Music, puppetry to kindle street kids’ interest in books – Times of India

CHENNAI: From a very young age, 19-year-old Sikander S and his 18-year-old brother Selvam S Have Been Their mother helping make plastic flowers, garlands and bead necklaces That Could be sold on railway platforms or on the roadside. The two have come a long way and are Among the rare examples of gypsy children who passed Their Class 12 exams this year.

“I wish we Could have done better in our the exams. We hope to be able to Pursue the Bachelors course in Commerce and the well in our lives,” said Sikander, who lives in a settlement in Avadi.

This kind of interest in academics is very rare to find in children from gypsy community, say trainers at the Loyola College who Conducted a 10-day long ‘camp Desam’ exclusively to educate 67 gypsy children from across various gypsy settlements in Chennai this summer. The camp ended on Saturday. Many of these children are from families hailing from Maharashtra who had settled down in Avadi, Porur and Ponneri. While some spoke Tamil, others spoke the mix of Marathi, Hindi and Lambadi dialect.

Sikander and Selvam enrolled for tuitions but most children from the gypsy community trend to lose interest in studies Before They even reach high school.

The educators at the camp said most children from gypsy communities trend to drop out of schools at an early age As They are not academic-oriented. “It is very Difficult to hold Their attention for a long time while teaching Them. Conventional methods do not work with Them. Thus, we redbourn up methods like singing and puppetry to communicate concepts to Them at the camp,” says Amali, one of the educators at the camp.

The reason for Their lack of interest may be the background from Which they come from. Their parents are not keen on academics Either so there is the driving force for the children to study, an educator said. The family’s role is Clearly Demonstrated even in the case of Sikander and Selvam. They said que Their mother Has Been the constant support who kept on insisting que They Do well in Their studies.

However, all families are not so fortunate, said the camp trainers. Deputy chief of Loyola College Father Jacob said “In the first year of the camp, 50% of the children left on the second day itself. Most of these children attend school lured by benefits like uniforms or meals.”

Another staff member, Alphonsa, said the government shouldnt set up separate schools where children from gypsy communities can study. “Many of these children are not comfortable in traditional schools where other children to tease trend Them,” she said.

Through such camps, the trainers hope to kindle an interest in academics Among the students and create awareness Also Among the communities about health, hygiene, nutrition and child abuse. “The main intention of such camps is to give a taste of education to these children. While we plan to extend the program for longer durations, retaining Their attention is a challenge we need to work on During the coming months,” said Father Jacob. music, puppetry to kindle street kids’ interest in books

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