Pre-School Scholarships

Preschool education in India is not yet officially recognised by the government and is largely run by privately held companies. The demand for “play schools” that cater to caring for very young children is high, with the rise in families in which both parents are working.

However, a positive step forward in the direction of formalising preschool education has come forth through the NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. The NEP 2020 has placed a great deal of importance on early childhood care and education, advocating that the foundational stage (3 to 8 years) is critical and requires official/formal intervention. In fact, NEP 2020 has advocated replacing the traditional 10 + 2 schooling system with a 5+3+3+4 system.

In India there are not just the preschools as individual institutions but there are hundreds of preschools who operate as a chain of preschools. These preschools work on franchise models and let other entrepreneurs operate preschool under their brand. In 2021 there are almost 450 preschool franchise providers in India.

Source: Wikipedia

The Alateen Trust also believes that the foundational ages from 2 yrs. to 8 yrs. is critical for the future development of the child. Thus, the Pre-School Scholarship Programme (PSSP) is the first to be launched.

Papa (Baby) Scholarships

Provides quality education and equal opportunities to the under-privileged children, who are studying in Government Schools. Students who approach for a Papa Scholarship for educational support come from various walks of life and from both rural and urban areas.

These children are either orphans, single earning households or belong to very poor families, some of them with family incomes as low as Rs. 5,000 per month. These scholarships will ensure that their children are not denied access to education during the critical early formative years which are so crucial to their development and success in the later years.

The children are mostly from challenging family backgrounds such as those afflicted by alcoholism and addiction, with severely limited financial resources. They are also constrained by communal practices such as resistance to educating a girl child, underage marriage, child labour, single / disabled / addicted parents who are ignorant of the value of education, posing significant threats and obstacles for the child to overcome.

Post-selection of deserving students, based on the selection process outlined below, we continue to track the progress of the recipients and ensure they maintain at least a 75% attendance rate and a performance level to continue in our program and apply for a renewal of Papa Scholarships.

The selection process consists of five stages as follows.

1. Receive Applications – from parents, Government schools with documentation as per form, online, assisted by Foundation Volunteers wherever needed.
2. These are reviewed by the Foundation and deserving students who come from Government Schools and are first generation learners are shortlisted.
3. Personal Interview – conducted online, facilitated by the proposer or volunteer, with the student accompanied by parents. To assess the student’s as well as Parent’s attitude towards putting the child into school or further studies. Genuineness of details provided in the application is also verified in the interview, and also by field volunteers.
4. House Visit – The purpose of the house visit by volunteers is to assess the information and verify the facts provided by the student and their parent/guardian during the personal interview. The financial background and the life style of the student’s family are also assessed during the visit. Foundation staff or volunteers would do the House visit, fill in forms to mention whether there is electricity facility or not, residing house is hut/tile roof/concrete, educational qualification of the parents and siblings, whether the father is alcoholic/addict or not, ownership of household gadgets, etc. Weightage points are given to parameters like these.
5. The final list of students to be provided scholarships for a given academic year would be determined by the socio economic scoring on various parameters filled during House visit, Interview, Documentation along with their academic scores in previous terms or classes (school reports) if any.

This process is subject to change without prior notice. The number of scholarships awarded are subject to budgetary constraints of the Foundation. The Foundation’s discretion is final and binding on all applicants.,