“Empowering a girl child with education is not just a duty, it’s a privilege and Deepa is a shining example of it.”

Introduction

Deepa Saini is a dedicated teacher who comes from a middle-class family. Her father works as a farmer while her mother is a housewife. She has five members in her family and is the youngest daughter-in-law in her household. Her husband owns a business, and she has two children, both of whom are currently studying in school, one in L.K.G and the other in class 2. Deepa has a passion for teaching and particularly enjoys working with young girls.

Education Background

Deepa completed her high school and intermediate education at Kisan Inter College Bahbalpur, passing class 10th in 2006 and 12th in 2008. She then completed her graduation with a B.A. from S.S.D. College in Roorkee. Her teaching career began in 2007 when she started working at Anmol School. Deepa got married in the village of Hallu Mazara and moved to her father-in-law’s house after marriage.

Finding

Deepa was informed by a village woman that there was a vacant teaching post in her village. She approached Priyanka Saini, who was already working at the Blika Siksha Kendra in Manak Mazara, to learn more about the program and how to apply for the vacant post. She submitted her documents and organized the interview process, both orally and in writing. After her selection, she was appointed as a teacher working in girl child education.

Challenges

Teaching 30 girls at the same time proved to be a challenge for Deepa. She had to figure out how to contact parents to send their children to the center and devise a plan for the students. She reached out to other teachers who were already working in other centers and received their support. Deepa joined the girl child education program on 1 January 2018 and has enjoyed working with children and communities. She has learned many techniques and processes in quarterly teacher’s training, MTM, and study circle meetings. Deepa attended a five-day training program where the trainer taught her various teaching methods, which she implemented with the children in the center.

When Deepa started teaching, she noticed that many children were weak in Maths, English, and other subjects. She met with the children’s parents and encouraged them to send their children to the center regularly. She followed the daily plan and taught the children according to their level of understanding. She kept parents informed of their children’s progress through report cards given during CMC meetings and door-to-door visits.

Conclusion

Deepa’s dedication to teaching and her willingness to learn has enabled her to improve her skills in the girl child education program. Her experience shows that with hard work, dedication, and a passion for teaching, one can overcome challenges and make a significant impact on children’s education.

“Now! I will help my family to earn more”

Introduction

Sunaina Devi wife of Ramesh Raturi, belongs to Amarsar village. There are 6 members in her family, she lives with her husband, two boys, and her maternal mother and father. Her husband runs a shop in their town. The means of income of the house is only wages under the government scheme like MNREGA, etc., or by working on agricultural land. Sunaina devi works at home and in the fields.

Background

At the beginning of the Hriday program, women farmers groups were formed in the villages of the project area. An open meeting was held with the women farmer’s group members. In the meetings, the members were informed about the various works to be done under the program, out of which seed money support to women farmers to start their own businesses was involved. Right holder (Sunaina devi) is one of the members of the women farmers group from amarsar village. She came to know about the livelihood cooperation support activity. She found this support useful and contacted the facilitators of hriday program.

Mrs. Sunaina devi is skilled in stitching work. She used to stitch clothes before her marriage but after her marriage she got involved in agricultural work and other responsibilities like taking care of her children. she states that she has some free time after doing domestic works, in that period of time she can create additional income at home by doing sewing work.

Findings

Sunaina devi can sew women’s clothes but she does not have the technical knowledge to sew men’s clothes. Apart from this, due to the limited market in the area, there is fear of not getting recognition and proper value for their work.

Sunaina devi showed interest for the sewing work in the monthly meeting with women group members. The self-help group members gave their consent for cooperation and it was decided to give a sewing machine to sunaina devi from their group. Facilitators from the organization obtained the necessary documents from sunaina devi and submitted them to the field office. According to the term and conditions, a modern sewing machine was purchased for sunaina devi.

Conclusion

With the livelihood promotion support given by LIC HFL, Sunaina devi will become a self-reliant woman. With this cooperation, she will be able to help her family economically and will be able to provide better education to her children through her income by doing sewing work.  Apart from this, sunaina devi will increase her sewing work demand in the local market by learning the techniques of sewing men’s clothes by using the modern machine provided as support by MVDA and LIC HFL.Through livelihood promotion activities, many more women from the remote villages of the project intervention area can be made self-reliant so that they can help economically their families.

Words from beneficiary (quotes) –

“With the support of livelihood promotion, now I will help my family to earn more thus I can enable to send my children to a good school.”

SUNENA DEVI
AMARSAR, BHILANGANA BLOCK
TEHRI GARHWAL, UTTATAKHAND

Introduction

Esmol is a 12-year-old girl who lives in Uprikot with her four family members. Her family’s primary source of income is farming, and they reside in a remote area, around 35 km from the district headquarters in Uttarkashi. Esmol attends a government primary school in the village and with is also enrolled in the learning center, where she receives remedial classes to improve her academic skills. When Esmol first started attending the learning center in first grade, she was kept at level one as, she struggled with recognizing English letters, and reading Hindi words, and lacked confidence.

Challenges Faced

Esmol faced several challenges related to her academic performance when she first enrolled in the learning center. Her parents did not pay much attention to her studies as they were busy with household work. Additionally, there was only a government primary school in the village, and no other medium of education was available for Esmol to improve her skills. Despite attending school regularly, she found it challenging to recognize English letters and struggled with reading Hindi words. This made her lose confidence in her studies, which impacted her overall academic performance. and was not interested in reading or other activities at the center.

Intervention

The learning center’s teacher made regular visits to Esmol’s home to understand whether her parents were involved in her studies. The teacher explained Esmol’s academic issues to her parents and involved them in her learning activities at home. The teacher used teaching and learning materials, including the various Academic Initiative kits and, TLMs at the center like alphabet cards, and storybooks, to help Esmol improve her academic skills. She was also given opportunities to read stories in front of the class and explain them, which boosted her confidence.

Outcome

After several months of regular classes and intervention, Esmol started to participate actively in all center activities. She could read not only  Hindi words but also simple sentences fluently and was very interested in Hindi storybooks. She helped others read properly and could read simple English words with their meanings. The major change in her was her newfound confidence, After her teacher’s encouragement her parents also started supporting Esmol’s studies at home. They discussed her performance with the teacher at the center, school, and home and were happy to see their daughter’s progress. Esmol now wants to become a good teacher.

Conclusion

Esmol’s journey to academic success highlights the importance of individualized attention and remedial classes to help struggling students. The teacher’s regular visits to Esmol’s home and involving her parents in her learning activities were crucial in improving her academic skills. The use of teaching and learning materials and the opportunity to read stories in front of the class boosted Esmol’s confidence, and her newfound interest in learning is a testament to the power of intervention. Esmol’s story is an inspiration for all students struggling with their academics and highlights the importance of access to quality education.

Introduction: Ameesha is a 20-year-old young woman from Kothiara village, located in the Tehri district. She comes from a simple family where her father is the sole breadwinner, working as a farmer. Before joining the Balika Shiksha Kendra Kothiyara, the only source of income for the family was agriculture.

Background: Ameesha was unable to pursue further education after completing 12th grade due to financial constraints in the family. She joined the Balika SikshaKendrar as a teacher in October 2022, with the hope of repeating her basic studies and improving her financial situation.

Findings: Ameesha has observed significant changes in her personal behavior and confidence since joining the Girls Education Center. Initially, She was nervous to speak in front of a group but now feels confident to express her thoughts and ideas effectively. After joining as a teacher with the program, she attended the Quarterly Teacher’s Training. In those training, she was encouraged by the trainers and her fellows to give participants more. She was given multiple presentations which boosted her confidence.  In her role as a teacher, Ameesha conducts regular classes, training sessions, and home visits for the children enrolled in the Girls Education Center. She uses teaching aids and fun learning techniques for a better understanding of children. The number of students enrolled in the center has increased to 28. The remuneration she receives from the organization is being saved to support her further studies.

Since enrolling in the Girls Education Center, Ameesha has experienced substantial personal growth and an increase in self-assurance. Although she initially felt apprehensive about public speaking, she now feels self-assured when articulating her thoughts and opinions. Additionally, she is using the compensation she receives from the organisation to save up for her future education.

Conclusion: This case study highlights the impact of education on the life of a young teacher in a rural area. Education has not only helped Ameesha improve her financial situation but has also empowered her to pursue further studies and become a role model for the children in her community. The improvement in her personal behavior and confidence is a testament to the positive impact of education on the overall development of an individual.