Life Skills Training.
• Readiness Skills for Vocational/Professional Training.
• Involvement and participation of the families in the school measured through regularity of visits to the schools, involvement in meetings/discussions, interaction with project staff etc.
• Meeting the expectations of families in the context of the findings of the study on perceptions/expectations of families.
• Involvement of the Builder / Developers in the school – builder playing the pre-agreed role and honouring financial commitments to the project, participation in meetings and visits to the school.
• Replicability of the model measured through more builders getting motivated to replicate the project at their sites
• Sustainability of the model measured through the government taking affirmative actions such as
• Appointing teachers for such interventions,
• Providing mid-day meals
• Supplying uniforms, text books and extending all such facilities as are applicable for children studying in a Government school
• Making modifications in the policy framework for construction approval etc.
• Partner network and fulfillment – partners fulfilling the pre-agreed responsibilities

• Builder / Site Developer
• Infrastructure :
• Well-lit, well-ventilated all-weather proof classrooms in the ratio of 1 room (20 x 15 approximately) to every 25 children with proper flooring
• A separate room for a crèche for younger children with proper flooring
• Toilets (separate for girls and boys), drinking water facilities
• An equipped kitchen or alternative facility to cook / fetch appropriate food for children
• A fenced school compound with a play area and a small garden
• Blackboards, sports, music equipment
• Space for the Mobile Computer-Aided Learning Centre along with electricity connections for the same
• Furniture for the school (desks, chairs, floor mats, tables)
• Teaching learning material, school bags, uniforms etc.
• Security for the school along with maintenance of the infrastructure
• Costs related to health, nutrition and hygiene
• Approvals from concerned authorities
• Azim Premji Foundation
• Overall project leadership
• Teaching learning processes
• Developing curriculum appropriate to the given profile of children
• Managing the mobile Computer Aided Learning unit to augment the pedagogical effort
• Providing teachers and resource persons as required
• Teacher development and empowerment
• Providing exposure to children for Computer Aided Learning
• Program monitoring, documentation
• Research
• Dissemination of the information related to progress and outcomes
• Sharing costs of nutrition, health and hygiene as required
• Entering into partnerships and finding partners to successfully implement the program
• Advocacy with the Government for institutionalization and with other builders to scale the program at their sites

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