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Keywords
Urban, Rural, Women, Gender, Adolescents, Youth, Resource Centre, Resource Group, Books
Geographical Location
Delhi
Languages
Hindi, English
Philosophy/Beliefs
Nirantar is a resource centre for Gender and Education. Nirantar defines education broadly as learning that enables women to take control over their lives. Education is a right that women have been denied for far too long. Their work revolves around enabling access to information, promoting literacy, and en-gendering education.
Work Description
Enabling Access to Information: A large part of learning is access to information - and information is power. But, information, for the most part, is not available in content areas relevant to women. Nor is it available in a form and manner that women can easily access. Also, information is not gender neutral. Nirantar believes that there is a need to produce reading/training material - for women and grassroots workers - that simplifies and demystifies information, and presents it with a gender perspective. We also believe that the production of information and knowledge should be democratized and decentralized. If people's voices are to be heard, then the skills of producing reading material should be widely disseminated.
Promoting and strengthening literacy skills is an area of particular concern for Nirantar. Poor women have the right to read and write not only to get information but also for entertainment and engagement with a world beyond their own.
Nirantar believes that structured teaching - learning spaces - both formal and non-formal - are vital arenas through which gender equality can be promoted. Within these spaces there is a need to explore a feminist educational pedagogy that meets women's needs, builds skills, and enhances their leadership capacities.
Through direct fieldwork Nirantar tries to explore innovations in education. Given the increasing marginalization of women's education Nirantar develops alternative, feminist educational pedagogy for women and adolescent girls. These are grounded in women's lives and give space to their ways of learning.
Advocacy and Campaign work: In addition to promoting alternative educational spaces, there is a need to address the exclusion of a gender perspective in mainstream educational institutions and programs. Nirantar engages with the mainstream in two ways - critically examine mainstream teaching-learning materials and pedagogy from a gender perspective; and advocacy with mainstream structures and education policy forums to effect changes. As an active partner in the women's movement and in the larger movement for democratic rights, Nirantar does campaign and advocacy work for a range of people's movements, particularly on issues of violence against women.
Material production: Since 1994 Nirantar has been publishing Pitara, a bi-monthly Hindi magazine for readers with basic literacy skills. This includes both newly literate adult and grassroots workers. Pitara contains material that meets both information and entertainment needs of its target audience. It is gender informed and written for adults i.e. it is written simply but is not simplistic in content. The magazine is sent to individual readers, NGOs, Total Literacy Campaigns and continuing education programs in the Hindi speaking belt.
Nirantar has developed a health education curriculum (in three volumes) for grassroots facilitators. The material gives information and helps generate discussion on gender and health issues. Nirantar has also developed a Hindi language curriculum to help women strengthen their literacy skills and increase their understanding of gender issues.
For adult with low literacy skills, Nirantar brings out booklets in simple Hindi on a range of issues including women and violence, panchayati raj and sexuality. We also publish feminist stories in simple Hindi.
Research: Nirantar does research and produces papers on education and women's rights. The research allows the organization to be more effective in advocacy work with the State, with other NGOs and within the women's movement. It provides the basis for material production around these issues.
Nirantar also does detailed process documentation and include an action-research component in all their direct educational interventions. This provides the basis for refining their educational strategies in the field.
Resource center: Nirantar makes available to individuals, NGOs, students and researchers a large collection of books and resource materials on gender, education, violence, health, panchayati raj and several other development issues. This includes reports, NGO publications, policy documents, as well as educational resource material.
Resources Available
- Access to Resource Center
- Publications in Hindi (that include the health series books, literacy books and booklets and magazine Pitara in Hindi)
Contact Information
Nirantar, A resource center for gender and education
B-64, Sarvodaya Enclave, 2nd floor
New Delhi 110017
Fax: (011) 2651 7726
Phone: (011) 2696 6334
Website Links
Profile in Revive 2004
A brief description of resources from Nirantar
Minutes of the Resolving Conflicts Mini Conference