Exploring the Indian Education System

My mom's a teacher so I spent my childhood in 12 different schools, tasting a variety of education systems from nursery to high school. I've tried everything from Convent school to alternative education - was even homeschooled for a while. Of course, it wasn't planned that way but I think this adventure has made me a more open and perceptive human being.
I have been in a class of 3 and a class of 53, a class on a tea estate in Ooty and a class on top of the hills in Sahyadri. I've been in schools where we sang bhajans at assembly and others where we sang hymns. I've studied with children of well-to-do Mumbaikars and children of poor tea pickers. I've had teachers that believed in corporal punishment and teachers that believed in open book tests. The one thing I've learnt from all of them is that you can excel at anything you put my mind to and whether you top the class or fail math by 1 mark, the most important thing is to be an honest person.

My mom says she experimented with us as kids, putting us through different experiences to mould us into better human beings. Every school taught us something different whether it was learning braille or sign language, learning Kannada or Esperanto, we were always encouraged to give it our best. When I started at the convent school at the age of 13, 'normal' was an overrated word. I had no idea how average I was, 'cos I was always treated as a unique individual. Even after I completed high school, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was special and different from everybody else.

Today, when I read stories about inspiring people, I feel small and unaccomplished. I sometimes feel like I'm not living my dream. I often say I want to travel the world and explore new places and people and food and cultures. But the truth is I could die a happy girl just knowing I inspired someone, anyone.

Currently, I volunteer part-time for an NGO that's involved in educating underprivileged children and I look forward to having a child of my own one day to experience how the education system has evolved since I was a kid. I know what it's like to be brought up by someone who refused to settle for second best and I'm grateful that she inspired me to be my own person and follow my own path, wherever that may lead.

Ultimately, everything that you explore teaches you something about yourself and my experience has taught me that there's always more to explore.

The Teachers We Always Wanted

When I entered the long dark room at Chaithanya centre, I didn’t know what to expect. U&I’s volunteer fellow, Rishika, met me and introduced me to a couple of volunteers, who were waiting for their tutees to finish their Saturday baths. The girls arrived moments later with wet hair and big smiles. They fondly call their tutors ‘akka’, meaning big sister. Soon, fat books emerged from heavy school bags and classes started.

Saturday is Social Studies and Science day, so the girls were learning about ancient Indian kingdoms and Indian Independence and convex lenses and Australia’s coastline. Not all together, of course! They were divided by age from class 6 to class 10 and each volunteer has no more than 2 girls to teach. The best part about these classes is that they are not confined to the four walls of a classroom. The girls spread out in the large playing ground outside St Anne’s School, so you’ll see a few huddled up in the corridor, a few more at the benches and only a few indoors in the common room.

I took turns sitting with each group and eavesdropping on their lessons. Some girls were better at reading than others. Some could read fluently but they didn’t understand a word of what they read. Some could spell out all the names of the temples in Hampi and others struggled to find USA on the map. But the volunteers were patient and I started to admire the way they explained concepts such as population and revenue and the nationalist movement.

One smiling face caught my attention and I headed over to see what she was learning. Divya was studying refraction, so Shubhi, her tutor, took the trouble of demonstrating the concept using a bucket of water. The most beautiful moments of being a teacher come when you see a twinkle in a child’s eye when she finally grasps a new concept and Divya not only understood refraction, but also explained it to me in her own words. I found that quite amazing.

I then shifted focus to a history lesson about the Jallianwalla Bagh incident. The shy and studious, Sneha was pouring over her book with the focus of a spider that’s trapping its prey. She finished the lesson by 4pm and her teacher encouraged her to share best moments from her week. To my surprise, Sneha opened up like a blooming flower and sang a song in Kannada for her akka. It was a beautiful moment that I got to witness.

At the end of 2 hours, the volunteers gathered for a debriefing session with the volunteer fellow, Rishika, and centre fellow, Yashaswini. They shared stories about their best moments at Chaitanya and the love the girls have for their akkas. Some of them even received Teachers Day cards and handwritten ‘Thank You’ notes.

It’s clear to see that the relationship shared here goes far beyond a teacher-student relationship. U&I volunteers do a great job connecting with the girls and making an impact not only in their education but in their lives as well.