They Too Have Their Story

“They too have their story”

Site Visit 2010

Shastri School: An Asha For Education Project

By: Sruthi Ramakrishnan and Swathi Ramakrishnan, project stewards for Shastri School

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About Shastri School:

Shastri School is a school for hearing and speech impaired children, located in Bangalore, India. The school was established in March 1994, when low income parents who had hearing impaired children had nowhere to send them for a proper education. Starting with just 20 children, the school has grown and now has 140 students, of which about 40 are orphans who live and learn in the school.

A Typical School Day:

In the morning, the orphan children who live in Shastri School gather at the terrace for breakfast at 8:30am. They usually have a glass of milk and a typical South Indian breakfast item such as idllis, dosas, or upma with a side dish. After breakfast, the children dress for school, wearing their blue and white uniforms. The students take turns doing a few chores, pushing away their mats and arranging the desks for class. They are joined by the rest of the school children by 10am, who come from local areas within a distance of 10km. They are picked up bytwo vans which drop the students off at the school. The vans are donated by donors, but the parents pay a nominal amount to the school for this transportation service.

The academic day starts at 10am and continues until 4:30pm. Each class runs for one hour, and the children are taught subjects like math, science, history, and the local language, Kannada as well as one elective class every day. These elective classes include arts and crafts, dancing, and physical education. The classes vary in size, having between 6 to 12 children. The classes are sometimes combined with two grades due to alimited number of rooms and teachers. Rather than being separated into classes by their age, the students are placed based on their academic abilities. They learn from the teacher using pictures, by writing, as well as through group work. In addition to their regular classes, the children have a 45 minute session with a speech therapist so that they can develop their hearing ability.

Between 12 and 2pm the school serves lunch in three sessions to accommodate all the 140 studentsat the school. The lunch menu varies with dishes such as rice, with rasam or sambar,as well as a vegetable dish. Vegetables and ingredients are often donated by local shopkeepers at the end of the day or sold at a minimal rate by local vendors. On special occasions and holidays the students also get a sweet dish like paayasam or kulfi. All the students are given free midday meals while the 40 orphans also have breakfast and dinner at the school.

After lunch, the students have a half hour recess period when they go to a nearby government park to play sports like cricket or volleyball. Some play board games and puzzles indoors. After the school day, the 40 orphans remain in the school and change out of their uniforms. They are given a small storage box to keep their clothing and personal belongings. The children generally work on their homework for a few hours and are able to get extra help from some of the teachers that stay in the school during after hours. Dinner, which is usually rice and some lentils (dhal), is served at 8pm. In the evening, the children often play games, play with their dolls or action figures that have been donated to the school, or watch television. At night, the classrooms double up as bedrooms and the children roll out straw mats to sleep on, eager to get some rest before the next school day.

Faculty and Staff:

The school’s current headmaster is Mr. Chandrashekar. Mrs. Vijaykumari has moved to another position and Mr. Radhakrishnan is now the assistant headmaster. There are currently 15 certified teachers who are qualified to teach the students. New teachers are trained as part of induction by visiting faculty from either the Chandrasekhar Institute of Speech and Hearing or the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing in Mysore, India. They are required to obtain a diploma before they commence teaching. In addition to these teachers, there is also a speech therapist, an art and dance teacher, and a physical education teacher. There is also a full-time cook.

Preparing for the Future:

The school teaches children from pre-primary to 10th grade. All the students take final exams, except those in pre-primary, before the summer holidays in April. Many of the students take their exams in the school while the tenth grade students take their board exams at a local test center. This year, there are 15 tenth grade students taking the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) exam.

After the students have completed their schooling, Shastri School helps them enter training programs and find various work positions. Some choose a job-oriented course in Shivajinagar where they are paid a stipend and given accommodation. The Industrial Technical Institute (ITI) gives free courses for these students, providing them with free training, a government grant free hostel, and paying them 10,000 rupees per year. Currently there are 15 students who have recently left the school to pursue this career. The few other students, who do not undergo supplemental training, go back home and work in family businesses.

Supporting the School:

Most of the funding that goes to Shastri School is still raised by Asha. Local organizations like the Rotary Club and the Lions Club provide additional funding and support and still donate to the school. Every two months, volunteers at the Bishop Cotton School visit Shastri to do arts and crafts projects with the students and the Mahavir Jain Nursing College sends nurses to give the students free health checkups.

While the school has two computers that were donated, the faculty and staff are rather reluctant to use the Internet and are not comfortable with using email services. We are still looking to see if we can find a volunteer who could train the staff and help them transfer some of the school’s records, children’s records, and funding/cost details into a database.

From last year’s sponsorships and fundraising efforts, the school has been able to put these donations towards organizing various activities for the children during the school year and holidays. The students recently made a day trip to the Bannerghatta National Park and Zoo, which is located just outside of Bangalore. The children enjoyed seeing the elephants, tigers, and monkeys and picnicking for lunch. As some of the students were learning about India’s history in February, the students also took an educational trip to see the Government Museum of Bangalore, one of the oldest museums in India. The students were able to see all eighteen exhibits, with displays on geology, natural history, as well as paintings and sculptures. Also, in celebration of Children’s Day, the school held a large festive meal for all the children and through donations was able to get newbook bags and uniforms stitchedfor the students.

Currently, one of the main issues facing the school is ensuring sponsorship for all of the children. There are almost 90 students who are either orphans or come from low income families and are in need of support. The downturn in the economy has made it increasingly difficult to raise funds for the school and find sponsorships for all the children. Companies like HP, Infosys, and Wipro have even had to cut some of their charity programs and as a result have had to reduce their donations to Shastri School.

If you are interested in learning more about the school andin supporting a child, please contact us . The school cannot run without your help and continued support.