Monitoring Report – December 2010

Madarsa Usmania , Bazardiha

1. General situation

The Madarsa Usmania is situated in the heart of Bazardiha (Varanasi). Everywhere you can see the
weavers working on their traditional handlooms. Bazardiha is predominant inhabited by Muslim families.
The most of them are employed in the Silk Business. But, as is generally known, the situation for silk
weaver is very critical. Due to this, labour work or Rickshaw pulling are also very common jobs. This is
why the poverty in this district is very high and responding to this situation many children have to help
their families to earn money by joining the work on the handlooms or in other peoples’ households.

Anyhow, the community supports the Madarsa Usmania by donating money for new buildings.

2. Facilities and Building

The building is an old one but in a good condition. The 12 classrooms are clean and light and have
enough boards in each room. But except of some banks, there are no chairs or tables. The students are
sitting on the ground which is not really soft, because the carpets are old and nagged. The only books I
saw were some Korans. In some rooms, the children have enough space. But in others, especially for the
young students, the rooms are too small and the children are sitting like in laying battery at very close
quarters. There is hardly enough space to put the exercise books on the ground. But the teachers
collected some money and started to construct some new rooms. Furthermore they want to obtain some
more facilities like chairs and tables and more fans. And more books for the children. But they have no
plan from where the money should come from.

3. Teacher

The most teachers of the Madarsa Usmania are very young. In the last years, many teachers of the old
generation left the school and had been replaced by young teachers. The old management was
reportedly against changes. But the new teacher generation - it was particularly noticeable that the most
of the 16 teachers are between 20 and 30 years old – are motivated to make some changes. One of them,
Furquan Hasan (22), he is the one with the best English-skills, said: “I feel good. I want to teach and I
want the progress. Since the old committee had left, we improved a lot of things.” He mentioned the new
rooms behind the main building, the new blackboards or the fact, that the students, boys AND girls, are
educated now in a wide spread of different subjects, not only in religious subjects. The male teachers
seems to be very confident, the female teachers are more shy. They looked hardly into my eyes. One of
them is Shama Parveen. She visited the IGNOU College. Her father supports her education. She is
studying since two years and works besides on the Madarsa Usmania, to collect practice experiences. But
after finishing her education, she will not continue to teach at this school, because she will “marry and go
with her husband”, she said. Maybe he will allow her to work on another school.
The teachers also go to houses in the neighborhood and talk with the parents

4. Students

The most of the students reach in their exams results between 60% and 80%. This is okay. But I observed,
that their English-skills are very low. Maybe they were to shy, but it was not possible to have an easy
conversation with them, like asking for their hobbies or family backrounds. On the other hand, they learn
mathematics on a very high level.

Many students belonging to poor families. After lessons, the most of them help their families to earn
money. You can see straight away, that the higher the classes are, the smaller they become in size.
Especially the boys left school after 5th or 6th class, to work as a weaver. 80% - 90% of them do this work
after finishing school. But if you talk with the students, they most will say: “I want to study and become a
teacher.”

5. Preview for the future

Even there is no financial support by the government, the school wants to buy many new arrangement
like chairs, tables, fens and a good floor for each room. When I asked for the reasons of the lack of public
support, Furqan Hasan answered: “Corruption. People from government came here and said to us: If you
won't provide money to us, you won't achieve any support from us. But we can’t do this.” The teachers
feel discriminated. But the school achieves financial support by the Muslim community, so they started
to build a new Office- and Management room and new classrooms. Cost: 3 lacks. After finishing these
constructions, the school management wants to realize a Computer room and want to provide education
till 10th class.

I had a good feeling in this school. Teachers and students are engaged. But I was surprised that many of
the students want to become weaver, even this job doesn’t guarantee a good income and live. There
must be new ways, but the teachers don’t know good solutions and so they are not able to talk with the
students about alternative ways of earning money after school. In my opinion, some new concepts are
necessary, the students must be shown new ways. Education alone is not enough. But in this issue, there
is no assistance for the students.

Full time centre Baghwanla (FTC)

1. General situation

Baghwanla Ghetto is a very poor area, most of the inhabitants are Dalits. The FTC is the only school in
this ghetto. The government ignores the people. Houses are poor and broken, many children wear only
old nagged clothes.
 2. Facilities and Building

In 2004, there was no school building. Teachers didn't even have material for education. Nowadays, there
are three classrooms and one room for the teachers and documents. The rooms are dark and children are
sitting on the ground. The walls are full with paintings, boards and maps. The school has some learning
material available.

3. Teacher

The teachers seemed to be very motivated. In the last years, they convinced the parents that it is
important to send the children to school. It was not easy, because the most of the children were used to
do some domestic work to earn money for the family. The teachers teach from 10 AM until 3 PM on the
school. After that, they visit people of the community, to do community work. If a child is sick or didn't
come to school for several days, they go out and talk with the parents. Rajendra Prasad, one of teacher, is
like the most of his colleagues a social worker, not a educated teacher. If the FCT will be eventually
transformed to a governmental school, he will have to find a new job. “Maybe I will work in another
village”. The same will happen to the most of his colleagues. The teachers earn ca. 3500 Rupee per
month.
Another teacher, Ashok Kumar, didn't know much about teaching when he started to work at the FCT. But
in the last three years, he learned a lot about teaching the children regarding the background of their
circumstances. “We are teaching according to their individual progress. In governmental schools they
don't care about each children.” Plus, the teachers are doing a lot of project work with the students.
The teachers talked to me very open and confident. Both, male and female teachers. “In the school and
community I never expired any kind of discrimination or misbehave because of the gender”, said Munta
Sahnu, one of the female teachers.

4. Students

According to the teacher, the children are motivated and understand the new things very fast. I observed
that they are very lively, but in compare to students of other school more unconcentrated. When they
saw me, it was difficult for the teacher to continue the lessons. Due to this, the teacher told them to sing
some song or to say some poems. The performances were very impressive and confident. The student's
clothes and bags are dirty and old. Some of them were insufficient dressed for the cold weather. One boy
was only wearing a thin shirt, due to this, he was heavy shivering. After passing the 5th class, some of the
students go to governmental school with some kind of scholarship. Especially the girls go to further
schools. Most of the boys don't finish 5th class, because they start to work as soon they are “old enough”.
They are doing the same work as their parents do. Due to this, many parents don't understand, why
education is necessary at all.

Ashok Kumar, one of the teacher, used to do some teaching jobs on other schools before. He said: “The
children here are very willing to learn. But of course students on a middle class school are better.”
The children are very impressed by Chanda. She visits her old school regularly. She advises them to
concern about social evils like child marriage and child labour and encourage them to fight for their
rights.
 5. Preview for the future

One of the teacher told that once, a local official came to the school, checked it and ensured that the FCT
will become a governmental school in future. But he didn't mentioned a concrete date or condition. But
the fact that the government is interested in transforming the school to a governmental school reveals
that the teachers are doing a good job
Of course the capital of the school is very limited. But it is enough, to provide regular classes. And the
classes are the only chance for the children to escape the circle of poverty. You can observe here the
same problem like on other schools in poor communities. Education doesn't lead automatically to a
higher income or a better job. The circumstances in this ghetto are too bad. There are just not enough
good jobs for everybody. Nevertheless, the children's character and awareness about rights profits a lot
from their time in FCT.

Islahul Mominin, Lohta

1. General situation

Lohta is a pure Muslim area. Everywhere you can hear the noise of the handloom machines. It is like as
the noise wants to remember the children, what their future will look like. The students in the Islahul
Mominin coming from poor Muslim families. There is another governmental school in one kilometer
distance. But students cannot learn Koran, Urdu and Arbi there, due to this, the Islahul Mominin was
founded.

Why is a Islam school necessary? Principal Abdulha Rahman answers: „Because in Islam every child needs
to learn about Koran and Religion.“ I asked him, if it is not possible to send the children to a governmental
school and educate them in religious things in separate lessons. „No, this would not be the same.
Children were getting gambling here, you could observe bad behavior, they started to destroy their lives.
They need a school to make them understand their live in relation with religion.

2. Facilities and Building

The school is situated in a dark building with brick-lined walls. The shortage of classrooms is obviously.
There is only one big room, which is divided into three small parts. So, three classes can be taught in one
room. Another “classroom” sits above this main-classroom: On the roof of the building. But there you
can't find any protection against sun or rain. School doesn't look like a school. The rooms are very dark.
The walls bare. Only the children and the blackboards reminds you that you are visiting a school.

3. Teacher

Four teacher are teaching at this school. Lotha's teachers don't earn much, between 1000 and 2000
Rupees per month. I asked the principal: What are you living from? He smiled and answered: “God”
One of the teacher is Nikahat Jahan. She is 19 years old and wanted to become a “b.ed.”, but this is too
expensive for her, so she remains a “b.a.”. Due to this, she will never be able to educate on a
governmental school. This is why she works in her old school in Lotha.

The Teacher try to talk with the parents after lessons to convince them that their children will profit more
from school then from work. The parents answer that they need the children as a support in their work. If
the children don't work, they could visit school. Not the other way around, as it should be. But on the
most cases, the parents are happy, when the teacher visit them, to talk about their children.

4. Students

The students don't have to pay any fee. They can visit here the classes 1 to 4.
When the school was founded, there had been 200 students. Today less, around 120, because many visit
the governmental school.

Arround 70 – 80 % of the students go to class up to 8th class (This number is not reliable, because
everybody says something different. I think it's less! Especially class 4 is very small, because the older
students mostly work as weavers) After this, it is hard for the families to pay books and copies. Girls are
better in studies, more serious. They want to learn more, but they have to face a lot of work.

I observed that the children were happy and lively during our visit. The students in the 4th class are able
to speak a little bit English. They didn't seem to be tired or frustrated because of the childwork.
Childlabour seems to be absolutely common.

5. Preview for the future

One teacher said: “We need more facilities like computers or science-stuff, but we even don't have
enough money for a roof above our second classroom.” The situation is hard. The principal Abdulha
Rahman is not content with the way, the school develops. He wants a better educational environment,
but there is no money for books, computer or a roof. The poverty in the community increased in the last
years. He seemed to be a little bit resigned and tired.

In Lotha, you can find here the same situation like in other schools and communities. Although the
children achieve some education, in many cases their future is predetermined, no perspective, they will
do jobs without future and a low salary. The teachers don't have any solution, so they are unable to help
the students to find a way out. The only known way is high education.

Stephan Braig