Thursday Jul 04, 2024
Thursday Jul 04, 2024
Saturday, 26 October 2013 09:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
I was told that a staff of eight experienced teachers from D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya and Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya of Colombo were to be taken at the expense of the society, for the benefit of approximately 600 less-fortunate children in this area.
Initially, I was reluctant to join the team as I have some aversion for long journeys, but later I consented, considering the noble cause that was being undertaken.
Setting off
We set off from Colombo that Friday afternoon. Interestingly, Sureshkumar of D.S. Senanayake Vidyalaya, who came with us to conduct the seminar for Tamil medium students happened to be one of my old school friends and he being bilingual really helped me to understand the jokes going around during our long journey, without disturbing the rhythm. The team I accompanied kept me in full swing.
It took almost 10 hours for us to reach the destination, which was the Headquarters of the 62nd Division in Padavi-Sripura, where we were to receive accommodation for our weekend stay. By the time we arrived there, it was almost 10 p.m. We were given a toothsome dinner and allowed a good night’s sleep. This was a totally different experience to me. We greatly appreciate the generous hospitality; without their support, we could not have delivered the intended service within a short period of time such as a weekend.
The very next morning, after breakfast, we were briefed about the plan to be carried out. Sureshkumar and I were teamed together and sent to Kokkuthuduvai Thamil Vidyalayam in Kokilai, which was another three-hour drive away from our present location. Finally, we reached the school at 10:30 a.m.
Shocking sight
Our first sight of the school and its surroundings shocked us. What was identified as “school” was in fact, a building consisting of three rooms in a row with one of these being the principal’s office. Surprisingly, only seven students were in the classroom. Most of them were in uniforms which had many of the buttons replaced with safety-pins. A few of the students were in “chappals” (rubber slippers). The students were accompanied by a teacher each from Kokkuthuduvai Tamil School and Kokilai Tamil School.
It was only at this point that I realised the weight of the task put on our shoulders. Deep within, I perceived that: “We need to educate not only the students but also society.”
Without any delay, we started the session with only a minute spent on introductions. Whilst my friend carried on with his teaching, I got to chat with the two teachers outside the classroom to get an understanding of the situation and the nature of the community.
Through such conversation, I gathered the following information: “These people have been resettled hereafter 28 years; most of them are from war affected areas and are neither educated nor fit enough to finance the day-to-day life; a significant amount of 
families are headed by women who work for daily wages; schools are running out of teachers and money for administration; children come to school with empty stomachs and hardly have three meals a day!”
Encouraging participation
With a heavy mind and a deep sense of guilt, I walked back to the classroom and observed our future generation. What I saw was a classroom of malnourished children with no hope, listening to the teacher just for the sake of listening.
After the session had gone on for about 45 minutes, I noticed the students beginning to lose their concentration. I quickly explained the situation to the teacher and suggested he came up with a strategy.
The plan was for him to feed in the important areas of the syllabus as much as possible and for me to keep the students energetic and enthusiastic. As he was already equipped with plenty of experience, he was able to nicely articulate the syllabus in to questions and hurl them at the students, and all that I had to do was encourage them to answer.
So we announced that whoever answered or at least attempted to answer a question would be given a toffee; anyone who asked a question would also be given a toffee; and we went on to say that the person who gave the most number of correct answers was entitled to receive a reward of 100 rupees.
Bingo! Our plan worked out splendidly. The teacher struggled to figure out who answered first. Never before had I seen such enthusiasm in a classroom. To keep their spirits high and to maintain their energy levels, we gave 5-minute breaks every half hour. The short intervals were livened with songs, games, and of course, some refreshments from the military officers. And so continued the lessons…
As time progressed, we encountered another hiccup – lunch! By then, we had covered only about half the work we had planned for the day because we started late, and so, we didn’t want to let the students go home as this would ruin the Society’s mission. Thankfully, the members of the CSR committee immediately granted me permission to provide lunch to all the participants.
Deep sense of satisfaction
We continued the class until 3.00 p.m. with the same momentum. I still remember the student who championed and got the 100 rupees. He was proud and ecstatic of his achievement. I too, felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
I must thank my friend Sureshkumar for the wonderful session he delivered. I too, learnt a good lesson: teaching is an art, and my buddy is a master at it. Hats-off to you buddy!
As we were winding up for the day, we got a remarkable comment from the teachers who accompanied the students. “We thought that all of you will behave like big bosses and honestly, we didn’t want to come to this seminar but after being with you, we understand that you are simple and friendly and we want to come for the next session as well.”
Huh! Who needs any more appraisals?
Encouraging turnout
That afternoon, we decided to go about in the vicinity to have some fresh air and hunt for students in these fishing villages. Fortunately, we were welcomed by the community heads and some others who cared about the community and the younger generations.
With their encouragement, we stopped at each and every door and told the householders of our seminar and asked them to send their children to it the following day. We were however, cautious about how we approached them on this matter because their battered lives had made them weary of all things in life other than making ends meet.
On the second day, we were in school by 8 a.m. Wow! What a surprise we had in store for us – 19 students! On one hand we were happy but on the other hand, I wasn’t sure I had enough liquidity to keep all of them motivated with toffees!
Once again, our CSR team came to the rescue. I got a call informing me that a load of gifts and refreshments for 30 heads was on the way. With a big sigh of relief our wagon started to roll: same rhythm, breaks in between, refreshments, attractive announcements and lively classroom.
One step at a time
It can be easily understood that within a day and a half, we can’t make wonders; but we can make at least a marginal impression. We encouraged the local teacher to actively get involved in the seminar; we asked him to assess and evaluate the winner and the runner-up for the day. This approach eventually broke all barriers between us and made him feel at ease with us. Later, we presented him several teaching aids to add value to his teaching and requested him to continue to be in touch with us.
All the students present at the seminar were given free stationeries and refreshments sponsored by SJMS. The remainders were issued to the eager children gathered in front of the school with the hope that these would encourage them to study.
Our return journey to Colombo was uneventful; we were tired; and I for one, pondered on how I could bring about a positive change in the lives of those unfortunate people I had just met.
My heartfelt thanks go out to the SJMS Welfare and CSR Society for giving me this awesome experience. Sincere gratitude is also extended to Brigadier K.G. Devendra Perera and Lieutenant Colonel J.M.L. Jayasundara of the Sri Lanka Army, 62 Division, Galkulama, Padavi-Sripura, for their coordination and support, without which it would not have been possible to organise such programs in these less-facilitated areas.
(The writer is from SJMS Associates – Tax Division.)
