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Showing posts with label Pratham Education Foundation. Show all posts

Monday, June 11, 2018

Holding a book for the first time!

Pratham 2:06:00 PM

“I never had time to think about education. We were so busy on the farm trying to earn a living,” said Leela Rawat from a village in Ajmer district of Rajasthan.

Leela has never been to school. With her mother’s deteriorating health, the responsibility of the farm had to be taken up by the sisters and their father. Pratham mobilizers visited her parents to talk about enrolling Leela for 10^th Grade through Second Chance program. While the mobilizers struggled to convince the parents to allow their daughter to study, Leela was going through a dilemma. She was nervous about studying, considering she has never held a book in her life. She was worried about the stress her parents will have to go through considering the society they live in.

Once she was enrolled in the program, she realized that she can resolve most of her issues with sheer courage. Leela speaks of her time in the class fondly. Her teachers helped her catch up with language and Math. She feels that there is a positive change in her speaking and writing skills. The foundation course prepared her for the main course effectively. She says that it is because of her teachers that she could move ahead in life but the teachers believe on each of their students and feel that it is the person who has the strength in her and we are mere facilitators.

People from my neighborhood would taunt me and my parents saying that I am old enough to get married and what is the point of studying at all. Any girl stepping out of the house on her own is looked down upon in her village. But Leela is changing this attitude by paying no heed to the comments.

When asked about her plans for the future, Leela beamed with excitement and said, “I want to do my bit for the society. I want to start off by working as an ‘ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) Sahyogini’ and then find my way from there. Passing 10^th Grade provided a significant boost to my confidence. I believe that I can dream big.”

Monday, April 16, 2018

youth

A place where I feel good

Pratham 12:45:00 PM

When Basant Sahu saw his friend working as an electrician in his village, he wished he could do something on similar lines, but was clueless where to pursue it. However, his joy knew no bounds when he came to know that such a course exists at Thathaithangar, not so far away from his village. He immediately made up his mind, convinced his mother and took admission at the centre.

Pratham’s vocational training centre at Thathaithangar (Dist: Simdega) offers a course in the Electrical vertical. Students from Simdega and Gumla districts take admission at this centre and after getting trained as electricians enter the job market.

Basant’s initial aim was to get enrolled in the police force. However, due to family commitments, he could not attend the first round of selection. “My father died when I was very young, and since then I live with my mother”, he begins his story. He values the fact that his mother worked very hard so that he could go to school and study until 10^th grade in his village school. However, after completing 10^th grade, he started working and began earning for the family. However, he did not secure a permanent job. Instead, he worked as a labourer, which made him earn some money but at irregular intervals.

While his motivation was his friend who works as an electrician, he was also attracted to life outside his village because of Hindi movies. “In our village, we speak in Sadri, and hence it was difficult for me to adjust to Hindi in my school. Thanks to the movies, I can understand Hindi and now I can speak it quite well”, he says. However, neither there is a television at home, nor has he been to a theatre. He has watched all the movies on his mobile phone. “I like the movies, but I do not know the name of any actor or actresses”, he says with a smile.

Adjusting to the new schedule at the centre took some time, his friends never made him feel homesick. “We discuss a lot of things during lunch and dinner. Most of the times, the discussion is about our job after this course, our work and the plans ahead.” While many of his friends want to work as an electrician in their village, Basant has higher ambitions. “I want to work in a big city…like Mumbai or Delhi”, he says. And why does he want to stay in a big city? “There are a lot of opportunities...and I will feel good”, is his candid reply. However, before moving to a big city, he has some plans for his village as well. “After I start earning, I will improve the agriculture in my house. I have to build a new house and also construct a well. And before all this, I want to buy something for my mother”, he says with a smile.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Pratham Education Foundation

Ashatai Rajput - the woman who transformed her village in Nandurbar, Maharashtra

Pratham 5:07:00 PM

It is said that if you educate a man, you educate an individual; but if you educate a woman, you educate the society! Women like Ashatai Rajput are a testimony to this statement.

When Ashatai Rajput reached Baldane, a small village in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar District, she had no idea that she would become the epicentre of a literacy movement in the village! It was nine years ago, when she, her husband and three children moved from a village in Jalgaon District to Baldane.

Ashatai Rajput with her husband, Komal Singh Rajput

Ashatai had always believed that her family should contribute in some way to the village as this was to be her Karm Bhoomi (the place where one works). Around the same time, she came to know of Pratham.

She recalls that at that time, children had begun to attend school. However, the general sentiment in the village was that after school they roamed around and wasted time and they should sit in one place and study! When Ashatai found out that Pratham was looking out for volunteers in the village, she immediately joined. Soon, children started to gather at her house to study. The aim was to make them better understand the concepts of language and math, through fun activities and interactions. Soon enough, Ashatai realised that this work had the potential to transform the entire village!

However, she observed that the number of girls in the village school was low. How could a village be transformed without the education of its girls and women? Ashatai rose to this challenge, visiting every household in the village and asking them to enrol their daughters in school. Education, she told them, will open a new world for these girls, and will give them better opportunities compared to conventional agriculture work. Initially, the women in the village were sceptical about their children, especially girls staying outside the house for long. But this did not deter Ashatai. Using CDs having educational content, she generated awareness among other women in the village. They began to feel curious about what their children were learning in school, and this sentiment led to the women eventually coming together to discuss their financial conditions and their children’s education.

Today, this group consists of 80 women, and everyday interactions among them involve discussion on what their child could do after education. “Even women working as farm labourers are dreaming of enrolling their children in polytechnic colleges”, Ashatai proudly exclaims.

The school in Baldane, however, only has classes up to Std. IV. Hence, children have to go to other villages for higher studies. This was again a cause for concern among parents, who were particularly worried about their daughters. It caused several girls to drop out from school and not pursue higher education. To tackle this, Ashatai convened a meeting of all women in the village, and it was decided that girls would walk to other villages in a group and would bravely face the mischief makers, if any, on the way. This idea was a success, and she attributes it to the trust these women had developed for each other through such group meetings!

Everyone in the village respects Ashatai and calls her ‘Aai’ (Mother). She, however, attributes her success to her husband’s support, using the analogy of revolutionary couple, Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, who jointly spearheaded the movement of education in Pune in the 18^th century.

“Like Savitri had Jyotiba, I have him for support”, she says. Her husband smiles and is happy that his wife is getting the limelight she deserves! Their oldest son is an engineer, and their daughter works at the Zilla Parishad (District Administration) office. Their youngest son is now in Std. VIII and wants to become a doctor.

Monday, November 27, 2017

Voices of Pratham

From Udaipur to Maldives - the story of Mangla Mehar

Pratham 1:48:00 PM

I am not a celebrity or a politician - what could I possibly write in my memoir? But I do wish to share my story with you.

My Name is Mangla Mehar. I live with my family in a small village of Rajasthan called Mathaniya that lies in the Jhalawar district.

When I was growing up, I always dreamt of becoming a successful and self-dependent woman. I believed that my education would become my ticket to a better tomorrow, but life had other plans for me. While preparing for my Grade 10 examination, my father suffered a paralytic attack, which changed our lives drastically. My father had been the sole breadwinner in the family, and now, I had to take charge with my mother. We began working as labourers to earn our livelihood.

I still remember the time when I was studying for my Grade 12 Board Exams. I had to work until noon before walking all the way to the exam centre. One day I met Arjun (Mobilizer for PACE Udaipur) who told me about a 3-month hospitality course run by PACE Hospitality Training Centre, Udaipur. The course seemed like an opportunity for me to fulfil my dream of complete self-reliance, but convincing my family was not an easy task. They were not comfortable with the idea of my working in the hospitality sector. My brother decided to visit the Udaipur centre. After meeting the faculty there, he gained some trust, and I could finally enrol in the next batch.

In the beginning, I had some difficulty in adjusting to the centre, but eventually, I learned to adapt. The course began with learning to operate a computer, speaking English and soft skill training, all in addition to housekeeping. During the course, I also completed a 7-day long industrial training course at the Taj Lake Palace.

At the end of the course, I felt motivated and confident. I exhibited this confidence at my first interview at Leela Palace hotel, where they selected me after five tough rounds.

I went on to work for two years at the hotel, where I was appreciated and promoted to a Housekeeping Supervisor. This promotion changed my life for good. I got the opportunity to work at the InterContinental Hotel, Qatar at a remuneration of Rs. 38,000, with food & accommodation. The financial boost enabled me to bear the expenses for my father’s medical treatment at a reputed hospital. I have also contributed to rebuilding my house.

Today, I work at the Kanuhura Resort in Maldives at a remuneration of Rs. 65,000 with food & accommodation. I cannot thank PACE enough for helping me reach my fullest potential. I never imagined that I could be a source of inspiration to others. I had the opportunity to share my story at Pratham USA’s Gala in the United States earlier this year, and it was truly a life-changing moment for me.

Monday, November 20, 2017

Voices of Pratham

'Urmila Pal ki Balwadi'

Pratham 1:18:00 PM

“I was born in a small village in Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. In my village education was restricted only to the Brahmins, and I was the first non-Brahmin girl to have studied till the 12th grade,” said Urmila during our conversation in her house in a large slum of the suburban part of Mumbai.

Moving out of her village to a bustling city was quite overwhelming in the beginning. Urmila wanted to be a teacher, and she wondered if the competitive city will accept her services. But her drive to connect with children and spread knowledge did not allow migrant hurdles to stop her. In 2004, Pratham was surveying her locality, and after some rounds of interviews and orientation, she was selected as a Balwadi teacher with a monthly salary of three hundred and fifty rupees. "Though I earn more now, that amount will always be precious for me", she recalls. More than that, she says, the feeling that 'I am a teacher' was special!

She moved door to door talking about enrolling children in her Balwadi. Urmila’s warm persona, commitment to her work along with the teaching-learning material by Pratham soon became the talk of the neighbourhood. People started to refer to the Balwadi as ‘Urmila ki Balwadi’. Many women in the locality were inspired by her and began operating Balwadis in their own homes.

In 2008, she was given the additional responsibility of bringing 'out of school' children back to the schooling system. Urmila observed that many children, most of them in the age group of 6 to 14 years, spent their time loitering in the streets; some even spent time selling pakodas outside beer shops.” The task of convincing the children and more importantly their parents was not easy. She was ridiculed by many. Urmila’s heart would go out to the children. She was relentless and kept talking to the parents about the importance of education, its benefits, children and their needs. Although some parents relented, she had another challenge ahead of her. She faced resistance in the Municipal schools as the teachers would question the capability of these ‘children from the streets’! But Urmila was prepared for this. She worked with the children before taking them for enrolment. When she asked the children to solve math sums and read out textbooks in front of the teachers, they had no choice but to accept them in their class. This success with a few children created a ripple effect, and other parents started considering education for their kids. Many of these children eventually completed their school education.

A city comes with its challenges as well. "Our locality faces a demolition drive quite often, and many of us live in fear of our houses getting under the bulldozer. However, the bulldozer has always spared the Balwadis, and this is why we thank Pratham", she added.

A Balwadi teacher in the morning, a primary grade tuition teacher in the afternoon and a tailor in the evening, Urmila has her hands full. But her exhaustion vanishes when her ex-students, who are either pursuing higher studies or working, visit to seek her blessings. With time she finds it difficult to recognise many of her students who have grown up, but the thought of touching their lives and initiating a positive change in the society is what she finds her peace in.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Voices of Pratham

Meet Shehnaz Ansari, a Balwadi Teacher from Mumbai who created a positive impact through her work with Pratham.

Pratham 8:21:00 AM

People often associate the Bandra suburb of Mumbai with plush apartments, multi cuisine restaurants and Bollywood stars! However, Bazaar Road presents a complete contrast to this preconceived notion of Bandra. Characterised by old and dilapidated buildings, this area houses many of the low-income groups of the city, including small shopkeepers, blue collar workers, domestic helpers and many others. However, this part of the city is still home to a number of fantastic change makers, and Shehnaz Ansari is one of them!

Shehnaz is a Balwadi teacher who started her preschool centre in 2005. She realised that children around her lacked basic, fundamental education. At the time, municipal schools in Mumbai did not offer any preschool facility, and the enrollment of children in schools - directly happened in the first grade. As a result, most of the children could not cope with the school curriculum, since they had no previous base. Many of them were first generation learners as well. And while there were a few private preschool centres around, they were all rather expensive. Through Pratham, Shehnaz decided to fill this gap and consequently began her journey with us.

One of the biggest challenges she faced at the beginning, was of the attitude of people around her. She remembers that parents back then were not keen to send their children to a Balwadi, with one of the often repeated questions being - " What and why will a three-year-old learn?" As a result, she began to regularly visit households, so as to personally convince people about the importance of preschool education.

Shehnaz recalls that in her first year, only 8 to 10 children registered in her Balwadi. However, her repeated visits to households and convince people, slowly but steadily bore fruit, with the number going up the following year.

Today, Shehnaz's Balwadi is a place where there is a constant dialogue with children as well as their parents. Apart from educational activities, the activities conducted help increase awareness about nutrition, vaccination and cleanliness. " Every child in my Balwadi brings a Tiffin that has home-cooked food. No one brings fast food like vada-pav or chips", she says proudly. Many parents often come up to her and ask her for advice - both about their children and otherwise as well. Shehnaz encourages parents to even do some activities with their children at home and has found that children from her Balwadi are generally able to grasp things quickly once they enter school.

In addition to the children that Shehnaz has directly impacted, one of her greatest contribution has been to influence others like herself to start their own Balwadi. This has only been possible by her efforts on the grounds.

She truly is an unsung hero of Mumbai!

Friday, July 7, 2017

Voices of Pratham

Chhaya Panchbhai - story of a Selfless Teacher

Pratham 12:21:00 PM

Sahyadri Nagar is a small locality situated in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai. This, and areas like Vishnu Nagar, Rahul Nagar, Nagbaba Nagar, have a special significance. It was in this region that ‘Pratham’ started its work in the early 90s. Located on a hilltop, near to the Chembur – CST Freeway, this place boasts of many women who have created a positive impact in the process of educational transformation of this region. And lest we forget, their stories need to be told!

Chhaya Panchbhai is one such woman who lives in a small hut at the top of the Sahyadri Nagar Hill. A visit to her house involves a short trek on a narrow road that passes through a settlement of huts, whose occupants contribute largely to the blue-collared service sector of the city. However, her hut has witnessed one of the first Pratham Balwadis, at a time when both Pratham and the movement of literacy had just begun in this region. Revered and respected, she is fondly called Tai by everyone around.

Chhaya Tai Panchbhai at home

Chhaya Tai recalls that in the late 80s and early 90s, there was no seriousness about education. Children skipped schools as they were at a distance and that led to dropouts. She had to convince the parents to send their children to her Balwadi. However the general 'mood' of the community was 'why to study, as such we have to do odd jobs', and hence initially no one paid any attention. 'Pratham', she says, made sure women became literate so that they spread the movement ahead in the community. The campaign then picked up, and soon many children and grown-ups learned to read and write. She then switched to conducting the library program in her house, and it added to more children coming to her and eventually borrowing books. She proudly said that many children got their basics right because of her guidance and now many of them, after completing their higher studies, have got good jobs and improved their living conditions.

But what she said at the end was significant. Today, the school has become a part of everyone's life. There is no need to specially tell anybody that they need to send their child to school. If, whether to send your child to school was a question in the early 90s, then the question today is whether to send your child to a BMC school or a private school. This, I felt is a significant transformation in the region.

Chhaya Tai also told another touching story. There was a child named Amol who did not pay any attention to studies and to make him study; she used to tell him that if he studies he will be able to sit in an aeroplane. Years later Amol, after completing his studies, got an opportunity to fly abroad for work and had to sit in an aircraft. Days before his departure, he came to ChhayaTai and told that her Balwadi and reading sessions had made him sit in an aeroplane today.

An emotional ChhayaTai could not control her tears as she narrated this incident and we all witnessed how these Balwadis have moulded people, but their selfless efforts are unfortunately unsung!

When we asked her where her students live now, she pointed in a direction and mentioned 'in the buildings' and stressed that she is happy that they now have a better life. However, she still lives in the same, small hut. Teachers are indeed selfless, and all they desire is a better life and learning of their students.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Voices of Pratham

Pratham’s Second Chance : Preparing for exams, and now, the results.

Pratham 12:25:00 AM

Come mid-February in the Second Chance program; there is a sense of commitment that grows stronger, as over 3000 girls and women are drawing close to their Class X board exams. It is the same feeling that parents have when their children appear for board exams.

The diversity in the boards through which the students appear for their exams which include State Boards, State Open Schooling and the National Institute of Open Schooling, makes each state have its own specific preparation for the exams.The learners work hard and to cope up with the exam frenzy, we have seen husbands, mothers, uncles, children and siblings support the learners and encourage them for the preparation. Though they go to the exam hall with butterflies in their tummies, there is also a confidence to write the exam.

After the exams, the Second Chance learners face a lull; there is a void in their lives after a yearlong association with their classmates and teachers. Across the board, there are a number of missed calls from students, the tutor or faculty call them back, only to hear – I don’t know what to do now, I don’t like staying at home, I miss my classes, when will the results be out? Can we have classes for a supplementary course? Do you think I will pass? When will we all meet? Parents and guardians are happy, as they have seen their daughters appear for their exam with confidence and there is hope for them to make it better in life, they say.

Pratham teams take a guess on the results expected, and on the basis of the subject wise feedback from the students, have their expectation of what the results may be!“ If results are good, mobilising the next batch will be easier”, the team says, “Results are also an evaluation of our performance.”

When the word spreads and girls know the date for the results, calls become even more frequent sharing anxiety, nervousness, uncertainty and hope at the same time. In the months of April-May-June, results are declared in all states.

With impatience and anxiety, about 300 members of the teaching-learning team gear up for the results, teams distribute clusters lists, and everyone sits together to get the results for the cluster.Some tutors are nervous and wish for their cluster results to be seen first!

Once a Second Chance centre result list is complete, it is shared with the state coordinator for compiling state results. Once the state gets their results compiled, they are shared with other state and national teams, through calls, on mail and snapshots on WhatsApp messages.

At the same time, students start calling or dropping in at the centre to know their results – their expressions say it all – with happiness and renewed hope! Some of them come with mithai /sweets on the same day or the next day and thank their Pratham School, for giving them an opportunity which they had never dreamt of.

In the villages, there is a celebration of sorts, for the families, where mothers/daughters/sons/wives/ granddaughters have taken steps forward. The tutor and faculty team of the program feel extremely satisfied if their students move forward – they visit homes and encourage parents to enrol their daughters in the nearby school or suggest open schooling, as the case may be. Second Chance students range between 16 and 45 years – and the older ones could have dropped out of school as long as 30 years back or more.

Earlier in the same environment, there was scepticism regarding Second Chance activity, over the years, as they see the girls move forward, there is a change of both heart and opinion.

At Second Chance, the team believes that if a student has not cleared all subjects, she has a chance to do it again. Not using the word ‘failed’ – the team counsel students and families, making sure they don’t give up, the team is ready to hold supplementary classes for them.

Families are happy, there is a sense of achievement, and there is an encouragement to keep studying. Parents and grandparents pause in their daily routine of farming, household chores, they smile and show their happiness, saying, what we could not do, we are glad our children are able to do, being educated is a necessity to live in this world.

Monday, June 12, 2017

World Day Against Child Labour

Sunil Kumar - From a child labourer to a champion. A story of grit and determination.

Pratham 12:33:00 PM

Sunil Kumar has made headlines in mainstream media. His performance in 12^th Grade has been outstanding, a First class and now he is focusing his energies to enrol in the Indian Army to defend his country.What makes his mission newsworthy is the fact that 11 years ago, he was rescued from a zari unit in a Mumbai slum and brought to Sitamarhi district to Pratham’s Gyanshala, a residential program for children who have been child labourers. Here Sunil got an opportunity to start a new chapter in life.

Sunil was born in a small village, Khap, on the India-Nepal border, in the Sitamarhi district of Bihar. His parents were landless labourers, with no resources to bring up Sunil and his siblings. Peer pressure and the lure of Mumbai, the city he had heard where dreams can become a reality beckoned him and his friends to run away from their homes. They fell easy prey to middlemen who search for vulnerable children usually migrants from poor districts of UP and Bihar to employ them in sweatshops in Mumbai and other parts of the country.

Back in 2006, the zari units or sweatshops as they were called employed these young innocent children, as workers to do basic embroidery as well as cleaning and washing clothes for the entire unit. They were forced to work for 16 to 20 hours at a stretch, in tiny rooms with dim lights with only meals as remuneration. In such a trapped atmosphere, they very often succumbed to vices and other unhealthy practices.

At a time when large-scale rescue operations were conducted in these areas, Sunil was one of the fortunate kids to be freed from the shackles of labour. He was sent back to Bihar and enrolled in Pratham’s Gyanshala for a second chance in life. The 'Gyanshala’ program aims to provide education to children rescued from child labour. When the children enter the Gyanshala they are assessed to gauge their levels of reading and basic math. First, their basic foundational skills are built and then they enrol in a nearby government school while continuing to live with other boys like themselves in Pratham’s Gyanshala. Between 2006 and 2008 Sunil went through this process before being enrolled in a school in 5^th grade. The boys also play sports and some are trained in music.

Sunil focused his energies on learning and today he is a changed teenager. Out of the 12.40 lakh students, who appeared for Grade 12 or Intermediate examinations in 2017, conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), only 4.37 lakh students or 35.25% managed to clear them.Sunil earned a First Class result with 67%.While regular studies took up a lot of his time, evenings were spent in learning football and kabaddi. His efforts to become a better kabaddi player saw him represent the state and win medals.

What does Sunil dream for the future? His struggles and his fight to overcome them probably influenced his decision to join the Army. Confident and aspiring Sunil has cleared the written and physical rounds of Army recruitment twice but could not make it in the medical test. He is currently preparing for other competitive exams.

In kabaddi, when a raider comes to raid he is alone. He has to touch an opponent and then escape from seven players of the defending team who are trying to catch him. Sunil’s life is an inspiring example. He has come through many obstacles and challenges and yet made it successfully to the other side.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Holding a book for the first time!

Monday, April 16, 2018

A place where I feel good

Monday, December 4, 2017

Ashatai Rajput - the woman who transformed her village in Nandurbar, Maharashtra

Monday, November 27, 2017

From Udaipur to Maldives - the story of Mangla Mehar

Monday, November 20, 2017

'Urmila Pal ki Balwadi'

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Meet Shehnaz Ansari, a Balwadi Teacher from Mumbai who created a positive impact through her work with Pratham.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Chhaya Panchbhai - story of a Selfless Teacher

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Pratham’s Second Chance : Preparing for exams, and now, the results.

Monday, June 12, 2017

Sunil Kumar - From a child labourer to a champion. A story of grit and determination.

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