This is a success story from Language Learning Foundation (LLF)’s Har Ghar School campaign. Vibha partnered with LLF last year in 2020.
Vibha is partially supporting LLF’s Neev: Early Learning Improvement Program, a project in Durg district of Chhattisgarh. This project covers 200 schools in total, out of which 50 schools are supported by Vibha.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard in India, schools were closed down and the entire education system was adversely impacted. Even the Mohalla Classrooms, run by LLF needed to be discontinued. Mohalla classes have been initiated by LLF, where teachers from LLF would conduct supplementary teaching sessions for children as well as training sessions for school teachers. So, during the time of the pandemic, when these mohalla classes also had to be shut down, Neev came up with the Har Ghar School initiative, under which volunteers from this project distributed study materials to the children’s doorsteps, so that they can continue their education, despite of school closures. Volunteers from the Har Ghar School project persistently worked towards making sure that every child enrolled in the program received the study material. Not only that, they also stayed in constant touch with the parents to encourage them to make sure their children are making complete use of the provided study material. The volunteers also performed informal evaluation, time-to-time, to monitor these children’s progress.
Shourya Kumar is one of the beneficiaries of Har Ghar School. He is a class 2 student in a government primary school named Tulsi in Durg district. His father, Mukesh Harivansh, and mother, Chandni Harivansh, studied up to 10th and 8th standard, respectively. Although they do not have higher education, they both understands importance of education very well and work hard so that their son is able to attain good, quality education. When Shourya’s school got shut because of the pandemic, they made sure that his learning did not stop. They started spending more time with him at home, teaching him through common conversations and motivating him to read and write using the study material given by Har Ghar School.
Shourya Kumar and example of his schoolwork
Before the pandemic began, Shourya attended school and mohalla classes regularly, but he was not making good progress, he was unable to communicate with his teachers and fellow students comfortably. But during the times of the pandemic, because of Neev’s Har Ghar School project, which provided Shourya with an opportunity for continued learning with extra study material and his parents’ relentless efforts towards his education, Shourya’s reading, writing and speaking skills reached to another level. Before he came across to be a standoffish and shy child because of lack of confidence, but now he would be the first one to answer when questions are asked during the evaluation sessions or mohalla classes.
This is a success story of not only Shourya, but mainly of his parents, because they never gave up on their son’s education. No matter how busy they got earning bread for their family, they made sure that their son worked on his practice books every day, without fail. Their’s is a perfect paradigm showing importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s education.