The sylvan and peaceful environs of this institute is just a façade concealing the immense intensity, grit, commitment of the children who always manage to put up a brave front in the face of adversity. A walk in the campus and a fleeting glimpse of their faces is all it takes to sense the raw passion and commitment to make it big in life despite limited conditions.
Children in this school and junior college dread going back to their native ‘Tandas’ during vacations because there homes are empty, as their parents migrate to bigger cities in search of work. Despite such challenges, the students here dream of becoming a software engineer, a doctor, a dentist, pharmacist and few even aspire to become teachers.
The students about whom we are waxing eloquent are the tribal children living and gaining knowledge and wisdom in Sri Alluri Sitaramraju Tribal Welfare School and Junior College, a Gurukulam school and college at Narsapur, Medak district. The school with strength of 520 children, and the junior college 260, are administered by the Tribal Welfare Department.
The students here are provided with lodging and boarding facilities throughout the year with a monthly pocket money of Rs. 50. Almost all the tribal students at this Gurukulam are from poor background, with both parents and in most cases even brothers and sisters working in bigger cities to make ends meet.
Despite such limitations, the students here are ambitious and dream fervently to make it big. “I want to become a computer engineer. I have scored 89% in Inter first year and hopefully next year, I would get a good rank in EAMCET. I am taking guidance from my seniors who are already pursuing BE at various other engineering colleges near Hyderabad,” says N. Raju, an MPC Inter second year student from Narsapur, whose parents are daily wagers.
The reason for such confidence stems from the fact that there are scores of instances in the past wherein tribal boys from Gurukulams and other junior colleges administered by the Tribal Welfare Department have done wonderfully well in EAMCET and IIT.
In fact, in 2009 about 53 students from such junior colleges and Gurukulams from Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Sri Kalahasti, Parvatipuram, Bhadrachalam and SriSailam appeared for IIT and EAMCET entrance exams. Of the 53 students, one student from SriSailam, M. Saibaba Naik scored 92nd rank (tribal category) in IIT while six more have found their names in the extended merit list of IIT. Already arrangements are on in full swing to make sure that the qualified students are sponsored by the State Government.
With such success stories at the back of their minds, almost all the students in this Gurukulam harbour a dream to succeed in life and help their families to come up a notch higher in the social strata. “I am trying hard to become a teacher. I have already scored 76% in Economics and hopefully would be able to teach at Osmania University in the future,” says second year Inter student N. Chandrasekhar, who hails from Kadlur village.
Attempts to check dropouts:
In their attempt to reduce dropouts and provide emotional strength to students, the Gurukulam management has asked teachers to double up as ‘Counsellors’, ‘Loco Parents’ and in case of schools as ‘House Master’. Because of the unique concept of Gurukulam and paucity of human resource, the teachers here have many responsibilities and wear several hats.
Throughout the year, the teaching staff and students reside in the same campus; share the same food and infrastructure facilities to create an atmosphere of Gurukulam. “I have been staying here since Class VI. In Gurukulam, we are exposed to new developments and ideas and are very close to the State capital. Facilities are limited but better than what we had in our villages,” agrees Mahipal, M.PC student of Gurukulam from Timmapur village.
Brief history of Gurukulam schools:
It all started in 1975 when the first Gurukulam was set up in Khammam district near Kinnerasani Dam and Kinnerasani wildlife sanctuary. The Gurukulam was set up in line with the principles of National Policy in Education to provide an opportunity for tribal children to educate themselves.
Since then, the departments of Tribal Welfare, School Education, Intermediate Education and Government of India are administering and funding a whopping 272 educational institutions exclusively for tribal children in the State. Of the 272, there are 68 Gurukulam schools, 49 Gurukulam junior colleges, four English medium schools, three each Pratibha schools and colleges, two up-graded colleges, 41 mini Gurukulams and 102 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas for tribal girls.
Over the years, the pass percentage and enrolment in these junior colleges and schools in the State have been improving steadily. In 1998, the Gurukulams in the State had a pass percentage of 66.70% and this has swelled to 93% in 2009. The State average of pass percentage in all the Gurukulams is touching the 80% mark.
Similarly, the enrolment of both girls and boys in Gurukulams way back in 1999 was 13, 847 but after a decade of sustained efforts by the authorities, the numbers have swelled to 65, 746 by 2008-09. Despite infrastructure limitations, the enrolment has been steadily on the rise because of the sustained campaign about the virtues of education among the tribal communities in the State.
Typical day of a Gurukulam student:
As is the tradition in all the Gurukulams since ages, the day starts early for all the students of Sri Alluri Sitaramraju Tribal Welfare School and junior college. The Gurukulam management points out that physical training like Yoga helps free the early morning blues and prepares the student for the rigours of the day.
”We have also introduced EAMCET training programme for students in the early hours before the school and college starts. After the morning prayers, the classes start from 9 am onwards,” says Principal of the Junior College S. Sudershan Rao.
Traits like self-reliance, boldness and a constant urge to keep roaming are quite inherent in the sub-conscious mind of tribal children. “We make it a point to give as much freedom and personal space as possible to kids. They feel at home with nature and forest and perhaps that’s why Narsapur, because of the forest cover, college is among the most preferred colleges for tribal youth,” he adds.
A sense of discipline is inculcated among the students through physical activities which are lined up as part of the National Cadet Corp (NCC) and National Service Scheme (NSS) activities. Taking up repairs of internal roads, mending fences on the campus and even planting mango and banana trees are part of the physical activities of the students here.
“Our favourite pass time however is watching cricket on television in our hostels whenever the Indian team plays. Except for that, most of our time goes away in finishing school assignments and preparing for the tests,” points out D. Surya Naik of B.B. Pet of Kalleru mandal.
Some students also rave about their recent association with a nearby hamlet-Chinna Chinta Kunta, in which they held a special camp to spread general awareness about all issues among the villagers. “We adopted the village and took up awareness classes. We told the villagers about the importance of literacy, health and opening bank accounts and saving money. We even took up cleaning activities,” Surya recalls proudly, sporting a broad smile.
Most of the students at Gurukulam are free spirited and are naturally inclined towards sports activities like running and playing cricket. “Some of our seniors have been recently selected as Sub-inspectors, Constables and even to CISF. I am preparing for CISF and Police Constable entrance tests, which are scheduled for next year. My seniors are helping me with my preparations,” points out V. Srinu of Jallaalpur village.
Students jogging and breaking into sprints around the huge playground, that dominates this 12-acre Gurukulam campus, is a very common sight. The breakfast is either rice, Upma or Idli depending on the availability. Egg, rice, Dal and butter milk make up for lunch while curry and Sambar are served at nights. In between, depending on the convenience and availability of raw materials, students are served snacks, milk and biscuits apart from tea, which is only served during examination time. “The dinner is at 6 pm and then we study till 9 pm and later call it a day,” informs Class 8th student Srinivas.
In case of health problems, children have access to medical facilities in the nearby area hospital of Narsapur and during emergencies they are shifted to the corporate hospitals in the State capital. “We are trying to engage children in as many activities as possible to keep them occupied. Despite limitations, we are doing our best to work towards their mental and physical development,” says the College Principal Sudershan Rao.
All the students in the Gurukulam are drawn from the tribal families living in the forest areas of Medak district. Their poverty impedes them from purchasing stationery to write, linen, clothes and other daily needs. “We provide towels, two sets of clothes for stitching and bed linen. We encourage children to save pocket money and purchase stationery. We encourage them to write letters regularly to their parents or at least make phone calls to their home once a month,” says Sudershan Rao.
Despite hardship and destitution, Gurukulam children are a highly motivated lot. They keep seeking the assistance of senior students who have made it successfully to engineering and other courses in Hyderabad. “We seek help and guidance from our senior Vishnu of Narayankhed village, who recently got 2000 rank in EAMCET to secure a Computer Science seat in Sree Nidhi Engineering college. I am trying for Computer Engineering next year,” points out N. Mahipal from Timmapur village.
Challenges Ahead:
In this hi-tech age of Information Technology and internet, it is becoming more and more vital for students to get exposed to computers. In fact, students in Government schools of the State Capital, thanks to the efforts of several IT companies like Mahindra Satyam, Wipro and Infosys, are exposed to computers and IT.
There is a need for tribal welfare colleges to start introducing computers and provide much needed IT experience to the students. In the absence of such facilities, the students depend on their friends residing in the nearby towns. “I visit my friend’s house in Narsapur town to play video games on the computer. He has also taught us how to send mails through internet,” says Mahipal.
Several experts also point out that most of the Gurukulam schools are Telugu medium, which is another major handicap for children. English has become ‘the’ mode of communication and students from these Gurukulams when they start venturing out after their junior college are all at sea because they can’t converse fluently in English.
There is an urgent need for introducing soft skills enhancement programme for students in the tribal welfare Gurukulam schools. Soft skills include effective communication, creativity, analytical thinking, diplomacy, flexibility, leadership, problem solving and even team building.
“Introducing such subjects is vital for tribal students. Introducing English medium teaching is very important because that will make them conversant in the language. However, such measures have to be introduced from school level. We have seen that several of our students struggle to cope with the demand of English language when they venture to cities like Hyderabad for jobs,” Sudershan Rao points out.
The Narsapur junior college has a pass percentage of about 98%, which is higher than the State average of all the Gurukulam schools. Students here do not hesitate to burn the midnight oil and go the extra distance when it comes to putting an effort and securing good marks in exams.
“With a bit of encouragement like library facilities, a dining room and computers will do wonders to our morale. Yet, the conditions here are far better than other schools in my Vellupukonda village,” sums up M. Jaipal, a BiPC student who dreams to pursue veterinary medicine in the near future.
Scores of students like Jaipal walk into the hallowed portals of the Tribal welfare Gurkulams with dreams in their eyes and ambitions in their heart. With a right mix of encouragement and strong infrastructure support, these Gurukulams spread across various parts of the State would continue to be the temples of education for scores of tribal children in the State.