I Don’t Want to Go to School.
This morning, I had an encounter with an anxious child. I
narrate the events as they unfolded.
It is 6:30 in the morning. There is light drizzle and
roads are wet. I see a thin small boy wearing an oversized uniform walking away
from school. I ask him why and he just
puts his head down and walks on. No reply! Some other kids are also walking to
school. They stop him and ask the same question. In reply he just shakes his
head from side to side.
The little kid is in the first standard in a municipal
school in Thane. He is a thin, dark adivasi boy who looks younger than the mandatory
five and a half for school enrollment. He lives in a tiny hut with thatched roof. I see him almost every day. Generally he is
quite friendly. In spite of my asking many
times, my little friend never told me his name. I have always got a hesitant
smile from him. As summer rolled on, he seemed to have ‘accepted’ me as a
harmless woman who could be trusted! Therefore, once he even offered me a raw mango
and a few berries. He never spoke a word to me though.
The one day, he suddenly ran up to me to inform that ‘ए सालेला (शाळेला) जानारे (जाणार आहे)’. The school was about to reopen. On the first day I
had saw him proudly walking to school. He was issued a uniform four sizes too
big for him. He had also got a school satchel and notebooks (no books yet).
Incredibly proud of his possessions he said to me ‘हे’.
His home is barely ten
minutes away from school. However, like most kids in the hamlet, he went to
school good forty five minutes ahead of time. Even in the heavy downpour, I saw
him going to school. His shorts held in place with a string and his shirt
covering his wrists he would run to school. When we met, I always got a familiar
smile.
Suddenly today, why was
he walking away? Why didn’t he want to go to school? What had changed? Why was
he not talking to other kids he knew well? Do his parents have any idea why he is running
away from school? I stopped him and insisted he tell me why he was not going to
school. I assured him I won’t scold him or punish him. After much cajoling he told me that ‘मायच्या नावली कायबी बोलते नाय’.
Now it was my turn to
be confused. I don’t understand what he is saying. Is he talking in his home
language or in Marathi? He is clearly
upset though not crying. I want to know what the problem is! Luckily, some other curious children have
gathered around us by now. Banda (my little friend) talks to them and they interpret
that he feels the school is not what he thought it would be. ‘They scold, don’t
let us talk, punish and don’t let us do anything we want’ he said between sobs.
It seems the poor kid didn’t understand what was being said let alone taught.
As a result, the excitement had vanished and he was completely lost. ‘मायच्या नावली कायबी बोलते नाय’ (or
something like that) which I guessed meant that the teacher is not talking in
the language he would understand.
Just a week in school
and there is total disillusionment! Is that how our schools are alienating children
from education? If we want to sustain their interest, what should we do? How
can we motivate our teachers to take a step towards making education joyful? How
best should ‘standard, formal’ language be introduced to the tribal children?
With the help of slightly
older children, I was able to pursued Banda to go back to school today. I did
my best to keep their attention, by telling a short story (using lots of
gestures, which got giggles form older kids and a faint smile from Banda). Then I taught them ABCD poem (what else??). I
requested a bright eyed girl of about ten to be Banda’s ‘mentor’ and छोटी बाई’ (teacher),
and teach him alphabet in his name – ब, न ड. I am going to use this captive group to try
group learning. I would not dare right now to do any testing because I am
worried that my group will dissipate in no time.
I have promised them
that I am going to teach them every day – just 15 to 20 minutes before school. Banda’s interest in learning has to be sustained.
I feel he will start taking small steps
with the help of other children. Language barrier would be broken soon. I would
continue this experiment in teaching for
as long as I can sustain their interest.
