By Rajiv Roy
The Adult Literacy Programmme of Shillong-based Talent’s Tutorial has become the most sought after destination by women who have never tasted education. There are nine women students in this programme mostly tribal from Meghalaya. A noble initiative, the programme was started after these women decided to take up education and approached Partha Pratim Purkayastha, who is teaching and running the tutorial founded by his mother Uma, retired principal, Government Girls’ HS School. “These mothers cannot help their wards with their homework and receives taunts from people for being illiterate. From their sordid tale the idea has cropped up to start this program,” said Partha.
The mothers are upbeat now learning English alphabets and also a bit of arithmetic that Partha is trying to imbibe in them. “My intention is to empower these communities with the light of education so that they can learn, communicate and care for their wards. Parents education is very important in children upbringing,” said Partha.
Anita Hajong, whose child is a student of upper KG said, said “I cannot sign nor communicate with the class teacher about my child’s progress in school. It is then we few like minded mothers took this initiative to take up education and approached Partha sir,” she said whose husband is a driver of a commercial tourist vehicle.
The classes’ runs from Monday to Friday for two hours and these mothers are charged a nominal amount towards fees. “I charge a nominal amount from them in order to ensure attendance so that they give seriousness to the class or else if I make it free they won’t take it seriously,” said Partha. The addition, subtraction, phonetics, recognizing alphabets have gone down well among his students as they are finding the classes interesting. “I did not know the alphabets earlier but now we can read and write from A to Z. I realize that education is very important though I could not attend school due to poverty,” said Kavita Basumatari whose husband is a motor mechanic.
The good thing about this literacy programme is that along with the inclination of these women, their husband is backing their education. “They face rebuke and taunt from various quarters of the society and believes that if they are educated then others will not dare to do so,” said Partha who is supported by another student Anita. “Once my daughter was told by her class teacher to get a signature in her copy but how can your mother sign as she is illiterate,” she said recalling the words of the teacher and the hardship they face due to their illiteracy.
For these students they cannot realize how time passes by now though they have to manage sending their children to school, attend the domestic household and at the same time keep track on their studies. “I don’t know how time passes by. I generally do my homework during the gaps that I can manage in between work,” said Aloka another student. As it is said ‘if there is a will, there is a way’ Partha said that these students who stays in the same neighborhood recollect the days work together in each one’s house on a rotation basis since group study is always better. “We sit down together, discuss our homework and practice word pronunciation,” said Namita. And this is showing up on their performances now, as none can say looking at their handwriting if they have taken up education for the first time in life as good and neat script is a common trait among all.
These students who could not pronounce their own or the names of their peers can analyze the names of medicines which doctors have recommended and their dosages now. “Before my hand used to shake but now it is fluent. After coming here I realized the necessity of education,” said Kunika. Agrees Gulapi who said that earlier she would spend her time watching television or in vain talks but now she is very busy with education. Some of these mothers bring their smaller children to the tutorial as Partha allows them space during their classes.
As education is light, so it is encouragement as these mothers are eyeing to appear in matriculation examination in future. This is also the effort of Partha who wants to continue and provide them with as much education as possible while acknowledging that it is an ambitious plan. “Why not if we can progress this far than one day we can take the matriculation examination,” said an optimistic Namita. Partha’s plan is to try to accustom them with spoken English so that they can communicate. “Parents / guardian interview is compulsorily followed in many schools in the state and this is where they succumb. I intend to make them as good as anybody,” he said with conviction.
His mother, who teaches English and Sanskrit in Talent’s Tutorial – started it in 2000 with just six students after retirement. Partha is teaching mathematics and science after completing his education to upkeep the family tradition where his mother, father and sister are also educationist. It has around 40 students now from IV to X standard from ICSE, CBSE and MBOSE boards mainly from the local tribal community. What makes Partha not a tutor but a friend of his students is his way of teaching right from the grassroots level and he never hesitates to break the shackle of normal working days and hours of each students if he/she happens to be in need of extra care. But what disturbs him is the anguish and fear psychosis for mathematics and science among his first timer students. “But I try to make it very simple for them to grasp and parents have realized the overcoming of this critical condition. I consider this to be my success,” he said.