As already mentioned, MVF has strongly advocated utilisation of existing structures and institutions for delivering many of the components of its programs. Thus there has been a large amount of interaction with the government machinery. While the response from the latter has varied it has rarely been one of confrontation. On the other hand there have been large areas of cooperation. The impact of the MVF program on various government policies mainly in regard to the education policy has already been mentioned earlier. The real success, however, has been the teaching community.
Given the fact that the MVF program makes the school the centre around which the whole program revolves the teachers has a very large role to play. In the initial stages the teachers were somewhat reluctant to associate themselves with the program and viewed it with considerable suspicion. However, a series of workshops were conducted to focus on the role of the teacher in the context of child labour. This has been an enormous success and the teachers for the first time have identified for themselves a completely different role viz. that of a protector of a child’s right not to be engaged in work.
This added dimension of dealing with child labour has greatly enhanced their sense of self-esteem. In many instances they have worked hard at evolving new teaching techniques specially designed for the working child. The success of these techniques, consciously designed by the teachers, has resulted in true teachers’ empowerment a fact that has resulted in their total identification with the program. One of the most significant developments in the state has been the formation of the BKVV, which is the teachers’ forum to combat child labour, which today has over 1500 members all advocating the cause of eliminating child labour through education.
