By Ashwini Batra | Educational Program Manager
JB Singh Kanya Shiksa Setu
Kaliyachak, Bihar
The year so far has felt, organised, filled with activities and marked by events that the students now come to expect. This expectation is, in itself, something that we take pleasure in. Here are some highlights:
Sports Day
The year began with the annual Sports Day, held on 14 February, which brought its usual share of excitement. After weeks of preparation, more than 90 girls took part in the various activities.
The younger children in Classes 1 and 2 participated in pebble-sorting and running races. They also had special competitions of matching alphabets and matching words, respectively, before racing to the finish line.
Classes 3 and 4 competed in running, sack, thread-the-needle, and lemon-and-spoon races.
Classes 5 and 6 took part in running, slow cycling, high jump, and long jump.
Winners from each class were awarded pencil boxes, books, and notebooks.
The Quiz!
On 21 February, the centre held a quiz competition for the first time.
Four teams, comprising a total of 16 girls from Classes 5 and 6, took part. Most of the questions were drawn from the children’s History, Geography, and Environmental Studies lessons, along with some general knowledge questions, particularly about Bihar.
This was a completely new and enjoyable experience for the girls, many of whom had never participated in a quiz before. Some of the questions included:
Definitely an experience worth repeating!
Annual Examinations
The end of March marked the annual examinations. The girls were assessed on selected lessons from across the syllabus. The examinations were conducted in both written and oral formats, allowing teachers to assess not only the girls’ writing ability but also their understanding and communication skills.
Changes in the Teaching Team
In the latter half of May, two teachers at the Learning Centre left for personal reasons. Priyanka was replaced by Amisha Patel, who teaches English and is the class teacher for Standard 5. Madhu Kumari replaced Sinku as the class teacher for Standard 1. Both have settled in well.
Shravanji retired in August. He was one of our most committed teachers, and we were very sad to see him leave. He has been replaced by Anupam Kumari as the class teacher for Standard 4.
Saturdays
Saturdays, which are dedicated to extracurricular activities, remain the favourite day of the week. Activities include painting, reading, craft, cycling, running, and playing board games. These sessions give the girls an opportunity to explore their creativity, develop new skills, and simply enjoy being children.
Recently, a series of new games has been introduced. Who knows, they might even find their way onto the Sports Day programme. Watch this space!
Tailoring Classes
The tailoring classes continue as scheduled, running in two batches, with 14 women attending the morning session and 12 in the afternoon.
The morning batch completed its course and graduated in August, and a new batch of 14 students began in September.
The Literacy Centre in Saristabad
Saristabad, a hamlet not far from Kaliyachak, is home to some of the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in Bihar. Many women and children in the hamlet do not know how to read or write. Although children may be formally enrolled in school, they often have even less access to education than those in neighbouring villages and also face discrimination.
In June, we opened a literacy centre in Saristabad to encourage women and girls to attend and develop basic literacy and numeracy skills. Another aim is to encourage younger girls to attend the Learning Centre in Kaliyachak and become part of the wider group.
The literacy sessions run for one hour, from 10:30 to 12:30 am, in Saristabad’s community centre, which is little more than a bare room. Floor mats, slates, a blackboard, and chalk have been provided. Tarawati, a senior teacher from the Kaliyachak Learning Centre, conducts the classes.
Twenty-two women and 15 girls are enrolled, although daily attendance rarely exceeds 15. Since the classes began in June, all the attendees have learned to write their names and recognise the Hindi (Devanagari) alphabet. Around 13 can now write the names of their family members and their full addresses. Some have begun learning multiplication tables, while others are showing an interest in learning the English alphabet.
Links:
By Susan Abraham | Executive Director, FORRAD
By Ashwini Batra | Program Manager
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