Dakshaben Tripathi is the principal of the government primary school at Vidi village in Kutch, Gujarat. The school has classrooms till 8th grade. She and her colleague Sanjaybhai who is a teacher are familiar with Pratham's learning camps and speak very fondly about it. Both of them first tell us about the problems faced by the village and the background of the people living there.
"The biggest problem we face here is that parents are not aware whether children are learning anything in school", Dakshaben begins. "They work as autorickshaw drivers, truck drivers and labourers. They are not aware of education." Sanjaybhai nods in agreement. He then points out that these are the reasons for children being irregular in school. From their explanation, it seems clear that absenteeism is one of the major issues in school. The other problem is alcoholism as many villagers indulge in it, and there is a lack of enthusiasm towards learning.
Vidi is one of the most backward villages in Kutch. It is backward on all three parameters - economic, social and educational. The prominent economic activity here is stone-cutting, and a lot of villagers are engaged in it. Moreover, there is hardly any agricultural activities, and hence no jobs associated with it exist in the village. Because of all these reasons, children do not study beyond 8th grade, that is when they pass out of school.
"The learning camps have helped", says Sanjaybhai. " We like the technique when children are divided into groups as per their learning levels. It ensures that individual attention is given to each one of them." He further stresses that the school does not face a major problem from Math. But language is a problem. A lot of children speak Kachhi at home, and the medium of instruction is Gujarati. We then ask them if they see any difference in children now.
"We find that there is a natural progression in their learning levels. As a consequence, their interest in studies has increased. It has a good effect on them as they now understand the syllabus better than before. This is what happens when you strengthen their fundamentals", says Dakshaben. "It also has improved attendance", says Sanjaybhai. Both of them feel that if the learning camp initiatives continue for a couple of years more, it will benefit all the children in the village improve their learning levels. Both of them have assured their cooperation in these efforts.
 |
| Dakshaben Tripathi |
"The biggest problem we face here is that parents are not aware whether children are learning anything in school", Dakshaben begins. "They work as autorickshaw drivers, truck drivers and labourers. They are not aware of education." Sanjaybhai nods in agreement. He then points out that these are the reasons for children being irregular in school. From their explanation, it seems clear that absenteeism is one of the major issues in school. The other problem is alcoholism as many villagers indulge in it, and there is a lack of enthusiasm towards learning.
 |
| Sanjaybhai Chawda |
Vidi is one of the most backward villages in Kutch. It is backward on all three parameters - economic, social and educational. The prominent economic activity here is stone-cutting, and a lot of villagers are engaged in it. Moreover, there is hardly any agricultural activities, and hence no jobs associated with it exist in the village. Because of all these reasons, children do not study beyond 8th grade, that is when they pass out of school.
"The learning camps have helped", says Sanjaybhai. " We like the technique when children are divided into groups as per their learning levels. It ensures that individual attention is given to each one of them." He further stresses that the school does not face a major problem from Math. But language is a problem. A lot of children speak Kachhi at home, and the medium of instruction is Gujarati. We then ask them if they see any difference in children now.
"We find that there is a natural progression in their learning levels. As a consequence, their interest in studies has increased. It has a good effect on them as they now understand the syllabus better than before. This is what happens when you strengthen their fundamentals", says Dakshaben. "It also has improved attendance", says Sanjaybhai. Both of them feel that if the learning camp initiatives continue for a couple of years more, it will benefit all the children in the village improve their learning levels. Both of them have assured their cooperation in these efforts.
No comments:
Post a Comment