Building foundations with Pratham

“Initially my brother and my husband did not allow me to teach. But I convinced them. I told them that this is a noble profession”, Leelavati begins her story with a smile that resonates happiness and satisfaction. She is happy that we have visited her to know more about her.

Leelavati has been teaching at Pratham’s Balwadi in Mysore for the past 16 years. Her Balwadi is located at the N.M Moholla in Mysore city. With an experience of so many years, she has seen a rapid change in the city and has seen it reflect in her Balwadi as well. However, she chooses to recall her days before she became a teacher.

“I was a housewife, and my friend was a teacher in a government school. In 2002, Pratham came to this city and was looking for a Balwadi teacher”, she begins her story. Her friend asked her if she could take up the responsibility, and eventually managed to translate her reluctance to a positive decision. She underwent training with Pratham and in a few days became confident and equipped to teach a Balwadi. 

“16 years back, there were less aanganwadis around and hardly any pre-school options. It was difficult for me to convince parents to send their children to the Balwadi”, she says.  

Leelavati had to make door-to-door visits to convince parents about the importance of pre-school education. Her efforts bore fruits and soon enrollments to her Balwadi increased.

“Back then, there were 50 children in her Balwadi. Initially, I found it difficult, but I was later used to it”, she recalls with a smile. However, Pratham later restricted 25 children for one teacher, and she began working with the set of children assigned to her. The community also started supporting her efforts, and it was a clear signal that they now the understood the importance of pre-school education.  

Leelavati helps children adjust with the reading material, hold chalk in their hand, identify shapes and figures and in this way get ready for school. She proudly says that children from her Balwadi find it easy to adjust in school.  “The government school has praised our efforts, and they acknowledge that the children from our Balwadi are better equipped to adjust in primary school,” she says with pride. Leelavati also arranges a meeting with the mothers of these children and ensures that they are updated with the progress their child is making. The community at N.M Moholla consists of auto-drivers, daily wage earners, vegetable-sellers, people working on construction sites and economically backward families, and in many cases, their children are first-generation school-goers. Hence, Leelavati’s efforts carry a lot of significance.

Mysore has changed a lot in these 16 years. It has now accommodated migrants from other states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Bengal who are working in the city as labourers. Many families from these states are settled at N.M Moholla, and their children are now a part of her Balwadi.

“Earlier my Balwadi only had children from Kannada-speaking families. But now my job is to accommodate children from these families and make sure they understand Kannada so that they can adjust well in government primary schools”, she says with a smile that convinces us that she is ready for the next set of challenges.