A STUDY ON SIGNAL SCHOOL, AHMEDABAD IN THE CONTEXT OF SDG-4 (EDUCATION) AND COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIGNAL SCHOOLS IN INDIA

Abstract

The two most important social indices that significantly contribute to the overall socioeconomic growth of a nation are education and literacy. India has initiated various schemes and policies for education under the Right to Education (RTE). Though India is striving well in education, there are still challenges to be addressed. The paper will focus on the Gujarat Government’s initiative "Signal School" in the context of Sustainable Development Goal 4: Education for all. Signal School (school in a moving bus) imparts education to kids begging at railway stations, working at signals, and dropout children. 30 mobile schools are currently in Ahmedabad. The paper will examine the various aspects of signal schools, their attainment at the primary level of education, their impact analysis and how various issues in education are addressed. "Bhiksha nahi Shiksha" is the motto for initiating this scheme. The scheme currently works in Ahmedabad only, with plans to expand later to other cities in Gujarat. The paper will broadly focus on the case study based; working of signal schools, the process of selecting, picking, and dropping children, the impact signal school is creating in the education sector, along with SDG. Also, the paper will focus on finding whether the concept of Signal School is viable in other cities of Gujarat and also study other Singal schools run by NGOs or Government of India and will do a comparative analysis as currently Signal School’s presence is in Ahmedabad and Bangalore only. This paper will also contextualise the various educational schemes focusing on elementary education.