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A school opens its doors for ‘Mai’

April 10, 2017 6 Comments

The Santoshnagar ZP school is situated in the Roha tehsil of Raigad district. The Waghmare family came to live in this picturesque town towards the end of 2016. The family, comprising the parents, their three daughters, and a son, belonged to the ‘Katkari’ Adivasi community. Several ‘Katkari’ families live in the area, and the Waghmares were soon assimilated. In fact, Kisan Waghmare – the father – hailed from a village in the same Roha tehsil. Soon, the family had settled down in the small hut they had built.

Kisan Waghmare and his wife began working as farm labourers. They are particularly skilled at rice planting and harvesting. The family had lived in the state of Karnataka for nearly a decade, where the couple sold the coal they made from the wood of wild acacia trees. Living close to the forest, as they did, their children had never had any schooling. Besides, they spoke the Katakri language, while the medium of instruction in the schools was Kannada.

Mai and her siblings
Mai and her siblings

A teacher in the Santoshnagar ZP school, Gajanan Jadhav, realised that though this family newly arrived in Roha had two children of school-going age, they had not been enrolled in the local school. He spoke to the school principal, Aparna Kulkarni, about this. She too was dismayed that these children were being deprived of education, despite the country’s Right to Education Act. The two educators decided to pay the Waghmare couple a visit that evening.

Fatigued from their labours as they were, the couple nevertheless welcomed the teachers into their home, and offered them water, but they were clearly bemused by the unexpected visit from strangers in crisply ironed clothes. The teachers introduced themselves, and asked the names and ages of the two older children. The mother estimated that they must be “around 7 to 8 years old”. Their names were Mai and Karan. The two younger girls were playing nearby. When asked why Mai and Karan did not come to school, the parents could not offer any answer, except to say that no one from their family had ever gone to school.

The teachers then explained to the parents how going to school was the children’s right, and that it was the law. They pointed out that the children had already lost out on a couple of years of schooling, and assured the parents that far from their having to spend anything, the children would receive free education and textbooks, as well as mid-day meals. They also explained to the parents about an annual 1000-rupee scholarship to which their children were entitled, under the Golden Jubilee Adivasi Scholarship scheme.

The parents were finally convinced, and agreed to send both Mai and Karan to school. The mother wanted the daughter’s given name, Pooja, to be included in the school records, as Mai was only her pet name. At last, in the third week of December, both Mai and Karan began school. Jadhav ‘Sir’ and Kulkarni ‘Madam’ were happy that their efforts had borne fruit. Both children were admitted under the Right to Education Act, into the 3rd std, in keeping with their ages.

Mai and Karan looked adorable in their new school uniforms. But less than 10 days had passed, when Mai suddenly stopped coming to school. At first Jadhav ‘Sir’, who was also her class teacher, did not take her absence seriously, thinking that it could be a minor illness, or even boredom. But when Mai continued to remain absent, he approached the school principal once again, and they went to meet the family.

They found Pooja, in her now dirty school uniform, playing with her younger sisters. When asked why she did not come to school anymore, she said she really wanted to but her mother would not allow her. Soon, the parents came home, and when the teachers asked them about Pooja’s absence, her mother replied, “I sent her to school since you insisted, but even I have to go out to work. If Mai starts going to school, who will look after the younger children? I cannot sit at home, as we need to earn money to feed the family, and why do girls have to go to school? I am sending my son, am I not?”

Mai the caretaker with her younger sisters
Mai the caretaker with her younger sisters

The teachers were speechless at first. But then Kulkarni ‘Madam’ came forward and spoke to the mother about the importance of educating the girl child. She tried to explain that girls were in no way inferior to boys, and that if both her older children were to be educated, they could find better jobs as adults, and nobody could easily take advantage of them. She promised to pay for all textbooks, notebooks, stationery, and for Pooja’s uniforms as well as for her school picnics, until she went to the 5th std.

Jadhav ‘Sir’, on the other hand, resolved the issue of care for the younger ones. Though the Santoshnagar school did not have a play school, he asked the mother to send Mai’s small siblings to school, and promised to make sure they were looked after. Finally, Mai’s mother agreed to send her back to school.

Pooja (Mai), Karan and their sisters, all attend school
Pooja (Mai), Karan and their sisters, all attend school

Now both Mai and her brother attend school regularly. Mai gets ready and also gets her sisters ready, does her household chores, and gets to school by 10 every morning. Her sisters play near her classroom while she studies. They too are given the mid-day meal, as well as snacks in the evening, along with the other schoolchildren. Often, the little ones have their afternoon nap in school. Jadhav ‘Sir’ and Kulkarni ‘Madam’ have told the Waghmare family about the Education Guarantee Card that ensures that the children will be admitted to a school even if they migrate to another place.

Now Mai has found friends of her own, and is slowly adjusting to school life. Her hunger for knowledge is increasing as she sheds her grown-up demeanour and learns to be a child again.

Blog: Chaya Vartak, District Gender co-ordinator, Raigad
Translation: samata.shiksha team

Filed Under: Quality and Equity

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6 Comments on A school opens its doors for ‘Mai’

Deepali Dilip Babhulkar said : Report 12 months ago

This is a very nice job done by Mr. Gajanan Jadhav sir and his H.M..

Parvin Kureshi said : Report 12 months ago

जाधव सर आणि कुलकर्णी मॅडम यांचे काम प्रेरणादायी आहे. शाळाबाह्य मुलांना शिक्षणाच्या वाटेवर आणण्याच्या धडपडीला सलाम.

Chhaya Vartak said : Report 12 months ago

आदिवासी क्षेत्रातील स्थलांतरित मुलांना शिक्षणाच्या प्रवाहात आणण्यासाठी जाधव सर आणि कुलकर्णी मॅडम यांनी जे प्रयत्न केले, ते खरेच वाखाणण्याजोगे आहे. त्याचबरोबर हे यश सर्वांपर्यत पोहोचविण्याचे कार्य समता.शिक्षा टीमने केले याबददल त्यांचेही आभार आणि अभिनंदन. तळागाळातले शैक्षणिक कार्य लोकांपर्यंत पोहोचविण्याचे चांगले कार्य आपल्याकडून होत आहे, याचा खूप अभिमान वाटतो. माईसारख्या अशा कितीतरी मुलांना शिक्षणाच्या प्रवाहात आणून त्याचे जीवन बदलू शकते.खरंच मनात आणले तर आपण काहीही करून दाखवू शकतो.

Bagul Yashwant (Nashik) said : Report one year ago

जाधव सर व कुलकर्णी मॅडम आपले खूपखूप अभिनंदन. गरीब, निरक्षर पालकांना शिक्षणाचे महत्त्व पटवून देऊन त्यांच्या मुलांना शिक्षणाच्या प्रवाहात घेऊन येणे हे आजच्या काळात खूप महत्त्वाचे आहे .कारण श्रीमंत लोकांच्या मुलांना तर आज शिक्षण सहजपणे उपलब्ध होते, पण अजूनही आपल्या देशात असे कोट्यावधी गरीब लोक आहेत, ज्यांना परिस्थितीमुळे मुलांना इच्छा असूनही चांगले शिक्षण देता येत नाही. त्या निरागस मुलांचे मन फक्त एक शिक्षकच ओळखू शकतो आणि तोच त्यांच्यात बदल घडवू शकतो. म्हणून तुम्ही केलेल्या कामास आणि तुमच्या कार्याची दखल घेणाऱ्या समता.शिक्षा वेबसाईटचे सुध्दा आभार आणि अभिनंदन.

Amol Mane said : Report one year ago

It is an ideal example of what a teacher alone can do....well done Kulkarni Madam & Jadhav sir....Heartiest congratulations for their efforts..and also many thanks for publishing the inspiring story.

Gajanan Pundlikrao Jadhav said : Report one year ago

आदिवासी क्षेत्रातील स्थलांतरित विद्यार्थ्यांना शिक्षणाच्या मुख्य प्रवाहात आणण्यासाठी आणि मुलींच्या शिक्षणासाठी आम्ही केलेल्या प्रयत्नांची दखल समता.शिक्षा या वेबसाईटने घेतली त्या बद्दल आपले मन:पूर्वक आभार. 'माई'सारख्या कितीतरी मुलींना आज शिक्षणासाठी संघर्ष करावा लागत असेल, आमच्या सारखा प्रयत्न प्रत्येक शिक्षकाने केला तर एकही मूल शाळाबाह्य राहणार नाही.- श्री गजानन पुंडलिकराव जाधव जिल्हा परिषद शाळा संतोषनगर, ता.रोहा, जि.रायगड

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Comet Media Foundation presents ‘samata shiksha the e book’, a selection of some interesting stories that have emerged from the Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra programme.

These stories give a testimonial of changes taking place in government schools, particularly those in rural Maharashtra, under this programme. We hope you will find them inspiring and encouraging.

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