• Bridge courses: prepare children in the 6-11 age group who are out of school for entering the formal school system
• Balsakhi classes: prepare children who are in school but are not learning
• Balwadi classes: prepare children in the 3-5 age group to enroll in school

• Pratham's programs in North Shahdara are directly benefiting over 9000 children in Delhi (North Shahdara).
• A majority of these (nearly 7000) are school going children in the age group of 6-10 years.
• There are a total of 472 classes running of which 79 are Bridge Courses, 347 are Balsakhi classes and 46 are Balwadi classes.

NEW INITIATIVES

• In areas of North Shahdara where there are few schools and a large number of out-of-school children, Pratham Education Centers have been launched. These will run as mini-schools and would educate around 100 children under one roof.
• A number of Community Children Centers are in the pipeline in North Shahdara, two of which are already operational. Each center is designed as a place where the children can learn while they have fun. The centers are open to all children in the age group of 3 to 15 years. There is a special focus on working and street children at these centers.

• Pratham team along with the Government has identified 3 schools where there is a shortage of teaching space. We plan to construct simple concrete structures where classes can be held.
• In the first phase, construction of 15 such structures commenced on 25 December 2002.


• Simultaneously, we have also commenced work on the improvement of existing infrastructure (Toilets/Drinking Water/Boundary Walls) in some of the schools.