STUDENTS SURVEY RESULTS
Kids proud of city, but dread its streets ……….Anahita Mukherji
Mumbai: Heres a peek into what Mumbais children feel about life in a metro. A total of 62% are always proud to be Mumbaikars, while 32% feel so only some of the time. Only 17% of boys and 9% girls surveyed always feel safe while stepping out of the house, while 28.4% boys and 28.7% girls feel safe outside home
only some of the time. The reasons for feeling unsafe include terrorism and getting kidnapped, among others.
only some of the time. The reasons for feeling unsafe include terrorism and getting kidnapped, among others.
These are some of the findings thrown up by a survey of more than 2,000 Mumbai children. The survey itself was conducted by a thousand-odd city kids who are part of the Childrens Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA), a voluntary organisation that works with a cross-section of city schools, ranging from IB schools to BMC schools. Each of the 1,000 children were asked to survey at least two other kids.
I really enjoyed carrying out the survey. I surveyed one student from my school and one from another school. I liked hearing other children express
their feelings about Mumbai. The students I surveyed were worried about terrorism, and had a problem with loudspeakers and crowds during festivals, as this would disturb them while studying, said Gudiya Mandal, a 14-year-old student of Little Flower of Jesus High School, Marine Lines.
their feelings about Mumbai. The students I surveyed were worried about terrorism, and had a problem with loudspeakers and crowds during festivals, as this would disturb them while studying, said Gudiya Mandal, a 14-year-old student of Little Flower of Jesus High School, Marine Lines.
When asked what the city was famous for, a majority of kids gave the Gateway the thumbs-up. Bollywood and beaches were also high on the list. Twenty-eight per cent of kids were proud of the city because of its friendly people.
What they disliked most about Mumbai included pollution, garbage, corruption and terrorism, the latter being the result of the 26/11 attacks. The field work for the survey took place in December 2008 and January 2009, just a month after the attacks. The results were compiled and analysed earlier this month.
Another rather telling finding shows that more than 75% of city kids had parks and playground near their neighbourhoods, but only 35% frequented them. The reason? Kids say they are tied up with studies and tuitions.
A similar survey was conducted in Bangalore and Hubli. We found that Mumbai kids were more aware of their rights than those from Bangalore, said Vinodini Lulla, CMCAs Mumbai coordinator. Nearly 85% of Mumbai kids felt that children should have a say in decisions concerning the city, as they, too, were citizens of Mumbai. Fifty-four per cent said they could express their views and opinions freely with teachers, while 79.6% said they could do so with their parents.
Its rather worrying, though, that 43% of kids say they did not feel safe approaching a policeman. Reasons ranged from corruption to the fear that cops wouldnt listen to them.
CHILDS WORLD
CHILDS WORLD
* 62% of city kids say they are always proud to be Mumbaikars
* 17.1% boys & 9% girls always feel safe stepping out of the house
* 7.6% boys and 9.2% girls never feel safe while stepping out
* 57% kids feel safe approaching a policeman
* 35.6% walk to school
* 20.9% use the school bus/van
* 75.5% have parks/playgrounds in their neighbourhoods, but only 35% frequent them