The Pehchan Project is the flagship programme of CULP for adolescent girls’ education was initiated in collaboration with the state government of Rajasthan in one block of Jaipur district in 2002 and expanded in two more districts, viz. Tonk and Banswara in subsequent years. This year, the project is being funded by EdelGive Foundation and has been extended bridge course upto grade level eight and is being reached to the minority (muslim) girls in age group 9 to 18 years. Along with this, six-month coaching classes for low-performing in secondary level education were also carried out.

Currently, the project has been implemented in 20 revenue villages of Niwai block in Tonk district (Rajasthan) since January 2016. The identified target group of girls belongs to a minority community called ‘Bajara and Fakir Muslims’ which is socially excluded, economically deprived and educationally most backward where female literacy is less than 10 percent and more than 80% girls were found out-of-school. Due to male-dominated community and prevalence of gender discrimination, cases of early and forced marriage, makes the situation grim for girl child education in the community. The most male adults migrate to Maharashtra and Gujarat for trading as hawkers to earn livelihood for a period of six to eight months in a year. Only women and young children stay in the village. Therefore, they don’t allow their daughters to go in school distantly located, even one kilometer from their houses. There is poor school facility in the village.

The key Implementation strategies evolved are

Utilization of existing resources of government school systems; Establishment of inter-linkages with the 'Education for-All' project to initiate a model of bridge course with emphasis on multi-level cooperative learning; Ensuring the participation of community for a pro-active role in the project intervention; Sensitizing the community and government school system to address the larger social and gender equity issues in the society; and Forming 'Adolescent Girls’ Forums' at the village for social change. The following points shows the key components of the project:

• Bridge Course for out-of-school Girls
• Pedagogic Improvement in Govt. elem. Schools
• Life Skill Education to Adolescent Girls for Social Change
• Coaching Classes for Low achiever Girls at Secondary Level Education
• Community Mobilization and Micro-planning