Our
Saga
ABOUT JUVENILE SERVICE BUREAU
In Mumbai, Dharavi is the largest slum area in Asia. It’s a world famous area and about 70% of Mumbai is covered by the slum. Most of the people in this area are below poverty line. For the last several years, slum goons have resorted to bullying and drug trafficking in the slums Children between the ages of 5 to 14 years were used to smuggle drugs such as Hashish, Marijuana and Opium and forced them to do criminal activities. All these were happened because of low poverty and misery of the family need of daily bread etc., Juvenile delinquency was rampant in the slums of Mumbai. After the survey they founded highest number was in Dharavi Matunga labour camp. In this place, children between the ages of 5 to 14 were used by goons for Betting, Gambling, Pickpocketing, Theft and Murder.For this, in 1974, the Children’s Aid Society Centre was started through the Juvenile Service Bureau and UNICEF, an organization working for global children. Various programs were organized to curb juvenile delinquency. In order to discourage them and their children from committing juvenile delinquency, in 1974. And in the year 1995, they started a kindergarten for children through the Juvenile Service Bureau for children awareness of education and health.
At that time, the Juvenile Service Bureau was working to correct juvenile delinquents in the school. From 1974 to 1994, the mindset of the slum and chawl dwellers was such that children working for pickpockets, burglars, gangsters living in the local slums came to the school and parents stopped sending their children to school as their children will get influenced. Gradually, as school enrolment dwindled, the local committee decided to set up Jr. K. G., Sr. K. G. English-medium school in the slums with the name of the Children’s Education Society from year 2004, with the proper dress code, systematic education was provided like other schools and charged Rs. 50/- as a monthly fee for per student of Jr. K. G., Sr. K. G. Since teaching was done in English medium as there were shortages of English medium school in Matunga Labour Camp. They used to reiterate what was taught in school to their parents at home. While about 150 students were taking education in pre-primary school.
All the parents requested us that their children should continue studying in the same school till 10th standard. We were oppressed and started class 1 in 2008. We went on increasing our school step by step till 10th standard, now nearby 700 students are taking education in this school with the different curriculum activities. Since last four years, the result of 10th standard has been 100%. The Juvenile Service Bureau and the Children’s Education Society are two sides of the same coin. The Children’s Education Society has been recognized as a self-help group by the Government of Maharashtra, Department of Education and Municipal Education Department.
ABOUT CHILDREN'S EDUCATION SOCIETY
Dharavi, the well-known largest slum in Asia is situated in the India’s world famous Economic capital, Mumbai. Many movies are created on Dharavi and Hindi, English movies received Oscar award. People of different caste and religion stay in slums of Dharavi. Dharavi is also called as Mini India. Backward people of all communities run small businesses from their houses in Dharavi, such as Making leather from animal skin and creating many articles like bag, wallet, jacket, goods, and readymade garments.
Men and women of different caste and religion face extreme hardship to earn livelihood and to educate their children. Today Dharavi is equivalent to Taluka containing population of five lakh people. In this Dharavi, even today children don’t get proper health and education facilities. Due to lack of money, people cannot afford health facilities and hence have no choice other than to die. Also regarding education, there is scarcity of schools in Dharavi. This is stated in the survey conducted by Dharavi Vikas Pradhikaran Mhada.
The schools situated in and around Dharavi area take donations and give admission to children of high income and middle class parents. But children of backward people from poor family, wage earners, earning daily just sufficient for having food in the evening, are deprived of education. Since last 15 to 20 years, local language schools like Marathi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarathi, Telagu, Tamil are shut down or on the verge of shutting down. Parents are keen in getting their child education in English language. High donation and exorbitant monthly fees in neighborhood schools, makes it difficult for these parents to get English education for their wards, which is out of their reach. In this situation, in June 1975 at Matunga Labour Camp in Dharavi, by engaging Juvenile Service Bureau and Tata Institute of Social Science, Juvenile Service Bureau and UNICEF Recreation and Study Room for small children in Dharavi, in Matunga Labour Camp ward A and B.
Through this Juvenile Service Bureau and UNICEF, Tata Institute of Social Science students started many programs like playing recreation games, study room for children staying in Dharavi. Milk made from milk powder delivered from America, was being given to children daily evening and study used to be conducted from 6 pm to 8 pm. The condition of all children being poor and deprived and also being from a big family, most of them used to go back home after having milk. We very few selected children used to stay back for studies.
I, Mr. Devanand D. Dethe, am one amongst such students. The situation of my home was also very bad, my mother used to sell vegetables, father used to do masonry work on daily wages. Our family consisted of three elder sisters and us two brothers. Being eldest, Juvenile Service Bureau and Tata Institute of Social Science helped me and other intelligent students in getting Rs. 750/- per annum from Britannia Company for the period from when I was in class 5 upto class 10. In 1978-79, 7 students of Children’s Center passed the class 10 examination.
My parents had to wander from door to door for ensuring that I get my further education. While studying, I started teaching poor children. Even after getting a government job, I used to work for this institution in the evening. After few days, the government stopped financial help to Juvenile Service Bureau and UNICEF (which is a global organization) and as a result, their entire work was closed down.
Since financial help was stopped from 1997, all the activities of children staying in chawls in the slum were stopped. Hence under the guidance of Mr. Devanad D. Dethe and with the help of literate people associated with Children’s Center, Juvenile Service Bureau and UNICEF founded Children’s Education Society for Nursery, Primary and Secondary English Medium Education. On the condition of starting a school with very less amount of fees for poor, needy and backward girls and boys staying in slums, they handed over the institution to Children’s Education Society in 2003. Even today, the organization is working for the education of children under the same name.
01.
PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
English medium Nursery was started in year 2003 at Dharavi Matunga Labour Camp through Children’s Education Society. For children of poor backward people, daily wage earners, maids, etc., Jr. KG and Sr. KG classes have been started at nominal fees. All children from Kumbharwada, Mahim, Shahunagar and slum area in Dharavi get benefited from this. Children staying in slums, get proper preprimary education from our school.
02.
PRIMARY EDUCATION
To start Primary education from class 1 to class 4, Founder Mr. DevanandDethe and all committee members of Children’s Education Society presented a scheme to Mr. Parvez Damania. He supported the scheme saying“I am with you in this project”. Needy students should get primary education at very nominal fee, is our main objective. We accepted the suggestion of Mr. Parvez Damania to name the Primary school as Banyan Tree School, thereby enhancing its reputation. Today many children are receiving the benefit by undertaking Primary Education.
03.
SECONDARY & HIGHER SECONDARY EDUCATION
To get Maharashtra Government’s approval for school, a proposal was made and presented to Education department of Government of Maharashtra in the year 2015. The Founder/President Mr. DevanandDethe worked very-hard for getting approval for class 1 to class 10. With these efforts in 2018, secondary and higher secondary school got Index Number and the name of the school once again changed as Children’s Education Society Banyan Tree English High school. In March 2019, first batch of school has appeared for their SSC exam. Our teachers have moulded these children by giving right guidance to children for this endeavour. The class 10 students have passed with flying colours in the March 2020 examination.
