Reaching out
As she guided the young children to the bus, Juri Gogoi was apprehensive. Could she handle this boisterous lot for a whole day and hand them safely back to their homes? She started a head count, all 25 in, so far so good….. The bus took off with a jolt, splashing slush from the wobbly, water logged mud path, a sad apology for a road and a common sight at Dibrugarh district’s Chiriawali sapori ( river island) in north east India’s state of Assam. The excited group shouted, waved at passing villagers and much to the adults’ irritation , moved all over the running bus. No sooner had the bus accelerated, the children started vomiting. Juri realized then that this was motion sickness stemming from a first ever automobile ride. Her irritation at once changed to empathy.
Juri works as the educational coordinator for an unique educational out reach programme which the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES) supported by UNICEF, has been implementing over the last three years (from March 2008) in the river islands of Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur in Assam along the mighty river Brahmaputra, for these physically isolated river island children. She is helped in her work by local community workers. Each monsoon the islanders are cut off from the mainland. Floods displace many and damage property, crops and livestock. Most of these islands lack basic infrastructure and services like health care, schools, power, roads, drinking water and sanitation. Literacy rates are abysmally low. Poverty coupled with this sense of isolation, has led tochildren remaining out of school for long periods during the monsoons, resulting in lack of interest of the guardians and their wards to continue education.
The school at Lahoal Block in Chiriawali sapori is surrounded by lush green foliage. The Brahmaputra flows not too far away. This is one of the “feeder” schools developed by C-NES with the objective of reaching out to the out-of-school children and dropouts in areas with no schools. Children are admitted in the Government LP schools of the nearby sapori while they continue their classes in these feeder schools managed by local communities – representing probably the best way to reach isolated communities that otherwise would not have access to basic educational services. 12 such schools have been set up by C-NES. During winters this place is a picnic spot almost and the children have classes outside sitting on burlap sacks in orderly rows, basking in the sun even as they recite their lessons aloud.
As for Juri’s trip, medicines from the nearest mainland chemist were dispensed to the children. Drained of much of the energy and bubble, they soon passed out. The rest of the journey was quiet as a pensive Juri thought about the children and their insular world. As for the children, this was a wonderful discovery trip. They were enthralled at seeing the oil drilling process at the Digboi refinery museum, one of the oldest working oil refineries in the world. The historical ruins at the ancient Ahom capital of Sibsagar, transported them back to their school, their tiny classroom where their teacher had shown them pictures of these monuments.
Once a week Juri boards the Boat Clinic ‘Akha’ (Assamese for ‘hope’) at Dibrugarh to reach the community owned schools. The boat delivers medical services to the isolated island communities. She interacts with the children, their guardians and the local community teacher. Classes begin with a prayer, exercises and meditation.“They are totally separated from the world,” says Juri ‘Everything depends on education. If the islanders do not educate their children, how they will survive?”
At timesJuri tests the students to gauge their progress. Students are called to the black board to write the English alphabet or to identify the numbers from charts. Most answer correctly. Monthly health check ups are also done by C-NES’ Boat Clinic health team, Vitamin A given and de worming done. Lessons on health and hygiene are also imparted. “I will inform my mother to wash her hands with soap before cooking meals since she is in regular contact with domestic animals” said twelve year old Radhika Kumari, a class four student in Mesaki feeder school after attending the global hand washing observed in school every year.
It has not been easy for the team. Convincing parents about the need to send their children to school was difficult. Life is tough and income generation difficult. The Brahmaputra brings death and destruction each monsoon. Most inhabitants are agriculturists and dairy farmers who see education as a luxury that only reduces the hands available to work the fields. Juri had to visit them one house at a time to explain its importance. Parents were expectedly disinterested at first but gradually began to see the income-generating potential that education could provide. As a converted parent commented, “Even a farmer becomes a better farmer with more education today”.
Girls too are being admitted to the schools where earlier they were seen as little more than household helps to be married off at the earliest. “Since last couple of years, girls have been regularly attending school. Now more girls participate than boys,” Juri says. “The schools are filled with students wanting to study.” “I have not seen such lovely colour pencils before and I am enjoying my art classes now” said an excited Bajarang Yadav, a Class III student when he received a set of pencils.
Schools are built by the community. Strong coordination between Gaon Panchayat members, school managing committees, ward members, teachers and parents ensured that the team had the necessary cooperation to construct the school buildings in saporis. There is a distinct mindset in the community now. Village elder Shiv Shankar Vadav says that students who did manage any school had to journey 2 to 3 km each day to get there. “Everybody in the village wanted a school, and we made it together”
Asha Kumari Yadav’s favourite subject is Maths. The 13-year-old likes to study and hopes it will get her a job on the mainland. Having a school in her own community makes it easier for her to attend classes regularly. “This is much better,” she explains “it was very far away earlier so sometimes I didn’t go.” She walks alongside the education team who has to rush back to the riverbank to board Akha and return to the mainland. Asha waves her small hands, the team waves back till the boat becomes a tiny speck on the mighty river…
( Juri Gogoi has since left the organization and has been replaced by Madhabi Lahon who continues to take the mission forward )
– by Bhaswati K Goswami