www.muktanganedu.org

Muktangan is a pioneering educational programme offering low-cost, high-quality English medium education to the economically disadvantaged sections of society.
By training women from similar socio-economically challenged communities of Mumbai, who earlier had no career prospects, they have created a group that is now running Preschools and a Municipal English Medium Primary School having 480 children.

At Muktangan the emphasis is on a child-centred ideology, based on the child’s choice of what to learn on a daily basis.  All lessons are planned daily, reviewed and conducted to provide experiential learning to every child.  Rather than standing in front of a classroom and teaching, the teachers are trained to facilitate each child’s innate capabilities of self-learning.

Parents are Muktangan’s strongest advocates, with enthusiastic involvement in the
school.  Regular parent meetings address issues of what constitutes education, children’s rights, child development, parental responsibilities, health care, social issues and so on.

English has become the language of global communication. The parents understand this and see that without it their children’s career options will be limited. To ensure that they are better able to support their children’s education, English language classes are also offered to parents.

The education and teacher training provided is completely free with some parents contributing of their own free will and according to their means. All resources needed for the teacher training, the school and the children are provided free.

Recognizing the relevance and effectiveness of the educational model, the BMC has this year entrusted to Muktangan 6 more preschools to be run with the Muktangan pedagogy, taking in an extra 480 children.

Many NGO’s from tribal and rural areas across India have asked for the implementation of the Muktangan methodology in their schools.  To achieve this, there are plans to set up a “Training of Teacher-Trainers” (TOTC) in June 2008, to train trainers from outlying organisations who have expressed a desire to adopt the Muktangan approach. Subsequent ongoing technical support will also be offered to these organisations.

CHF’s support to such a program ensures that children, who would otherwise be forced to earn a living on the streets, can have hope for the future, for themselves and their families.