Jamghat Pathshala aims to re-induct underprivileged children to school

New Delhi: It was almost 11 am and the school timing was over; a small girl started drawing a doll on the blackboard, while the teacher explained Shivaratri to a few kids who wished to attend class on Shivaratri. At the same time, someone was distributing Bhel to the kids, who were queued up waiting for their turns. The children were upbeat and excited, but they were not willing to return home.
Jamghat Pathshala, an initiative of journalist Richa Anirudh, began with only seven underprivileged children last year and has since grown to over 150 children in just a few months. On Monday, nearly 200 children sat in the shade of a tiny tree on a pavement near Bhutani, Noida, where Richa Anirudh, her volunteers, and teachers taught underprivileged children from the surrounding districts. These children are denied their fundamental right to education and are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to improve their education. Though some of the students were enrolled in government schools, they were forced to leave to care for their families due to unfortunate situations. The “Jamghat Pathshala” not only provides education to underprivileged students, but also works to re-enrol them in school.
To get a clearer picture, The Sunday Guardian paid a visit to Jamghat Pathshala and spoke with Richa Anirudh, as well as other volunteers and children. The majority of the teachers and volunteers concentrate on helping children improve their language skills and other basic subjects, including English, Hindi, Mathematics, and so forth. They return to their slums after work and resume their household chores. The volunteers and teachers who are part of the programme have a great deal of experience teaching and volunteering with children.
“We purchased tarpaulins for all the children. When I asked these students if they wanted Christmas vacations, they flatly refused, preferring to continue their studies during those difficult winter months. Because these children lack access to education, they will take advantage of any opportunity to learn. When we realised they were unwilling to take a break, we bought them sweaters, socks, caps, masks, and other necessities, such as school bags and stationery,” Richa Anirudh told this correspondent.
Bhavna, who has 12-years of teaching experience, teaches the science and phonic sounds too. The students of Class 5 and Class 6 also focus on learning the basics. She told this paper, “This experience has given me a tremendous experience, and I am extremely glad about it.”
The kids were excited to learn new things and were eager to tell this correspondent what they had learnt. Tamanna, a student, told this correspondent, “Once this school timing gets over, I return home and help my father with the household chores. At 1pm, my mother returns, and after lunch, I study in the evening.” Another 12-year-old student from Illahabas, Noida, said that they enjoyed studying English, or Hindi but had to leave the school. These children are eager to return to school as soon as possible.
Richa has also noticed some positive developments in the kid over the last three months. The children are now able to communicate with the appropriate vocabulary and expressions. “In terms of communication, behaviour, and hygiene, the majority of the students have become active and disciplined. It hasn’t been four months and we have already seen a lot of changes in these youngsters. We conduct morning prayers and the national anthem; to channel the behaviour of these children, we conduct physical exercises, and I just tried an experiment in which I started with 30-seconds of silence and extended it to 2 minutes today. Many teachers and volunteers also assist and provide fresh ideas for teaching these children, such as art and craft, music, and other subjects,” Richa told this paper. She shared some interesting plans for children to execute in the future. “As we’ve all noticed, the music or television shows that children hear or watch can have a significant impact on their behaviour, so soft music is something I’d want to introduce to them. It is all in the planning stages right now,” she concluded.