Borrowing books, learning lessons

Sinchana, Mahammed Afeez and Fathima, all students of the government high school in Kabaka in Dakshina Kannada district, look forward to visiting their favourite library every Saturday, to learn something new. ‘Grantha Mitra’, an initiative started by Akanksha Charitable Trust, has been helping these Class 8 students revise core subjects like science, math and English.

The trust has over 200 volunteers comprising engineers, lecturers, degree students and others who mentor children from government schools at libraries in Kabaka in Dakshina Kannada and Katpadi in Udupi. “We want to help Kannada-medium students from villages be on par with other students by the time they reach Class 10,” says Shreesha Bhat, managing director of the trust.

The initiative is focused on high school students to ensure they have a solid foundation of the core subjects. It also prioritises holistic development through the mentorship programme. Volunteers teach children every Saturday in the library. The sessions centre around life skills and information on science and technology.

Ashwini Y P, a final year B Com student of the Vivekananda College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Puttur says, “I have been engaged in Granta Mitra at Kabaka since its inception five months ago. We focus on subject matter not found in textbooks, to help the students understand mathematics, science and English concepts more clearly.” Ashwini has been teaching grammar and public speaking.

The volunteers at Kabaka engage 33 children from 2 to 4 pm, by dividing them into small groups. When children tire of school subjects, they are engaged through games. “The initiative ensures each student gets individual attention. There is a lot of improvement in their learning in the last six months,” adds Ashwini.

Mohammed Afeez, a student of the Granta Mitra programme says, “I have started reading Kannada and English clearly. I have started understanding the basics of math. This has helped me understand what is being taught by teachers at school.”

Another student, Chintana M, says that she was happy to be part of this initiative of learning in the library. “Along with lessons, we are engaged in fun-filled activities at the library conducted by those who come to the library to teach us.”

Impact

Mentoring has improved my problem-solving and communication skills. The students will be trained for three years until they reach class 10. The academic performance of nearly half of those students involved in the Granta Mitra programme has improved significantly, says Bhat.

He adds that officials from the Panchayat Raj have expressed interest in expanding the initiatives to other libraries, in Raichur and Yadgir. In addition, the initiative will be introduced in a few more gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada as well. By bringing in volunteers from the National Service Scheme, the programme aims to reach out to more government schoolchildren.

A volunteer and student of a college in Katpadai, Neha Salian, says “After nearly a year of training, several students have started showing an interest in mathematics and have started liking the subject.” Neha is also working to help simplify English learning. “The students have told us that they are finding it difficult to learn and pronounce some words and frame sentences, which we will address,” she adds.

A majority of the children do not get assistance back at home as their parents are uneducated, says Satyashankar, headmaster of the government school in Kabaka. “The children enthusiastically take part in the mentoring programme at the library. We have noticed changes in the children after they started visiting the library, especially in their reading habits,” he adds.

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat CEO Kumar says, “Granta Mitra has helped in the comprehensive development of the children. A similar initiative can be introduced in all gram panchayat libraries for the benefit of children from government schools.”