By Capt. Indraani Singh | CEO & Managing Trustee
Integration of ICT in Education- “From Fishing out coins from the river bed to Computer learning—we enjoy both, however fishing out coins are risky we could get drowned in the turbulent Ganges and lose our lives, not so with computer learning. We can learn, practice, enjoy the stream and the tide on the screen and also teach others”
About Rajbhavan Unit II Govt. Primary School tide
The Rajbhavan Unit II School is a Hindi Medium Free Primary School established in the year 1974 in Kolkata, West Bengal within the residential premises of Governor House, so that the children of the staff could be enrolled smoothly in the school. At present, this school is not only has 100 children from several areas of Dalhousie - BBD Bag, High Court, Stand Road, Decars Lane, Lal Bazar & Esplanade, of which 37 are girls. The students can study up to Standard IV here, after which they can join the High School nearby.
In the past, the school was witnessing serious absenteeism and drop outs. These students drop out to work as child labour in nearby tea shops, vegetable vendors and street food stalls. Some opt to fish out coins from the Ganges River bed using a magnet as fishing hook. The river Ganges is very near to school, and during prayers, devotees throw coins into the river as a mark of respect, which these children are engaged to fish out. As a result, children are were missing school.
Literacy India Learning Centre with ICT-Based digital learning tool Gyantantra
It was against the murky background of absenteeism and drop-outs that Literacy India entered the school with a three-fold objective:
With introduction of computer learning, two interesting changes took place for both children and their parents. Children accept laptops very well as it helps them to be smarter and complete the course quite easily and fast. Second, the parents realize that computer learning is essential for their children’s future. Both gears trigger the utility of the ICT-based learning course and help to institutionalize it properly.
Achievements & Impacts:
Stories of Change: Pratima (name changed) Age: 10yrs, Location: Kolkata
Pratima (name changed) lives on the pavement near Netaji Indoor Stadium at Kolkata. She has one brother and two sisters. She is now in Standard IV. She was enrolled in Standard I to start with and she moved to Standard II without any break. Unfortunately, in Standard III she started being absent often, due to family pressure. Then she started Gyantantra, and composite learning of ICT-based education tools make her back to the academic course again. In six months, she completed Gyantantra and was up to speed in Standard IV. She is very good in drawing and painting. She would like to be a doctor in the future.
Priyanka (name changed) Age: 8 yrs, Location: Kolkata
Priyanka (name changed) favorite subject is mathematics. She dreams of becoming a teacher one day. She is now in Standard III. She has three sisters. Thanks to Gyantantra, Priyanka has shown remarkable improvement in 6 months. She is doing well in all subjects today. Her spelling has improved a lot. She is staying in a garage near high court area. Her father is a fruit vendor while her mother works part-time in a tea-stall nearby. Priyanka is actively involved in school activities such as teachers’ day presentation and also in drawing and painting.
Riya (name changed) Age: 8 yrs, Location: Kolkata
Riya (name changed) is in Standard III. She has 5 brothers and 1 sister. She is in school from the beginning. They live on the pavement at New Secretariat building of Kolkata. Her father is working in a nearby factory and her mother used to work as a housemaid. Riya used to go for fishing out coins from the river along with her brothers. She was not regular to school. To add to her troubles, the family had to shift base from time to time as the Police would evict them from the pavement. It was constant follow-up and child tracking that led Riya to join school again and get up to speed through ICT-based Gyantantra. Riya is good in Hindi. She can read the newspaper easily. She would like to be a police officer in future. She is inspired by a movie where the police can change & protect the society with truthfulness. She would love to do that in future.
Vocational training (Project Nandini )
“Women & Cab services …. no, no ….. This is a man’s job only. That’s what we always heard. But we have taken proper training for driving. Today, we are breadwinners for our families. We help drop children to school and young girls and elderly commuters safely to schools, colleges, hospitals or shopping malls.”
Literacy India Bhati Centre- Literacy India opened up a center in the BhatiKhurd village in the NCR to fight gender discrimination. The community in Bhati Khurd is very close and comprises Gujjars. The girl child in these communities is never allowed to step out of home, not for recreation, not for school. All that is expected from her is that she will get married by the age of 7 to 13 and sent to her in-laws’ house, look after the house and rear children. The concept of girl education and resulting economic empowerment are totally alien to this community.
Literacy India’s Karigari Janani Project helps improve the status of youth and women in Bhati Khurd by providing them with livelihood options through vocational training, based on need in their local economy, beneficiaries’ preferences and aptitude. Karigari Janani specifically focuses on girls and women. It helps women establish themselves in vocations such as:
Our Bhatikhurd centre already has stitching, embroidery, paper plate making activities. Some women are taking driving training as well. It was a real journey of the woman to come out of their home and take on roles that challenge gender inequality in its face. These girls who had taken training of driving are setting example to the community and also for their next generation. Total 10 women trained under vocation and 3 are activly working as professional driver.
Stories of Change
Monika (name changed) Age: 22, Location: Bhati Village, NCR
Monika from the Bhati Village is among the few who signed up for Driving training at the Literacy India center. Today, she is a trained and licensed driver. She loves driving and is proud of her job. During training, she came across as a quick learner and picked up understanding of signals, maps or technical guidelines easily. She can even cruise at 70 km per hr with elan! Monika finished Standard 12 from Govt. School but could not get a job after that nor secure admission to the college due to financial constraints. Her father was not willing to send her for driving training. However, she managed to convince him. Today, she is earning Rs. 8,000 a month as a driver.
“Yes I have come far in life, but the credit goes to Literacy India for making this happen; I am not a mere driver. I am driving the family to regain our lost fate.”
Rajni ( name changed) Age: 40, Location: Bhati Village New Delhi
“At the age of 30, I moved from my village to New Delhi, with my husband and two children. I started learning tailoring at Bhati center of Literacy India so I could earn for my family. My husband works as a laborer in a farm house and his income is not enough to sustain us. When I saw women starting driving training at Literacy India, I thought I should give this a shot myself”.
When Rajni realized that stitching and tailoring could not ensure steady income, Rajni decided to support her finances by becoming a driver. The course was rigorous yet exciting. Rajni received hands-on experience on different cars, used simulators, and took practical training on the road as well. Rajni was also trained for self-defense by the Delhi Police and worked on her personality by attending communication classes. During training, they were exposed to many other topics such as gender issues, women’s rights, empowerment, and financial management, sexual and reproductive health. Today, she is a licensed driver earning well and working towards a brighter future for her family.
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