Most engineering students might be busy with their studies, assignments and projects, but a dozen engineering students from NITK, Surathkal, have been engaged in education needs of the underprivileged children near the college.
“As part of I-care, the impactful social initiative of Incident (annual cultural festival), we’ve initiated education of children from poor socio-economic background in places around NITK Surathkal,” said the volunteers.
Accordingly, they have started beach schooling in the backyard of Sadashiva Temple in Surathkal, where enthusiastic NITK-ians have been teaching these children academic subjects along with essential life skills in the evenings. They are also engaged in fun-filled activities like star gazing, football, cricket and sand art.
Akshay Kekuda, who is a part of I-care, said as the name suggests, beach schooling is a ‘gurukula’ on the beach. Here, the NITK student volunteers interact with underprivileged children every day. Although the primary focus is education, equal importance is given to extracurricular activities.
The motive behind such activities is instilling confidence in these students and ensuring that they bloom into proactive individuals, serving the society as role models. It also aims at showcasing these kids that economic background will never become a hindrance in achieving their dreams.
Children from settlements
NITK campus is surrounded by fishermen’s settlements. The children study in government schools and return home early evening to plunge into household chores. As a result, majority of the children do not get time to pursue studies. The beach schooling programme was taken up to solve the problem, he said.
The NITK students interact with students, from kindergarten to PU. The children are taken to the lighthouse every week and allowed to gaze into the horizon in an exploratory journey. Sridevi, a toddler, springs to her feet and dances. Some of these children have represented the district in hockey tournaments.
Akkamahadevi, a Class 4 student, now solves the mathematics problem of her sister, who is a Class 7 student, Kekuda said proudly.
The volunteers provide children with snacks, pencils and all the necessary commodities to ensure they feel at home and do not stress out. The team also has plans to set up huts on the beach to give adequate shelter to the volunteers and the children during the rainy season and the sizzling summer, Kekuda added.
Every weekend, I-care volunteers also visit Lions Special School, Surathkal, and interact with children above five years of age who are affected by cerebral palsy, autism or are mentally challenged. The past few sessions have revolved around teaching them mathematics, origami, dance and drawing.
I-care volunteers said as part of Phase 1 of the outreach, nine solar lamps were distributed to children of the beach school and five solar lamps to the children from NITK Kannada Medium School. The plan for Phase 2 is to give out 35 additional solar lamps to 10th standard students of NITK Kannada Medium School to facilitate their preparations for board examination.
The I-care team plans to help organise the School Day programme at Thadambail School, whose students were deprived of such an occasion for many years due to lack of funds.