My internship in India continued with a trip to the south, around the area of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and in Andhra Pradesh. On behalf of InMaLanka and Mukti for Social Development, I had to visit several evening schools in the villages of dalits and tribal and see the Little Angels School as well.
With my colleague Ruchira, delegated to MSD, we first went to see the 3 to 5 years old kids of the Little Angels School. They were waiting for us in the courtyard, holding boards forming the word "welcome" and garland of flowers. It was a very warm and endearing welcome especially as pupils sang nursery rhymes in English.
We could notice that the school is managed by a dedicated Director for its 70 students and organizing their time accurately while monitoring their presence. Each student has two uniforms and a set of books (English, Tamil and science). The day starts at 9:30, then the pupils play including in English, they have a snack, courses and a meal for the first years old. After the nap, the children finish the day around 2:30 PM.. We could see the obedience of the students, their happiness and their joy of learning. All behave calmly, respectfully and their uniform is well maintained. The school is so successful that the parents wanted it offers courses for the elderly, which will result in a future extension of buildings.
Our field then continued with a visit to night schools in several villages, either in Dalit or tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh. We had an incredible welcome again: the villagers were waiting for us while playing drums, women have marked us with bindi (the traditional red point on the forehead) and tied flowers in our hair. Each time the ceremonies were held with dancing and we received bangles as a gift.
The children were waiting outside their school and sang for us when we arrived. The night schools are held from 16PM to 18PM and include an average of 40 children. They have courses in English, Hindi, Telugu, mathematics and social sciences. These programs are popular with parents because it occupies their children and prevent them from playing in the forest and exposing them to the danger of snake bites. In addition, in some villages, the children receive two meals a day, which is a source of motivation for additional classes!
Concerning the night schools, there are plans to create new ones, to finance children's meals for all the villages, field trips and pay the teachers currently volunteers. For InMaLanka’s partner, Desire India, access to education is essential in order to create a link with the villagers at parents’ meetings, and create future programs improving their wellness (access to water, property etc). To provide education to children of dalits and tribals, is giving them a boost for the future and their welfare.
