"Some children who did not understand anything had developed a tendency of disturbing others. But when they realised that they understand the concept, they began to look inward, and this tendency declined." We are at Sinugra village in the Anjar taluka of Gujarat's Kutch district. And we are the home of Indu ben, the village Sarpanch since May last year. However, she is associated with Pratham for the past five years. She was a government school teacher at the village primary school.
Indu ben recalls that almost thirty years back, no one in the village studied till matriculation. The village population indulges itself in agriculture, and some of them work as daily wage labourers. Many of them also work as rickshaw drivers and seek employment opportunities at Anjar. Also, Kutch is a place where one forms a lot of migrant workers, and all this affects the schools learning levels. "Many children here are first-generation school-goers, and they do not have an environment of learning at home. Because of the nature of their work, parents also do not find much time to know what they are learning in school", she says.
Indu Ben observed that children entering school did not know how to read and write. Owing to the migrating families, some children leave school in between and in some cases, new children join in. And soon she realised that the learning levels are low because the fundamentals are weak. "If children cannot read a sentence properly, how will they read the textbook and progress ahead?" This is the reason she aligned herself with Pratham's 'Read India' program for children in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade and the association has lasted for five years now.
"I could observe a difference in children at the end of the learning camp. They could read better, count well and there was an overall improvement in the learning level", she says. "All this is very important for 5th-grade children. The syllabus in 6th-grade becomes lengthier, and the teacher guidance slowly diminishes. I observed that children who finished the learning camp and then entered 6th-grade could better understand and grasp the new syllabus." Indu ben was also a part of Pratham's 'school readiness' camp conducted in the village in May last year. An assessment of mothers and children was undertaken, and a kit was given which the mothers had to follow while working with children. Indu ben feels that the camp ensured that children were better prepared to enter school.
There are two schools in Sinugra, one for the girls and the other for the boys, and Pratham works in both of them. Indu ben has a lot of hopes from the educational activities in these schools. As a Sarpanch, she has some plans as well! "I want to collaborate with different organisations to start a tuition initiative for children from poor families. This will ensure that they will continue with their studies even after 8th grade. "Education", she says, "...is a long term investment for people in this village. They want to work and get employed. Quality education is a must, and the children here deserve it", she ends with a smile.
Indu ben recalls that almost thirty years back, no one in the village studied till matriculation. The village population indulges itself in agriculture, and some of them work as daily wage labourers. Many of them also work as rickshaw drivers and seek employment opportunities at Anjar. Also, Kutch is a place where one forms a lot of migrant workers, and all this affects the schools learning levels. "Many children here are first-generation school-goers, and they do not have an environment of learning at home. Because of the nature of their work, parents also do not find much time to know what they are learning in school", she says.
Indu Ben observed that children entering school did not know how to read and write. Owing to the migrating families, some children leave school in between and in some cases, new children join in. And soon she realised that the learning levels are low because the fundamentals are weak. "If children cannot read a sentence properly, how will they read the textbook and progress ahead?" This is the reason she aligned herself with Pratham's 'Read India' program for children in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade and the association has lasted for five years now.
"I could observe a difference in children at the end of the learning camp. They could read better, count well and there was an overall improvement in the learning level", she says. "All this is very important for 5th-grade children. The syllabus in 6th-grade becomes lengthier, and the teacher guidance slowly diminishes. I observed that children who finished the learning camp and then entered 6th-grade could better understand and grasp the new syllabus." Indu ben was also a part of Pratham's 'school readiness' camp conducted in the village in May last year. An assessment of mothers and children was undertaken, and a kit was given which the mothers had to follow while working with children. Indu ben feels that the camp ensured that children were better prepared to enter school.
There are two schools in Sinugra, one for the girls and the other for the boys, and Pratham works in both of them. Indu ben has a lot of hopes from the educational activities in these schools. As a Sarpanch, she has some plans as well! "I want to collaborate with different organisations to start a tuition initiative for children from poor families. This will ensure that they will continue with their studies even after 8th grade. "Education", she says, "...is a long term investment for people in this village. They want to work and get employed. Quality education is a must, and the children here deserve it", she ends with a smile.
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