Village to School

Education is the most compelling means to initiate social change and improve community development in India. The role of education, both urban and rural, can never be over emphasised in the growth of the country’s economy. Although education in the urban areas has progressed rapidly during the last few decades, there are still some villages where education is not given sufficient priority. Rural education is important not only for the enhancement of the quality of life of the rural community, but also for the overall progress and development of the country.

The John Martyn Memorial School (JMMS) was set up in 1985, in Salangaon, Dehradun, as a response to the desperate need for a good primary education of children from 20 surrounding villages. Children from impoverished families, who had no access to quality education, were provided with an opportunity to create a strong foundation of learning for a brighter future. The Founders’ recognised the importance of rural education to not only eradicate poverty and illiteracy, but as a vehicle for social, economic, cultural and political change.

We have evolved over the last 34 years growing from 25 students in a tent to 175 students in 7 classes from Nursery to grade 5. Bare feet are now covered in snug shoes; children who did not know how to hold a pen are going to main stream schools. Our children proactively walk to school or wait on their bus routes, eagerly waiting to learn something new.

When so much as changed, we have decided to evolve the way we ‘teach’ as well. Slowly and steadily, we have welcomed and adopted the new pedagogy available, merging traditional methods with computer based learning which reinforces concepts and enhances learning outcomes. Timely workshops are organised to revise the skills of teachers and discuss best practices that can be implemented across platforms. “Lesson planning brings about clarity of thought and streamlines the approach to teaching”, points out teacher trainer Meenakshi Basu. “The teacher workshops have taught us to understand a child’s perspective and learn about challenges that they face while studying”, says Ms.D Bhatt. Talking about her last big takeaway from a workshop, she quickly adds, “Associating words and letters with pictures has been a successful learning technique with the children”.

As we step into new territories and continue our learning, we would like to convey a heartfelt thank you to all who have supported us through our journey and relentlessly backed our endeavours. Your generous donations are helping us provide essential learning tools and much more to our children.