Murshidabad Diary

Learning Camp in Popara Village, Murshidabad

Selima (left) and Tuktuki

I went to the village of Popara which is not far from the town of Sagardighi in Murshidabad. A learning camp had been organized in the village – newly appointed BRG members of Pratham Bengal were running the camp – this was a part of their training process. A short ride by a rickshaw-van and then we entered the village by foot – it was a typical Murshidabad hamlet – mud huts with an unmetalled dirt road running in between – filthy with goat droppings strewn liberally, the roads were flanked by pools of muck with ducks swimming in some of them. 

The learning camp was being held in a local school – one of the 2 primary schools in the village.  2 local girls – Selima and Tuktuki – work as volunteers in that village. On this day as the BRG members were taking the classes the 2 girls stood by watching the whole process. Along with the girls I also watched the learning camp in progress. After a while I started to converse with them. Selima is around 17 years old. She appeared in her Madhyamik Exams this year – however she failed to clear one paper and will be writing that paper next year. Tuktuki or Muksura Khatoon has a similar situation – she failed one paper in her Higher Secondary Examination this year and will be repeating the paper next year. So, both have a year’s time in hand. They decided to use this time by doing something worthwhile and have become Read India volunteers. My conversation with Tuktuki and Selima was illuminating in many ways. Both Tuktuki and Selima come across as mature young girls – very practical and down to earth – they candidly admitted that they do not feel motivated to continue with higher studies though the parents of both the girls are very keen that they do so. When I probed for the reason, Tuktuki – the older and more gregarious of the two answered that there is no point in going for higher education when there is no assured job at the end of it. They went on to share that other youngsters are similarly disenchanted with the fact that even a college or university education is not a key to guaranteed employment. And in this village of Popara – in the Sagardighi Block of Murshidabad you come across lots of graduates and holders of masters degrees who have joined the glorious ranks of the educated unemployed. On the other hand as Tuktuki reveals there are those who have discontinued studies while still in school and have migrated to the big cities such as Bombay, Madras and even Trivandrum in search of employment. They are mostly men who work as masons and tailors and earn anything between Rs. 5000 to Rs. 20000 per month.

Tuktuki’s words find resonance in a recent report which came out in “The Telegraph”. According to the report (May 9, 2012) about a lakh people from Murshidabad are working as masons and daily labourers in the South Indian states. The same report quotes Mr. Abdul Bari Mollah – chief of Panchayat Samiti of Nawda Block of Murshidabad – “The district of Murshidabad doesn’t have any industry, there are no jobs. Also there is no university and the number of school dropouts is high. So there is a tendency to go for menial jobs in other states.”

 Selima and Tuktuki share that the quality of teaching in the schools they have attended is extremely poor – their teachers have hardly been a source of inspiration for them, classroom teaching does not generate much interest in the subjects and thus young people do not develop the love for learning or a fascination for any particular subject as in these less than inspiring situations youngsters do not find any stimulus which will propel them to go for higher education or choose a subject for specialization. Most of them opt for Humanities – Bengali, Sanskrit and Philosophy being the most preferred subjects – not because of any particular love for the subjects – more due to the fact that private tutors teaching those subjects are more easily available. So education becomes essentially just a task to be accomplished – at the end of which hopefully there will be a job. Tuktuki provided another reason why their parents insist that they complete their education – apparently girls who are better qualified are more in demand in the marriage market. However she adds that high qualifications still do not guarantee a good match until the parents are able to pay substantial amount of money as dowry. Apparently the minimum dowry to be paid by even families of the most limited means is Rs. 50000.

One of the children attending the learning camp in Popara was a little girl named Bilkis. Before starting the learning camp the children were tested to ascertain their existing learning levels. Bilkis – studying in class 3 – was asked to read a paragraph which she did with ease and then she went on to read a short story without stumbling – watched by her proud parents in the courtyard of their home. Bilkis’s father – Abul Kalam Azad – a visually challenged gentleman – is a teacher at the Islamic Trust Education Project run from Saudi Arabia. A native of Burdwan he has settled in Sagardighi, Murshidabad as his wife is from this region. His work is also in Burdwan so he stays there most of the time and comes to live with his family in Murshidabad during the holidays. He has 5 daughters – the oldest around 17 years old and the youngest about 4 years of age. After the learning camp got over we went to Mr. Azad’s house and were invited in for tea. Mr. Azad asserted that ensuring that all his daughters complete college education is at the top of his priority list.

Being from the field of academics himself he shared some of his ideas regarding the status of primary education in the villages. He feels that the present system is bound to fail and that the midday meal scheme is the biggest scourge affecting the system as this leads to a shift in the focus from learning. He held that teachers should only have to deal with teaching and not be involved in logistics affairs. Also he felt that it is wrong to look upon education as the means to attain something – a job, better marriage prospects etc and that, children should attend school for the joy of learning. Once the quality of teaching improves children will attend classes of their own volition and there won’t be any need for sops like midday meals. These 2 different encounters with people of different age groups brought home a message which gave plenty of food for thought – the teacher is the key figure who can make the difference in the quality of education that children get. Though Mr. Azad would disagree the Midday Meal scheme has ensured that children attend school every day – it is up to the teacher to ensure that he/she creates a world in the classroom which will be so attractive to the children that they would not want to leave.  

A few inspiring cases from the blocks

Dinabandhu Mahato is a volunteer from Joypur Block, Purulia. He lives in Kulara, a very remote village under Mukundapur Gram Panchayat. Dinabandhu is one of the few educated people in that village. The 30 year old man has been a part of the Read India program since 2010. From the very beginning his dedication towards the cause of education and motivation has been a source of inspiration for other volunteers as well as the members of Pratham. Dinabandhu who is a farmer and lives with his parents and a brother could not complete higher education due to financial issues. However his love for learning and desire to see that every person in his village receives an education propelled him to join the Read India program as a volunteer. Dinabandhu teaches 16 class 4 children after school hours in Kurala Primary School. His classes are greatly enjoyed by the children and he takes personal interest in their progress – meeting and holding discussions with the guardians and dedicatedly following the CAMaL teaching techniques to get around with the weaker children. He participates in most of the events organized by Pratham and in spite of the very real problem of communications in that remote corner of Purulia he frequently meets and communicates with the Pratham team members to discuss the progress of the children. Dinabandhu tries to help the poorer members of the village and is extremely popular because of the selfless support that he provides to the weaker children of the village. Despite not being able to continue formal education his passion for literature has not diminished and very often he writes poetry and little songs. In spite of the tremendous amount of difference he is making, Dinabandhu at heart remains a very humble and straightforward person. He is very proud to be a member of the Pratham team; his commitment towards his village and towards the cause of education which remains strong as ever in spite of many difficulties makes his story a compelling one and his example worthy of emulating.

The case of Madan Mahato, a Pratham volunteer living in the village of Bheria (Baragam GP), Joypur Block, Purulia is noteworthy. Madan runs a Read India centre in his village in the afternoon. Madan’s father – a farmer -  died last month and he lives with his mother. He is a student of class 12 and is due to write his school leaving exams in a couple of months. In spite of the recent upheavals in his family in the aftermath of his father’s death and the fact that very shortly he is going to sit for a very crucial exam which could have a telling effect on his career – Madan has not backed down from his commitment towards the children of his village and runs his centre with full dedication. Most people living in his village are illiterate and the state of education facilities in that remote and backward village is abysmal. Madan is one of the few youngsters in that village who have completed school. He is concerned about the status of education of his village and when Pratham started operations there he keenly joined in. He runs a centre of 14 children and effectively employs all the teaching methodologies that he has been trained to use. He follows the academic progress of his students and regularly interacts with the guardians regarding the same. Madan is an ambitious and determined boy and works hard in order to ensure a bright future. He attends the E.F.E classes regularly in spite of the fact that the centre is a very long way away from his home and he has to traverse this distance by bicycle – there being no other means of transport available. In his spare time Madan likes to read books and listening to music. He wants to be a teacher and is doing his best to fulfil his dream. 

Subhas Baddokar, a nine year old boy studying in class 4 attends the Read India centre in the village of Raghunathpur, Mohammad Bazaar. Though he is in class 4 Subhas hardly ever goes to school. That is because he has been diagnosed with epilepsy and is prone to suffer from fits. The doctor has advised his parents to ensure that Subhas doesn’t have to undergo any stress related to academics. So Subhas doesn’t go to school regularly. However he attends the Read India class out of his own initiative. The child enjoys the classes so much that he implores his mother to take him to the centre and often his mother Purnima is found standing nearby while the Read India class is in progress holding a medicine bottle. Though Subhas is a quiet and shy child he loves to take part in the different class activities and mingling with his classmates. When he joined the Read India class several months back he was in the letter level, whereas now he has made the jump to the word level. His teacher, the Read India volunteer expects him to make the jump to the paragraph level very soon. Subhas’s father Mithun is a daily labourer while his mother is a homemaker. Both are unlettered however they are both very keen to ensure proper education for their two sons. Purnima often gets very upset about her son’s medical condition which forces him to miss many of the things that children of his age take for granted however the child doesn’t allow such adverse circumstances to curb his spirits and really seems to enjoy the stress free environment of the Read India classes where he can learn his lessons with fun. 

Summer Camp with a difference

Summer Camp with a difference

The traditional view of summer camps as sites – usually in cold places like hill stations – where city kids under the careful supervision of adults indulge in fun activities like hiking, rafting, canoeing etc and thus get to see the country – was given a variation this summer by Pratham Bengal. Summer camps with a difference were organized by the Pratham teams working in 8 blocks in 6 districts of West Bengal. Over the last several years that Pratham has been working in the rural areas of West Bengal and studying the status of primary education in the villages – a trend has been observed – children undergo a “learning loss” when they stay away from school for a prolonged period such as during long holidays like summer and Puja vacations. This happens because during their absence from school they seldom stay in touch with books or any kind of printed material – this is especially true in case of those children whose parents are unlettered. So with a view to prevent such learning losses from taking place the Pratham Teams at the block level organized 96 learning camps – 12 in each block – with the purpose to involve children in some fun learning activities. These “summer” camps – a far cry from the ones described earlier – were held in certain selected villages – mostly in school buildings, in playing fields, village squares – wherever open space was available.   

Objectives of the Summer Camps:

The objectives of the summer learning camps, apart from checking learning loss of children and improving upon their existing learning levels, was also to interact with important stakeholders of the village education process such as the guardians, private tutors, school teachers, elected representatives of people and exchange ideas and views regarding the status of education in their villages and what ails the system and how improvements can be brought upon, besides sharing about the work of Pratham and spreading the reach of the Read India program. Mobilization of new volunteers for the Read India program was also a prime objective.

Preparation for the Camps:

Each camp was of 6 days duration – the first day was used for testing of children to assess their existing learning levels, followed by 4 days of teaching using the CAMaL methodology and on the final day the children were tested again. This was followed by a meeting or “Gram Sabha” involving all the stakeholders and the local Pratham members. As way of preparation for the learning camps the BRG members mobilized new volunteers from the selected villages and also enlisted the help of former volunteers. They took to various means in order to draw children to the learning camps including visiting the homes of people and personally inviting them to send their children to the camps. Though the focus was on children studying in classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 children studying in other standards and even out of school children were welcome.

The Learning Camps:

Altogether 59 Language and 37 Math learning camps were organized over a period of 3 weeks. Every week 4 learning camps were held in each block – 2 in the morning and 2 in the evening. While in the learning camps organized earlier the focus was on improving the learning levels of the attending children and demonstrating the efficacy of the CAMaL teaching methodologies – this time while including the aforesaid objectives the focus was widened to creating publicity for Pratham and Read India. Each block was provided with 3 big bright yellow umbrellas bearing the Pratham logo. These umbrellas were prominently displayed at the sites of the learning camps and they were effective in drawing curious onlookers wanting to know about the learning camps and their purpose.

The Yellow Umbrella – used for creating publicity

At the end of the learning camp end-line tests of the children were done and the results were compared with those of baseline tests – which had been completed by the second day of the camp. In many cases it was noted that the children had made remarkable improvements in their learning levels – a point which was highlighted during the Gram Sabhas.

Baseline and End-line figures pertaining to 57 Language learning camps held in the 8 blocks of West Bengal

Standard	Baseline						End-line
	Total Children	Beginner	Letter	Word	Para	Story	Total Children	Beginner	Letter	Word	Para	Story
1	1068	729	274	57	6	2	1013	473	420	86	26	8
2	975	369	412	157	32	5	916	205	430	211	58	12
3	883	149	340	259	114	21	833	57	287	286	143	60
4	907	89	216	309	214	79	845	40	169	240	238	158
Total	3833	1336	1242	782	366	107	3607	772	1306	823	465	238

Graphical Representation of the Baseline and End-line figures – Language

    

 

                                                                

  

Images from learning camp – clockwise from top left – swar chart being used to teach Bengali alphabets in Cooch Behar, a language class in progress in Jhalda 1, Purulia, a class being conducted by BRG member Badal in Jalpaiguri, children taking part in fun activities in a learning camp in Jalpaiguri

Baseline and End-line figures pertaining to 39 Math learning camps held in the 8 blocks of West Bengal

Standard	Baseline							End-line
	Total Children	Beginner	0-9	10 to 99	Add	Sub	Div	Total Children	Beginner	0-9	10 to 99	Add	Sub	Div
1	753	411	292	40	1	7	2	599	212	301	71	1	11	3
2	543	107	315	93	6	20	2	438	47	215	133	3	35	5
3	495	41	243	144	6	54	7	444	10	150	197	5	70	12
4	479	21	146	176	11	108	17	404	6	73	158	16	122	29
Total	2270	580	996	453	24	189	28	1885	275	739	559	25	238	49

Graphical Representation of the Baseline and End-line figures – Math

 

 

 Gram Sabhas:

On the last day of each learning camp a Gram Sabha was held where local people were invited. These meetings were well attended by parents and in many of the camps school teachers also turned up and shared their views. During these discussions some very interesting albeit commonly known facts came into focus.

   

Village Meetings popularly known as Gram Sabhas at Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar

For instance from what the mothers had to say it was clear that they rely greatly on private tuitions. In one such meeting in Cooch Behar it was revealed that even children studying in lower classes like standard 1 or 2 receive private tuitions. However the mothers also admitted that they seldom monitor the performance of the private tutor and are largely in the dark about the progress made by their children under the latter’s guidance. These parents were encouraged by the Pratham members to demand accountability from service providers – schools as well as private tutors.  When informed about the Read India program they were interested and agreed to send their children to such classes however they also said that that would not be at the cost of the private tuitions which would continue to be a priority for them. It was clear that private tuitions are here to stay in rural West Bengal – a fact which is corroborated by ASER findings of 2011-12 according to which around 68% of children in Rural West Bengal avail of paid private tuitions.

In most of the village meetings the mothers admitted that they lacked confidence in their abilities to guide their children with their education as they were not educated themselves. Hence – the reliance on private tutors. However in the course of discussions it was revealed that the most compelling factor affecting the children’s education and preventing progress was the lack of motivation on the part of the mothers. Basanti Burman – an Anganwadi Teacher in charge of an ICDS centre in Andharam Pakhihaga Village in Cooch Behar said that the parents hardly send their children to the Anganwadi Centre and so she doesn’t get enough pupils to teach. They are only interested in the mid-day meals served in these centres so much so that the Anganwadi centres are known as “khichdi centres”.

  

Ms. Basanti Burman, an Anganwadi Worker from Mathabhanga, Cooch Behar shares her point of view in the Gram Sabha held in her village

 In the same meeting Ms. Sujata Burman, a former member of the local Village Education Committee and an educated woman with 2 daughters shared that most mothers in the village were indifferent about their children’s education and were content with just sending them to school and at most engaging a private tutor and that they claimed that they were too busy with household and farm work and so did not have enough time to pay attention to their children’s studies.

Ms. Sujata Burman (second from left) an educated mother who plans to send her 2 daughters to a private school

 It also came out that the more aware and discerning parents send their children to private schools commonly known as “nursery schools” rather than government or primary schools as the former are known to have much higher standards of teaching than the latter. While conducting a learning camp at Jhanjupara Village in Jalpaiguri it was found that the learning levels of the attendant children were unexpectedly high. On investigating it was found that these children go to a private school which is situated just opposite the local primary school and that the student count in the latter is decreasing in spite of the so called attraction of the midday meals served every day.

While the above facts came into light during the Gram Sabhas, focus was also placed on the Read India centres and parents were encouraged to send their children to the centres and also to play an active role in the monitoring of the centres. They were also asked to send their children to school and interact more often with the school teachers.

Mahmooda Khatoon – A case study

A learning camp was in progress in Jamirdanga village in Mathabhanga. The camp was being held in a small clearing in front of the local SSK. The children were seated in little circles on the grass and a youngster was in charge of each circle. These youngsters were young men and women - in their late teens or early twenties – all residents of the local or adjacent villages who had been mobilized to lead the Read India program in Rural Cooch Behar. Two bright yellow umbrellas bearing the Pratham logo and the mission of the Read India program “Every child in school and learning well” were standing – perched precariously on the shallow ground. As one watched the activities on the field – children going over the “Swar Chart” in unison guided by the volunteers, the volunteers conducting activities like “gup shup”, “find my letter”, “mind mapping” etc one young lady stood out from the others. She stood out because of her confidence and the practiced manner in which she was dealing with the children. Unlike the others who seemed a little ill at ease chiefly due to the presence of a number of people from outside Mahmooda went about teaching her “class” completely unselfconscious of the fact that she was being watched by the visitors. The children hung on to her words and it was obvious that they were completely involved in the activities. Later when the classes were dissolved all the volunteers gathered together. We got the chance to converse with them and find out what had propelled them to be Read India volunteers. Mahmooda, we found out, is a past volunteer of Read India. She had been a volunteer for 2 years – an unusual feat as usually a volunteer stays on for one year. Even though she is not a part of Read India any more she is helping out with the organizing of the learning camp in her village. In our brief interaction Mahmooda came across as a very assertive and down to earth girl – who knows what she wants and is willing to work hard to get it. She said that she has always wanted to be a teacher and that after completing her graduation that’s what she aims to be. At present she is in her third year of college studying Humanities. Her father is a farmer while her mother is a homemaker. Though her parents have very basic education themselves they have always encouraged Mahmooda and her 3 siblings to complete their education and spread their wings – her younger brother and 2 sisters are in school. Apart from her own studies Mahmooda teaches young children from her neighbourhood – she uses the CAMaL methodologies that she had learnt and imbibed well at Pratham. She has completed the digital and Spoken English courses offered at Pratham’s EFE and said that she found them to be very helpful. Mahmooda is very articulate and speaks her mind without hesitation. When one of the other girls in the group said that she felt shy in the Spoken English classes especially when while role playing Mahmooda chastised her and encouraged her to be more outgoing. Her natural leadership qualities along with the willingness and ability to work hard to achieve her goals and cheerful disposition set her up as an apt role model for many.

 

Mahmooda Khatoon, former Read India volunteer

Momina Khatoon - A case study from Jalpaiguri

Momina Khatoon is a resident of Golabari Village, Jalpaiguri. She is a dynamic member of the village community and is a staunch champion of education. Herself educated up to the first standard the mother-of-four has ensured that her 2 older daughters have completed school. Her younger son and daughter are in school. Her daughters Sultana Rehana and Babynath Parveen have both written their Higher Secondary Exams and at present have taken a break from their studies. Both the girls are former Read India volunteers and though they have completed their volunteering stints a long time back they have retained their ties with Pratham and are always available to help the new volunteers – with active encouragement from their mother. In the learning camp held at Golabari Sultana and Babynath were present - running classes and supporting the new volunteers. Momina herself played an active role trying to mobilize volunteers and urging other villagers to send their children to the camp. While her daughters were with Read India she motivated them to be diligent volunteers and she continues to motivate the new volunteers. At present there is no centre in Golabari village as there is no volunteer. Momina is trying her best to mobilize new volunteers who can again start a centre in Golabari Primary School. Due to her vibrant personality and obvious leadership qualities which she uses to bring about positive changes in her community – Momina commands a lot of respect from the villagers. She heads the Swanirbhar Committee of the village and is held in high esteem by other mothers. She is very forthright and readily shares her point of view and in the Gram Sabha held at the end of the learning camp at Golabari she was present holding forth about the importance of continuing Read India classes in Golabari and encouraging youngsters to come out and volunteer in the initiative. Undoubtedly Momina is a valuable asset to her community and is a source of inspiration for other parents. 

Outcome of the camp:

Around 6000 children were covered in the 96 learning camps. More than 300 old and new volunteers were involved in this program and for the latter it was a big learning experience as some of them admitted. For the BRG members conducting the learning camps at a stretch for 3 weeks in mornings as well as evenings was a very challenging experience especially considering the fact that those 3 weeks fell within a period when heat wave like conditions had gripped the entire state of West Bengal. The most difficult part of the job was to attract people to the learning camps as the heat was keeping most people indoors nevertheless both children and their parents responded to the learning camps enthusiastically and on an average at least 30 people attended each of the Gram Sabhas. Though only children of classes 1 to 4 were to be taught in the learning camps many children from higher as well as lower classes came to the camps many of them on all 4 days. Though the response from the teaching community was not as overwhelming,  in a few blocks such as Jhalda 1 and Joypur (Purulia) and Sagardighi (Murshidabad) a number of teachers attended the learning camps and expressed support for the Read India program.