August Activity-Growing up in a Democracy

1. To build awareness about various documents required for citizens of India. 
2. To learn the importance of having some critical documents.
3. To identify some important documents, information available on these documents, etc. 

The teacher can carry some original documents like PAN CARD, AADHAAR CARD, VOTER ID CARD, etc.

Period 1

Time required - 45 Minutes

Step 1- Show and Tell

Step 2- Roleplay 

Step 3- Probing questions

Step 4- Pre-plan for research activity

Step 1- Opening the session by showing the documents which the teacher has, to the students and sharing information about them. 

*Note: Refer to Annexure for pictures and information related to the documents.

After showing the documents, the teacher can ask questions like-

1. Can you recognize these documents? (Ask one by one)
2. For what purpose these documents are being used?
3. If we do not have these documents, what can we do?
4. How can the people who reside in India but do not have these documents, prove their Indian citizenship?

Step 2- The teacher can organize a small roleplay exercise to help the learners understand the use of these documents.

*Note – If step 2 is taking time in discussion and students are participating actively, please spend more time on step 1 and skip step 2. Otherwise, the teacher is requested to follow step 2.

Roleplay 

Character list:

• Meena
• Mom
• Receptionist
• School clerk
• Man at the counter

(Meena and mom enter the school reception area)

Meena: I am so excited to get admitted to this new school.

Mom: Yes, I am sure you are...

Meena: Let’s quickly pay the fees.....there, I can see the fee counter, Ma!

Mom: There is a procedure of documentation to be completed before you pay fees, dear child.

(They go to the reception)

Mom: We are here for the new admission. 

Receptionist: Welcome to our school! You must first complete the documentation and then pay the fees.

This is the list of documents to be submitted. Please get them ready.

Mom: Okay! 

(Mom reads out loud the list of documents)

List of documents

• Correct and authorized Birth Certificate of the student.
• Residential proof of student and parents: either Aadhar card, Ration card, or Smart card bearing the name of parents.
• Domicile Certificate: Child or parents’. Voter ID card of any parent.
• Previous mark sheet
• Caste certificate (if any)

(*Note: This is just an illustrative example and document requirement may vary from school to school.)

Meena: Mom, what are the documents that we are going to submit for admission?

Mom: We will give your Aadhaar card, Birth Certificate, and previous School’s Marksheet. A caste certificate is needed for students belonging to a special caste, but we don't need it since we are not falling in that category. We will also give copies of mine (mom) and dad’s Voter ID cards and Pan cards.

Meena: Do elders have different ID proofs than children?

Mom: They have more documents than children as some documents are issued by the government only after a certain age. E.g., Voter ID card is issued after 18 years of age. 

My documents are ready. Let us get in the line!

Meena and Mom stand in the line.

(Clerk at the counter talking to a man standing at the counter)

Clerk: Sir, we are sorry we cannot give you admission as you have not submitted the Birth Certificate of your child.

Man: But I have given you all the other documents....it's just the Birth Certificate that I don't have. Please consider!

Clerk: Each of the documents is important to get admission. If you have even one document missing, we cannot consider. Please get your ward’s Birth Certificate to take admission!

Man: Ok. (returns with a sad face)

Clerk: Next, please!

Mom: Here you go! (she hands over all the documents)

Clerk: Thank you, madam, for submitting the complete and correct documents. You can now pay the fees.

Meena: Hurray! 

-Play Ends-

Step 3- Probing questions

• The teacher will ask the children: do you have a Birth Certificate and an Aadhaar card?
• What all ID proof documents have you seen with your parents?

Step 4- Debrief the session and explain the activity to be conducted in the next class.

Form groups of 5-6 students each for the activity. Assign one document to each group. Ask them to discuss offline (homework) and prepare their 2-minute verbal presentation on the assigned document. The documents are given below for group discussions:  

1. Birth Certificate  
2. Aadhaar Card  
3. Ration Card  
4. Voter ID Card  
5. Driving License  
6. Pan Card  
7. ATM Card  

 Homework 

The students need to work in their assigned groups to research more about the given document and make a precise and creative presentation on the same. 

The presentation shall cover the following points- 

1. Name of the document 
2. Information on the document 
3. Issuing authority 
4. Uses of the document 
5. How to apply for the document? 
6. At which age can we apply and get the document? 

Period 2 

Time required - 45 Minutes 

Step 5 - Presentations (2-3 minutes for each group)  

Step 6 - Teacher to discuss and summarise 

Let's begin-  

Step 5- Each group gets 2-3 minutes to come in front of the class and present the ideas and knowledge they have collected about that document. Students can use their creativity for the presentation. 

Step 6- After the groups get their turn, the teacher can have a general discussion with the whole class and summarise some important documents. The examples given below can be used as a reference to summarise:  

 Examples: 

1. Birth Certificate and Aadhaar card are necessary at the time of school admission. 
2. A Driving Licence to drive a vehicle.  
3. Aadhaar card and Pan card are required to open a bank account.  
4. ATM card to withdraw cash from ATM.  
5. Ration card to get supply for household food items like rice, wheat, sugar, etc.  

Teachers to ask students to fill up reflection sheets. 

A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the details of birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth. 

Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identity number that can be obtained voluntarily by the citizens of India and residents who are foreign nationals but have spent over 182 days in twelve months immediately preceding the date of application for enrolment, based on their biometric and demographic data. 

The Indian voter ID card is an identity document issued by the Election Commission of India to adult domiciles of India who have reached the age of 18. It primarily serves as an identity proof for Indian citizens while casting their ballot in the country's municipal, state, and national elections. It also serves as a general proof of identity, address, and age for other purposes such as buying a mobile phone SIM card or applying for a passport. 

A Ration Card is a government-approved document that helps you in purchasing items such as food grains, kerosene, etc. at subsidized rates. A ration card has been extremely helpful to those who are not so financially well off or belong to below poverty line (BPL) group and find it difficult to purchase essential food items. 

A permanent account number (PAN) is a ten-character alphanumeric identifier, issued in the form of a laminated "PAN card", by the Indian Income Tax Department. 

A driver's license is a legal authorization, or an official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycle, car, truck, or bus—on a public road. Such licenses are often plastic and the size of a credit card.

Picture source links:

133204-mIndia-Marathi-Birth-Cert-768x1183.jpg (768×1183) (universal-translation-services.com)

https://nenow.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/New-Aadhar-Card-Apply-1140x570.png

https://newsstore24.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/navbharat-times-768x768.jpg

https://www.forbesindia.com/media/image_uploads/Ration%20Card_SM.jpg

https://s01.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/large/934650-49310-sgblkekwsp-1484379166.jpg

https://yojanakhabar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ration-Card-768x461.jpg

driving-license-maharshtra.jpg (1200×628) (coverfox.com)

Reference links:

Identity documents of India - Wikipedia

Birth certificate - Wikipedia

Growing up in Democracy-Roleplay pdf