Big gesture, bigger impact

WE ALL know that education can bring about a total transformation in the lives of people. But considering the enormity of the task and the problems involved in it, the idea of providing education with the emphasis on all-round improvement in the quality of life of the poor would look like a near impossible task.

Thanks to organisations like Saraswathi Educational Cultural and Charitable Trust, there is some ground work going on to improve the level and standard of education. Started by an informal group of individuals led by Indra Gariyali exactly two decades ago, the Trust aims to use education to improve not just the quality of life of the poor, but also to expand the perspectives of learning. For example, we only understand education as imparting knowledge and often neglect the fact that personal hygiene, personality development, and nutritional habits do form a part of it, explains Kamal Monga, a coordinator of the Trust, who concentrates on the schools attended by slum children.

The Trust has adopted one such school in Raja Annamalaipuram. The corporation school here has around 700 students studying up to the higher secondary level. Two months since the adoption, some of the students are being taught to communicate in English, as difficulty in learning the language has found to be a reason for many drop outs. The Trust, particularly found that drop outs are more among the girls, who usually study only up to the 9th or 10th standard. Everyday, we personally handle the English classes and teach them all aspects of communication, says Kamal.

Language classes are combined with lessons on personality development. "We feel that they need personal care and attention, which these children fail to get at home. Once they get such attention, they open themselves to learning, says Kamal.

The future of the girls is also taken care of by the Trust by having tie-ups with other organisations and institutions for imparting professional and technical training to them. Anna University, the Women's Polytechnic, and the Punjab Association have agreed to conduct short courses in various fields like, cosmetology, costume designing and printing technology. And girls interested in pursuing higher education, the Trust provides all encouragement and support, informs Kamal.

Apart from helping the school students, the Saraswathi Trust also helps youth in the rural areas to get vocational training. Although the training is partially sponsored, the students are told to take up part-time jobs, that the Trust generally helps them get and are made to pay their fee with that money. "We call this earning while learning. The jobs are related to their technical training, which would also help them gain experience in the field", explains C. K. Gariyali, Chairperson, Science City, who is the adviser for the organisation. She pointed out that a training programme was conducted on food and beverage services and food preparation in collaboration with the Madras Institute of Hotel Management and more than a hundred students after undergoing the training were placed in many good hotels in the city in the last two years.

In the near future, the Trust plans to expand its focus to training in house-keeping and maintenance. It has also worked to create awareness about AIDS and education among the women in Chettiar Agaram and Tundalam villages near Chennai. The organisation has formed women's groups and helped them start a thrift society and get financially empowered. "Whatever projects we undertake, we make sure that it is done with other organisations and interest groups, so that we achieve the full objective of the project", says Mrs. G. K. Gariyali. She, like many, cherishes the hope that all of us together can make a difference to society.

L. SUBRAMANI

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