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Surat is an industrial town, on the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat. Textile production is the mainstay of this town. These Textile production units employ a substantial number of child labourers. According to our estimate Surat has 15,000 out of school children. 4000 of them are child labourers, aged 9 to 14, who work 10 - 12 hours a day under hazardous conditions. Most of these children come from families living below poverty line (BPL). Some of these families are migrants from parts of Gujarat and rest of India.
A National Child Labour Project Society was formed in Surat, to run special schools for these child labourers, about 10 years ago. The Collector of Surat chairs the society, and the other members are drawn from the state government, NGO's and the civil society.
The Society was formed with the express intention of submitting a proposal to the Labour Ministry to run special schools for child labourers and the subsequent implementation of the project by the local NGOs. However, no such project could start in Surat over the last 10 years.
 Inspired by the success stories of some NGOs in the rural areas of Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh to rehabilitate child labourers, Pratham Surat Education Initiative took the plunge to start a Residential Bridge Course Centre (RBC) in village Suali of Choryasi Tehesil in Surat district, on the 5th of January 2005. Senior government officials, corporate functionaries, members of the civil society and representatives of Pratham attended the inauguration.
The Pratham RBC is a 7-month programme and has 30 child labourers in the first batch. With an annual cost of about Rs. 350,000 the project has been mainly funded by NOVIB (Oxfam Netherlands). Some local entrepreneurs have pledged assistance in the form of grocery for the inmates.
For selection of these 30 children1, aged 9-14, preference has been given to orphans and children of single parents. They have all been medically examined for communicable diseases. A rented 6-roomed house functions both as hostel and school for the children and they are taught by 3 teachers, looked after by a caretaker and served meals by a cook.
 During the 7-month stay the children will acquire relevant competencies of class 5. Co-curricular activities such as Excursion Trips, Aakash Darshan, Yogabhyas, Dramatics, Handicraft, Music and Film Shows will enliven the children's stay at RBC centre. Besides this, they will also be provided with uniform and clothing. Upon completion of the 7-month tenure they will be examined and the successful children will be bridged to class 6 in a formal school. Subsequently, all necessary support to the families of these children will be rendered, to ensure that the children remain in school.
We are confident that we will be able to bridge the entire lot of 30 in the first batch. We propose to cover 500 child labourers in the next stage. Consequently, we hope to demonstrate that this intervention can be replicated on a large scale to wean away the children from the rigours of labour and equip them to lead a meaningful life.
Chandrashekhar Mukund Deshmukh
1Sample Case Studies Of Two Children In The Pratham Rbc
| Name of Child |
Age |
Work |
Income |
Education |
| Vinod Maganbhai Vadia |
11 |
Power Loom 12 hours a day |
600 per month |
Never been to school |
| Hashim Salim Khan |
12 |
Zari (Embroidery) 12 hours a day |
1000 per month |
Never been to school |
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