Hyderabad: Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), in collaboration with a local Mosque in Jalpally, south of Hyderabad, has set up a first-of-its-kind free Bridge School for Primary and middle school dropouts.
The first of its kind Bridge school has been set up in Masjid E-Rehmat-E-Alam on Pahadi Shareef Road, Jalpally Gate, Opp Al-Ashraf Unani Hospital.
A recent survey conducted by HHF, between February and March, found that 27% of Muslim children from urban slums in Hyderabad have dropped out of school, and 5% have never attended.
The main reasons behind these dropouts are financial constraints in paying fees in private schools.
Secondly, the lack of teachers, availability of government schools in proximity and poor infrastructure of government schools in Hyderabad make the choice difficult for most parents.
In the first batch, 110 students from primary to secondary level have been registered for bridge schooling from the nearby slum areas.
The HHF will ensure qualified teachers and counsellors with a customized syllabus for bridge schooling, free transportation and a midday snack for the students, consisting of boiled eggs and bananas, being provided every day to children from poor and marginalised families at all Bridge Schools that will be set up across Hyderabad.
“We aim to set up more Bridge Schools across different urban slums in Hyderabad. In a matter of 3 to 6 months, we will be able to bring this vulnerable child into mainstream education and link them to the free government school education,” said Mujtaba Hasan Askari of the Helping Hand Foundation.
Courses at the Bridge School in Jalpally, Hyderabad
Foundation Level Course (FLC): A 60-day program emphasizing the foundational aspects of English, Mathematics, and EVS studies from Nursery to LKG.
Beginning Level Course (BLC): Another 60-day program taking a step further into more advanced topics for UKG to 1st Class.
Senior Level Course (SLC): A final 90-day program delving into advanced levels of learning for classes 2nd to 5th Class.
Assessments will be conducted every three months to thoroughly evaluate each child’s progress at each Bridge School in Hyderabad. Based on these outcomes, we will determine whether the child is ready to transition into mainstream education.
