The VTCL provides tribal children schooling in their natural settings without affecting their customs.
P U ANTHONY
Despite the boost given through various grants, concessions and reservations tribal education in India still remains a myth. While the government and NGOs come out with innovative programmes to bring tribals to the mainstream controversies on indigenous tribes and preserving cultures pose problems of different dimensions.
Literary classes in tribal colonies organised by governmental agencies
and voluntary organisations have been going on for quite some time. But
providing them the best possible infrastructure and learning situations
in their natural settings without affecting their age old customs and practices
is definitely a new experimentation. An attempt in this direction is Vivekananda
Tribal Centre for Learning (VTCL) at Hosahalli near N-Begur in HD Kotte
Taluk of Mysore district.
The school started in 1990 on a seven acre campus close to the Gundre
range of Bandipur forests by the Vivekananda youth movement, Mysore is
spread on 18 acres today accommodating a high school section, primary school
section, tailoring institute, administrative section, three labs, library,
spacious play grounds etc in the sylvan surroundings.
The school accredited to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has a total student strength of 411 with 228 boys and 183 girls. Out of this 109 boys and 106 girls stay in hostels. Being primarily aimed at the educational pursuits of the children of tribal families affected by the creation of the Bandipur National Park and Kabini Reserviour, this institution provides proper representation to various tribal communities that are in the periphery of N-Begur forests are benefited by this school.
Each classroom of the primary section resembles a separate hut. These individual huts in which classes 1-6 are run are called kutteeras. Each kutteera accommodates 40-50 students. Kutteeras are built in the form of round huts to make the children face the teacher in a circle. Standards 7-10 are within a common building; again built in a circle with laboratories, library and teachers’ rooms. The library called jijnasa has a huge collection of books covering science, humanities, languages, computer etc. The physics lab Pareekshithika and Biology lab Prakruthika are competitive with that of any other well established school. The Biology museum has a rich collection of marine and terrestrial specimens especially insects, shell fishes, reptiles and birds.
Out of the 22 teachers most of them stay in hostels involving in various extra curricular activities with the students. All the children including day scholars are provided with nutritional mid-day meals on all working days. Children of the lower classes follow the Montessori Method of learning and those of the higher standards use the centre's own work-book called kalpi and pattern writings. The monthly fee collected from each student is just Rs. 5/- as participation fee.
The third batch of students numbering 27 have appeared for their SSLC exams. An interact club in the school is the first of its kind in a rural tribal school in the history of Rotary International. The school took active participation in the national children's science fair held at Mysore with their own innovative science experiments and herbal medicine stall. The students performed at the All India Radio Mysore.
Representation at state level educational conference held at Tumkur
and at the South Indian Tribal writer's conference held at New Delhi are
notable achevements. Students are also exposed to city life through educational
tours to Mumbai, Pune, Goa etc. The drop out rate of children is gradually
brought down.
Efforts are on to make every child computer literate. Apart from providing
a quality basic education; this school is also a potential resource centre
where the tribal youth can be trained to become environmentally responsible
citizens to safeguard our pristine forests. Towards this end lessons on
habitat protection and conservation biology are incorporated into their
curriculum.
The school is at Hosahally in Heggede Devana Kotte Taluk about 93 Km from Mysore and can be contacted at Vivekamy sore@eth.net or www.viveka mysore.com.
THE SCHOOL
* The school accommodates a high school and primary section, tailoring institute, administrative section, three labs, library and spacious play grounds.
* It is accredited to the National Institute of Open Schooling and has a total strength of 411 students.
* All the students including day scholars are provided with nutritional mid-day meals on all working days.
* The monthly feel collected from each student is Rs.5.
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*The school accommodates a high school and primary section, tailoring
institute, administrative section, three labs, library and spacious play
grounds.
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