Year 1 students in class at MAITRI’s Fulchatar Village School

• MAITRI Village Schools program has been running since January, 1999 and is completely free of charge to all pupils.
• MAITRI village schools program runs its activity on the basis of an innovative close collaboration between MAITRI and the villagers conceived within the framework of rural development.
• The villagers have undertaken to construct and maintain the school buildings whereas MAITRI will provide teachers, educational equipment, materials and guidance where appropriate.
• MAITRI provides aid in kind to poorer pupils.
• The program is divided into formal and non-formal education up to 6th grade based on the Indian government’s curriculum.
• The program is conducted through the medium of English and is open to children of all castes and faiths.
• No selection procedure is pursued as all children are expected to attend the schools and the.
• MAITRI requires that its teachers live at the villages throughout the week and supervision is conducted through MAITRI coordinator.
• MAITRI requires that the villagers send their daughters to school while pursuing the attendance of all children from lower castes.
• MAITRI primary education program employs local Indian teachers.

• MAITRI Adult Literacy program has beem run at MAITRI’s premises since 1997 and was extended to Dhandhwa Village school for local women in 2002.
• MAITRI Vocational Training program ran at Dhandhwa Village school for local women from February, 2002.
• In May, 2006 the program was extended to all four schools of Ramnagar, Fulchatar, Paner, and Dhandhwa.

MAITRI Education program: measurable outcomes and impact

A. MAITRI Primary Education program

• MAITRI has 4 village schools to date operating from the villages of Dhandwa, Paner, Fulcharter, and Ramnagar.
• The 4 villages chosen are part of clusters of villages, which lie in very remote areas of rural Bihar – two of them are extremely difficult to reach in the rainy season.
• Because of the increasing participation of other villages each year, throughout the yearsthe villagers have expanded the school buildings to cater for the pupils of all 6 classes and achieved the goal in 2005.
• MAITRI has currently 531 children attending its village schools.

• MAITRI has successfully reached its aim of having a pupil ratio of around 50% female, 50 % male.
• MAITRI has successfully attracted children from lower castes to attend the schools – both the formal and non formal programs.
• Each year the number of pupils attending the schools is approximately the same as more villages are being involved and therefore new children join the schools.
• The drop-out rate of pupils in the non-formal education classes is approx 15% due to age limits dictated by social customs.
• MAITRI has to date provided aid in kind (books, copybooks, pens, slates, and clothing) to 2,034 needy pupils.
• MAITRI provides full free health assistance to poorer children and partial to all of them.
• MAITRI has provided doors and windows and small desks in all the schools and basic furniture for its teachers.
• MAITRI currently employs 12 teachers and uses the services of one local based educational instructor to ensure quality control in teaching methods.
• Since 2001 each school has had a management committee formed from local villagers to look after the buildings, the attendance of children and the MAITRI-village rapport.
• At present 32 villages are involved in the schools.

• Since 1997 MAITRI has provided basic literacy to 20 men and 25 women.
• MAITRI has currently 5 men attending its alternative literacy programme.
• From February, 2002 to June, 2008 the vocational training and literacy course was attended by 15 women from the nearby Village of Dhandhwa .
• Up to June, 2005 the course was held by a local lady trainer/teacher.
• From July, 2005 to August, 2008 MAITRI utilized the services of a trainer with professional skills and experience of the travel-bag making business for Dhandhwa vocational training program.
• In May, 2006 MAITRI employed the services of a professional tailor to instruct women as qualified trainer in the school villages with regular classes.
• Up to April, 2007 MAITRI had 50 women attending its vocational training program in all four schools.
• In May 2008 the course was temporarily suspended due to the lack of a qualified trainer.