BENGALURU: To help poor and backward class students from slums study better, the Welfare Department of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is setting up Belaku, a learning centre, in each ward. The centre will have a trained teacher, a well-lit room and books. The idea is to ensure that these children do not fail their exams. Ram Prasat Manohar, Special Commissioner, BBMP Welfare Department, said the scheme, ‘Vidyarthi Belaku’, is aimed at underprivileged children who do not have a proper atmosphere to study at home.
“These centres will come up in areas that will be within 500 metres to 1 km from students’ homes or slum colonies. Our department took up this initiative as many of these children do not have a proper place to study. We have tied up with NGOs and roped in volunteers. We will provide infrastructure and study materials as well,” Manohar said.
NGOs to get contracts
The centres will be open from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. NGOs will be awarded contracts to hire graduates and undergraduates on a monthly honorarium of Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 to monitor these centres and these teachers will be trained for 15 days. Each centre has been allocated Rs 42,500.
The students will be taught leadership, communication and other skills. “They can get help from tutors to pass their exams. We have already opened 10 centres on a pilot basis and will soon cover all the 243 wards in the Palike limits,” Manohar said. The idea behind the initiative is to ensure that students do not deviate from their studies due to a lack of space. This will also prevent children from dropping out and taking to crime, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officials said.