Open Kindergarten Centres in 40 villages in 2013

Nirmala, a young mother of two, says that her daughter, who never used to speak at home while attending the local government school, had suddenly become talkative after joining Hippocampus- a welcome change for the family. Anitha, another mother, felt that her son was less fearful and more confident of himself after spending a few months at his Learning Center.

These are two of the many encouraging stories from the Parent-Teacher meetings held in November at the Hippocampus Learning Centers.The parents of our young charges came out in full force, some travelling long distances, in order to understand and support their children’s progress.

 Afterwards, our teachers were pleased to report the general sentiment amongst the parents. Most expressed happiness at the quality of the education their children were receiving, quality that they had not thought possible given their meager incomes. Since many of the parents are unable to understand or converse in the English language, the fact that their children come home reading and writing “big English words” was a source of pride and a sentiment frequently heard expressed at multiple centers during the course of the weekend.

The parents of students who had attended other private or government Kindergarten programs before moving to Hippocampus marveled at the change they saw in their children. .

Among the improvements requested by the parents, the most common was a request to introduce the Hippocampus program for grades 1 through 5, so that children can access a higher quality of education even after they complete the Kindergarten levels. Another common request was for more homework to be given out at the end of each day.

While most parents were happy about the progress of their children, especially when it came to reading and understanding mathematic concepts, some inquired about where to find more books so that their children can practice reading at home as well as in school. Many parents also felt it might be useful to introduce a computer class into the curriculum, so that the children are exposed to such technology at an early age.

To address the need for more books, Hippocampus is in the early stages of piloting a program to bring libraries to the villages in which we operate. We are also in the process of finding ways to introduce audio-visual methods of instruction in the classroom, as a stepping-stone to more technological exposure. All this and more will be possible with the help of our generous friends and supporters at Global Giving. Thank you!

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