Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
The lockdown couldn't deter 21 year old Dileswari Dharua from teaching the students at the local village school to bridge their learning gap.
The lockdown couldn’t deter 21 year old Dileswari Dharua from teaching the students at the local village school to bridge their learning gap.
At the height of the pandemic, Dileswari Dharua, a 21-year-old intermediate college student from Balangir district in Odisha began to teach academically low performing children in her village.
Locals are all praise for her effort to bridge the learning gap among children during the lockdown, and she has been hailed as a Good Samaritan for her dedication in teaching.
Phuljharan is just 10-km away from the district headquarter of Balangir, but basic amenities are lacking there. Not well off financially, most of the parents depend on the government primary school of the village for the education of their children. However, schools were shut down in the mid-March this year, as a measure to contain the spread of novel Coronavirus.
This prolonged school closure, detention at home and cessation of daily routine because of the COVID-19 pandemic have had an impact on children’s mental well-being for school children, and the so-called online education process was discriminatory to poor and marginalized students as majority of them lack a digital device to access it.
That prompted Dileswari to do something for the children to bring them back to the fore of learning.
“I realised that children are gradually detaching from their learning due to the school shut-down. One day, Lok Unnati Sangathan, a people’s collective of Balangir, was holding a meeting in our village where members were discussing about starting remedial classes for academically low-performing children. It was then I thought that kids can keep learning even during a lockdown and then became a part of their initiative,” says Dileswari.
The remedial classes, an initiative by Atmashakti Trust and its allies Odisha Shramajeebee Mancha and Mahila Shramajeebee Mancha, Odisha under the campaign Mission3-5-8, are being run in 36 villages across the district by the Sangathan where nine members from the organization along with 27 local youth volunteers are taking up remedial classes for 216 children every day.
“I feel,” Dileswari says, “education cannot wait! The Sangathan’s effort was timely and praiseworthy. Because, they feel that if these children are left behind at this crucial period, many of them may not come back to schools when they re-open”.
Dileswari Dharua lost her father in 2018 and now she has to shoulder the burden of her family with a mother and two brothers.
However, she has stood firm with her conviction to help poor children pursue their studies as she believes the importance of education very deftly and therefore devoting two-hours of remedial teaching every day for children up to class-V in her village.
“Remedial classes are proving to be useful for these children as they are learning vital subjects on English, basic mathematics, and Odia language, and improving on their learning. We are happy that Dileswari keeps our children learning during the pandemic period when government teachers should do that job and appreciate her effort as she ensures that children are not losing out on their education,” says Mr Chamar Biswal, parent of a child who attends Dileswari’s remedial classes.
Published here first.
Images source: the author
read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
Please enter your email address