By Iwamon Laloo and Glenn Kharkongor
A visit to this unique school tugs at your heart strings. For hardened academicians, who may claim to have seen it all, spending an hour at Sein Jaintia Morning School is an emotional experience. Situated in Qualapatty, the busy commercial heart of Shillong, street children, domestic help, teenage dropouts, adolescents labeled as ne’er do wells, all have been given a second chance to gain an education. The students come to school at 7:00am, before the bustle of Bara Bazaar begins, and attend class for two hours before they have to get back to work.
Any child who longs for an education can study free at this school. There are 230 students from Class 1 to Class 10. Class 1 has 19 students, ranging in age from 6-15 years. The three 15 year-olds, two girls and a boy, are attending school for the first time. Many of the children have come from the village, placed with relatives or other families in Shillong, mainly to work, but also to try and find their way in the world. The children represent the many communities of Shillong: Nepali, Assamese, Bihari, Khasi, Jaintia and others.
The marks of poverty are writ large in the classrooms. Many are poorly clothed, struggling with unkemptness, the winter will bring more harshness to their lives. Tragically, many carry signs of chronic malnutrition, thin physique, short stature from stunting, discolored straggly hair, dry eye. A few seem to carry psychological stigmata, downcast eyes, flat expressions, delayed responsiveness. But somehow, in the braveness honed by constant obstacles, these deprived children have roused themselves to move ahead. Even though the school is free, it is a daily struggle to get here. Some have walked long distances to school, others have taken the bus, coming from as far away as Nongmynsong. But these are street smart children, toughened by the hard vicissitudes of life, and they know the value of things that other children take for granted.
The school was started by Billion Lamare, who started her career as a school teacher, then joined the Education Department. When she retired she broached the idea of a free school for poor children and dropouts to the Sein Jaintia. They provided a room at the back of their building and the school started with students of several classes all at once. There was no budget for salaries, and MsLamare wondered how to get teachers. Somehow in the course of one miraculous day, five teachers walked in offering their services free. These first teachers reflected the communities of the inner city, a Marwari, a Bihari, a Nepali, a Bengali and a Khasi.
There were no textbooks or stationery, writing on the wall served as a blackboard. From the scrap shops in the area, loose bits paper were purchased, cut to notebook size and stapled. Over the years, several benefactors have stepped in. The Rotary Club gave some charts, the Shillong Club donated Rs 25,000, an MLA contributed books to start a library. Some of the cash donations are used for the teaching staff, an occasional sum of Rs 500 is sometimes distributed.
Recently the SSA has started providing some help. They pay the salaries of three teachers, which is divided among the 16 teaching staff. SSA has also provided some textbooks and exercise books. Each textbook is shared by several students.
Among the students, attendance is regular, motivation is high. When we asked the 9th standard students, “How many of you want to be good in English?, many hands went up. “How many want to learn science?”, again many hands were raised. For the question, “How many want to learn computers?, every hand immediately shot up. But the school does not have a computer. All of them have seen a computer, but none has touched one.
We talked to the teachers, all of them young adults. Most of them wanted to help a good cause, some wanted teaching or work experience. Interrupting his maths class, I asked a Nepali man, “Why do you teach here?”Soft spokenly, he said, “These children are from my area”. He is a shopkeeper, and with his BCom degree, suited well to teach maths. After teaching for two hours, he goes to the marketand opens his shop.
In the last batch of Class 10 students, 22 students appeared for the matric exam as private candidates, 12 passed. We met four of the students preparing for this year’s exam, all of them want to continue their studies. We asked each of the Class 9 students what they wanted to do in life. The spread of answers showed a clear sense of ambition, several wanted to start their own business, some wanted to join the police or army, a few planned to become nurses or teachers. One wanted to be a journalist, another a beautician and one girl shyly said,“air hostess”.
Over a cup of tea we had a long conversation with the lady who started it all. Talking as teacher to teacher, we were inspired by the earnestness and clearness of her thoughts on education. Ms Lamare reminded us that the lofty goal of education is to produce good human beings, good citizens, and impart lessons of life. Children must learn to stand on their feet. We have to go far beyond the syllabus. The syllabus by itself sometimes becomes an instrument of suppression. The educational system is so superficial, we measure only what the children are told to reproduce. Mere regurgitation is not intelligence, so-called brilliant students don’t certify the school. We don’t give importance to children’s thoughts, don’t encourage them to differ. If they deviate from the norm, they are penalised or face rejection. Real intelligence is often hidden, as teachers we have to probe a student’s potential and develop it.
Experienced teachers we think we may be, but her motherly, benevolent manner reminded us of the need for a parental, mentoring and caring attitude to school children. We observed the easy, friendly exchanges between the principal, teachers and students. This is a happy school.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) annually publishes comparative data on the learning skills of students across countries. The PISA annual league tables are scrutinized each year by teachers and education policy makers in every country, looking for best practices that may improve performances of their students. In the last few years, PISA experts have realized that more than teacher qualifications or hours spent in homework, the most important factor for effective learning is the happiness and sense of well-being of the student.
On our way out we walk past the classrooms one last time. The rooms are dim and dingy, the walls unpainted and unplastered in places. But the sounds coming through the open doors are bright and vigorous, the enthusiasm of the teachers and students are highly evident. This is a true temple of learning and the principal and her teachers are true heroes of education.
(The authors are from Martin Luther Christian University)