Improving Educational Opportunities for Children Affected by COVID-19

Project P7947, "Improving educational opportunities for children affected by long-term implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India", runs from June 2024 to January 2028 with funding from Karl Kübel Stiftung and BMZ, Germany.

NMCT implements it in Avinashi and Uthukuli blocks of Tirupur district, across 20 government schools and 20 villages. It aims to give 2,600 disadvantaged children and 700 families better life and future opportunities through child protection and the fundamental right to education, health, inclusion, hygiene, sanitation and water, and family income and employment, guided by a feminist development strategy.

How it works

• Tuition centres and learning assessments for children whose schooling was disrupted.

• Psychological counselling, medical check-ups and long-COVID counselling.

• Menstrual hygiene training for adolescent girls, and inclusive hygiene and health practices in schools.

• Holistic, gender-equitable education programmes, including Children's Rights Clubs.

• Skills training and income-generating activities for families, led by women.

Results, June 2024 to June 2026

• 803 children enrolled in tuition centres. Of 503 children assessed for 2024-25, 280 scored above 80%, 175 scored 60–80% and 48 scored 50–60%, and all were promoted; 300 more are enrolled for 2025-26.

• 895 children received psychological counselling, with noticeable improvement in emotional well-being and mental health among 75% of them.

• 750 adolescent girls were trained in menstrual hygiene management; absenteeism, especially among girls, has fallen by 95%, and girls report more confidence in managing their health.

• 350 people were trained in skills such as tailoring and cattle rearing, and 204 were supported with income-generating activities, with each one's income rising gradually, up to EUR 100.