school

Sohni D S, 14, a Class IX student replies in an instant when asked to name a threat to our environment, “Plastic covers,” she says. A much younger Rajeev Singh, 10, a class V student, lists cutting trees as a threat to our environment.Sohini and Rajeev are both students of Bangalore Scottish School in Navodaya Nagar, JP Nagar. The school with strength of close to hundred children has planned several activities on the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5th).“We want to educate our children on the importance of environment, the impact of our actions and what we can do…

You are visiting Bangalore and want to spend a few hours outside with your family or friends, preferably in a clean and green environment. Or are an 'old' Bangalorean who wants to relive her/his childhood. Where do you go? Cubbon Park, a lovely lung space in the heart of the city is a great option. And the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, a place for children inside the one hundred and forty year old park is a lot of fun too. Spread over 12.5 acres, it has a toy train, swings, slides, boating and a lot of trees and grassy patches for…

Where is the world's highest motorable road? And the nectar of seabuckthorn (better known as Leh berry)? In Leh, Ladakh, obviously! As many of us know, recently, terrible landslides and flash floods devastated this exotic part of India. Some of us have heard, seen and read heart rending accounts of the resulting death and destruction. And probably want to reach out to the people there. Feeling the same, a group of five friends in Bangalore, namely, Manjari Ranasaria, Christina Daniels,  Lakshmi Karanth, Swathi Chaturvedi and Mayur Jain pondered about various ways to do that. Not wanting to ask people for…

One day, during my morning walk, I came across a very cute little girl of about seven or eight standing in front of a half constructed building. She had another little boy with her, who was ‘perhaps her brother' I guessed. He was about five or six. My heart went out to them when I saw them picking up twigs from the footpaths nearby. I went close to the girl and asked her whether she was going to school. She said ‘No, I need to look after my younger siblings'' I asked her if she had ever attended school as…

Parvathamma Aiyappa runs a small tea shop in a village near Kengeri. This is where she lives. She also works occasionally as a domestic helper. With some savings, she managed to get her two  sons – Shivaraj, 12, and Amar, 13, to a not-so-nearby school run by a welfare society, where she has to pay a nominal fee for books, admissions and uniforms. Her husband is a labourer. Parvathamma Aiyappa with her children. Pic: Lavanya Keshavamurthy. Being the self respecting mother that she is, she refuses to accept any donations for their education from the well-off families where she works.…

A gust of wind blew over my sleeping body, and promptly and quickly, I jerked up from my lying position and stared at the whirling fan in my room. That was what surprised me as I normally wake up at 7.45 am during summer vacations and don’t budge from my bed till that time, but now it was only 6.00 am and I was awake. And then, it struck me that it wasn’t vacation anymore; school had started and my waking-up-in-the-morning senses were just beginning to develop again. Glad, excited and a little mournful, I headed back to school.The school…

Coming from a family of academics, I assumed that teaching ability should be second nature even without formal training. And I'm apparently fine according to many children I have volunteered with although I may not match the exceptional skills of my grandfathers, mother and some of my extended family or a few of my school and college teachers. However, I never expected to receive such honour and affection as I did this September, 5.Actually, I have been a tutor, mentor, learner and friend rather than a school teacher and am still amused when kids address me as Ma'am or Miss…

Ever visited a BBMP school? Or met children studying in one?When I first heard of it, I immediately visualized a dilapidated building with a loud bell and boisterous children. But this one was different. Thanks to its proactive and progressive Headmaster of four years, Mr. Balappa and his committed staff, the BBMP Girls High school in Bharathi Nagar has 251 enthusiastic students in classes VIII - X presently. Located at the intersection of Thimmaiah Road and St. John's Road (near Coles Park), most of its students are Urdu speakers who commute long distances. Almost all hail from very low income…

…Hindus, Muslims, Christians, boys and girls", were the heart warming words of Afreen Sultana, a promising class IX student of a government aided English medium school in Matadahalli, R.T. Nagar. A fornight ago, it all began as a question on the difference between a nest and a cage with Firdaus (of class VII in the Urdu medium government school nearby). This led to the meaning and importance of freedom for all living beings, eliciting interesting responses from Alan, Chetan and Abhinaya (in classes VII, IX and VIII of various government aided English medium schools in North East Bengaluru) on accepted…

Have you ever observed or interacted with children from low income families (and sometimes first generation literates) studying in private or government aided English medium schools, in their school or outside? Who are their friends? What is their medium (language) and topic of conversation?  Do they commute by walk  or bus or private transport? Does their body language display confidence and stability or insecurity and discrimination?   While tutoring and mentoring such children I have found that many of them feel diffident primarily because they can't converse fluently in English and lack academic and career guidance at home. Further, their…