Paathshala Work Updation- 18 Oct, 2011!

Big Problems, Simple Solutions

Paathshala- an effort to teach slum children by some working professionals.

Our Paathshala is completed one year in April, 2011 and still it’s going good. There are about 15 students, mainly girls, who are now able to read and write to some extent. They can do small calculations as well. These are those children who never went to school and even don’t have scope to go school because of their family issues.

Previously, we teach students on weekends only for 2-3 hours but now we are doing some changes in our Paathshala.

New Idea: Converting Paathshala into a regular type of school, but of different kind. The theme and the aim remain absolutely same.

AIM: We will teach only those children who are not able to go in regular school for any reasons.

Changes:

Now, we are teaching Hindi and Maths (or other subject in future) in weekdays, i.e. from Monday to Friday, for about 3 hours. Timing: 12.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. The reason behind the timing is, it is the most suitable time for those children who do some work also.
We hired two teachers, one is housewife and other one is student (doing some trainee sort of), for teaching students. We are paying them Rs. 1500/- as salary.
During weekend, we, ourselves, will teach some human values to children. We will track their performance, discuss their requirements and have fun too.

The regular classes was started from last Monday itself, i.e 17 Oct, 2011.

We really hope that our changes will definitely bring us good results.

One more thing: A new branch of Paathshala, is also going to be start from Sec-41. One person, named Mr. Dilip, want to start it from his home. He has funds and infrastructure too. Just he needs our co-operation and experience to start it.

But it really makes us happy that somewhere our efforts are encouraging others also.

And that’s what the real motive behind sharing this article with you.

Share your suggestions and feedback with us. You can also come to our Paathshala at any day you feel comfortable.

Venue: H. no 207, Sec- 52, near Motherdairy, Noida.

Weekend Timings: 10:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Try to make a difference in somebody’s life.....

Thanks

Regards,

Paathshala Group

DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR

Teacher's Day Celebration at Paathshala- 3rd Sep, 2011

We have celebrated Teacher's Day at Paathshala. In this function, students became teachers and have taken test of teachers and guests. Check out the pics.

Students taking test of teacher's; Our guest, Deepa

Guests and students

Our guest, Ashish- going for giving test

Our guest, Deepa, is teaching dance to students

Paathshala Birthday cake- Completed one year

It was a real fun for all of us. Our guests, also enjoyed a lot. We will update the videos soon.

You can also come and enjoy at our Paathshala...:)

An attempt to support the 'FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION!

You all must be aware of the current fight going against corruption in the country. After a fast by veteran social activist Anna Hazare and widespread protests by citizens across India, Govt. made a draft of Lokpal Bill to be introduced in the Parliament to convert into a “law”. But the Govt's Lokpal Bill disappointed a lot. Government has completely ignored the wishes of the common man and made a mockery of our hard fought struggle for strong anti-corruption laws. Here, we are briefing some really important points mentioned in the Govt’s Lokpal Bill:

1. Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action suo motu in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from general public. The general public will make complaints to the speaker of Lok Sabha or chairperson of Rajya Sabha. Only those complaints forwarded by Speaker of Lok Sabha/ Chairperson of Rajya Sabha to Lokpal would be investigated by Lokpal.

2 It is purely an advisory body and can only, after enquiry in any case, forward its report to the competent authority. The competent authority will have final powers to decide whether to take action on Lokpal’s report or not. Say, in the case of cabinet ministers, the competent authority is Prime Minister.

3. Since it has no police powers, the Lokpal cannot register an FIR on any complaint. It can only conduct a preliminary enquiry.

4. Anybody found to have lodged a false complaint will be punished summarily by the Lokpal with imprisonment ranging from 1 year to 3 years.

5. The committee to select Lokpal members will consist entirely of political dignitaries and its composition is loaded in favour of the ruling party.

6. Though a time limit of six months to one year has been prescribed for the Lokpal to conduct its probe, there is no limit for completion of trial, if any.

7. Nothing has been provided in law to recover ill-gotten wealth. After serving his sentence, a corrupt person can come out of jail and use that money.

The Govt’s bill has no teeth. It is nowhere near the Jan Lokpal bill presented for consideration by civil society. If the Government’s bill becomes law we are literally gifting our country to the corrupt people to further plunder our resources.

Now, it’s the need of the time to make a strong Lokpal Bill which can be strong & effective in curbing the menace of Corruption. For this, an Online Refrendum has been organized by civil society to take the opinion of the public. Check this:

[Indian Voters' Referendum on the Lokpal Bill]

The Intention of this referendum is - to gather the opinion & votes of the citizens of India on the Lokpal Bill.

On one side, are the proposals presented by Anna Hazare, on the other side are the proposals of the government. This letter puts in front of you some of the proposals from both the sides in all fairness & without taking sides.

The results of this referendum will be taken to the Member of Parliament in your constituency, and will be shown to them what the people they represent want.

We highly request you to kindly fill out and submit this online form (once for each voter member of your family). Kindly also forward this form / link to your friends & relatives.

For more information on:

Govt’s lokpal bill

Comparison between the Jan Lokpal and the Govt's Lokpal Bill

[source: http://www.ombudsmen.in/]

For any kind of information, related to Lokpal Bill, India Against Corruption!

Anna hazare website!

Take out a little time of yours and support in making a difference.

Thanks

Regards,

The Newsmug Group

DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR

Paathshala work updation-7 Oct, 2010 [2nd October celebration]

We celebrated Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti and Lal Bahudar Shastri Jayanti in our Paathshala with our students.

We made teams and organized a contest between them for making different things out of "Mould coloured clay". Students shown their full creativity and we all enjoyed a lot.
Check out some of the pics of 2nd October Celebration at Paatshala.

Welcome Speech-For telling the imp.of the day

One team- Kajal, Laxmi and Shekhar

Teachers involved with students

Clay made things

Its a house- fan, chair, table, bed

Different kitchen stuff

Temple- Flowers, Shivling, etc.

Shekhar made Star

Winners of the clay competition

School bag as prize

It was really a different kind of experience and we all enjoyed a lot.

Paathshala work updation-17 Aug, 2010 [Independence Day celebration]

We celebrated Independence Day in our Paathshala with lots of fun and both , students and Koshish team members, enjoyed a lot.

A drawing competetion was organized and students were asked to draw our National flag as well any other thing of their choice. Small prizes were also distributed to the winners. Some motivating videos were also displayed to them. Then , there was a small snack party also. Check the pics!

Drawing competetion

Paathshala teacher guiding them

Paathshala students- Chandni and Shivani

Teacher guidance

Chandni''s little brother

Consoling her brother

Students showing their drawings

Students displaying their drawings

Prize distribution-Winner Shivani

Prize distribution-Winner Nanu

Winner Chandni

Winner Sonam

Our teacher stitiching Flag to student

Paathshala student- Neha

Students watching motivating videos

Jai Hind

Our group-(from left)Sumit, Vishu, Swati Agg., Swati, Amit and Sukriti

Cheers to our Koshish team members- Vishu, Swati, Amit, Sumit, Sanjeev bhatt, Swati Diwebedi and Sukriti. Keep it up guys...:)

PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN

Paathshala work updation-13 Aug, 2010 [Previous released date]

This weekend, try to do something useful that will help others to make a difference in their's life. Or you can join us to celebrate Independence Day in Paathshala.

This Sunday, we plan to celebrate the Independence Day in our Paathshala. We will show some motivating videos and organize some sort of drawing competition there.

Our Paatshala is going good and we have 8-9 students there of different age. We now started teaching them Maths along with Hindi. Students are now getting interested in studying with time. Some construction work got started in our previous Paathshala place so ,we have shifted our Paathshala from that place to a nearby park. Check the recent pics of Paathshala.

Our teacher- Vikas Verma

Our teacher- Vishu and Swati

Paathshala

Each teacher of Paathshala teach 2-3 students individually. As level of students varies and also in absence of proper infrastructure (like class room and black board etc.), it is the best way of teaching the students as of now.

15 edition- 28 July, 2010 [released date]

Big Problems, Simple Solutions

One of the major problems prevailing in India is “Water Scarcity”. Many a times in our childhood some or all of us must have made posters on water conservation. “Jal Ji Jeevan Hai”, “Save Water For A Better Tomorrow”, slogans like these are very common among children. But at Koshish we always look forward for a solution oriented attempt. So this time we have come up with an attempt which can, although little, be a solution to this problem.

“Save water from your Air-conditioner”

Brief description:

R Viswanathan, a retired mechanical engineer with Hindustan Teleprinters, has identified air conditioner as a vital appliance for water conservation.

“In airconditioning units, the cooling coils not only cool the air passing around them, but also cause moisture in the air to condense. The condensate (water) is collected in a tray and channelled out through a drain or allowed to drop on the ground. This water is usually wasted. This can be collected and reused,” says Viswanathan.

People may not be open to drinking such water, but when he tested this water in his lab and it was found to be on a par with distilled water,”

A one-tonne air-conditioner produces two litres of water every hour, which means 16 litres over eight hours. That’s enough to wash your utensils, if you don’t have a garden to boast of.

Personal Experience:

One cognizant associate read this news and he brought this to the notice of Cognizant administration. Cognizant administration and the guy worked on this and now it is successfully implemented in one of the building of CTS in which there are AHU units producing 161 litres of water every day. Cognizant set up the infrastructure by spending just ` 9000 to use this water for gardening.

What can be done:

When water scarcity is prevalent across the country, collection and reuse of water from air conditioners can help conserve thousands of litres of water in every neighbourhood.

A senior Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) official said that the idea could be implemented in individual houses. “In big apartments and commercial complexes, it may involve some cost to lay pipes.

You can also work with your admin departments to utilize the water produced by the ACs in your company for some useful purpose. The cost required to set up infrastructure would be very less and soon there will be Return on Investment. :)

This idea was shared by one of our readers, Priyanka Arora who is working in Cognizant, Pune.

Thanks Priyanka for sharing such a nice idea with us.

Please share your viewpoint with us.

NOTE: Our "Paathshala" is going good and will update you soon in next edition.

Thanks

Regards

The News Mug Group

DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR

Paathshala work updation-28 May, 2010 [Birthday celebration]

Updation on "Koshish- a solution oriented attempts" activities: Our Paathshala is doing well and the number of students has increased to 9 . Last to last weekend we also celebrated one of our friend, who teaches at the Paathshala, Naren Mehra's birthday with the children. We all enjoyed a lot and had a great time. So I am sharing some pics of that occasion

Birthday party- serving cake


Naren Mehra- cake ceremony

Paathshala class- study

Paathshala students

Paathshala group- teachers and students

You too can make a difference in some one 's life and that too without having to go somewhere far. You can just start by teaching your house maid's children or children living in the jhuggis near your home.

DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR

(its really enjoyable and make you feel proud ...)

14th edition- 13th May, 2010 [released date]

Big Problems, Simple Solutions

Fighting with the problem of “Illiteracy”, we came out with a new solution and i.e. Our own “Paathshala”.

Problem:

There are many girl children whose parents don’t allow them to go school because of many reasons. One reason that is somewhat valid too, is that the girl has to take care of her infant brother or sister at home as there is no one else to look after them as both mother and father has to go to work. In those cases, no point of ours is able to convince them to send their daughter to school. But these girls are really very much interested in studying but they have no means to fulfill their dreams.

Possible Solution:

We started our “Paathshala” in their area itself. Their parents got ready to send them there, as here they can come along with their little brother and sister and that too for just 1 or 2 hours. We give toys or chocolates to those little children, so that they won’t disturb us much.

What’s all about this Paathshala.

Motive of this Paatshala: At the first step, the motive is to make these children at least capable enough to read and write basic things so that it helps them in their daily life. In the long run, if things work fine, then we can teach them some advanced stuffs which will help them in pursue some vocational or any education training courses to enhance their means of earning.

What, when and how it does work:

We are trying to teach in a very simple manner. We bought some “writing books having dots” so that it helps them to connect and form the letters easily. We provided them basic study material. We are currently using a flip chart as “Blackboard”.

This Paathshala was started three weeks back in a slum area of Sec-53, Noida by four people- Swati Khordia, Swati Aggarwal, Chittaranjan Nayak and Monika Bindal.

We teach them on weekend’s only for around 1-2 hour. At present we have six students in our Paathshala. Check out some of the attached pictures of our Paathshala.

Paathshala students

Swati- our teacher

Paathshala students

Chittaranjan- our teacher

NOTE: In our Paathshala, we strictly teach only those children who don’t have any chance of going to the school. We refuse to teach those children who can go to school as our paathshala is no where an alternative for schools.

It’s just a “Koshish” to fulfill dreams (up to some level) of these children who don’t have other alternative.

How can you help?

Apart from joining us for this noble act, we need your help in carrying it forward in a better way.

As we are facing some problems, like how to teach them in a proper and efficient way, as they don’t know anything and have to be taught from scratch. As we will be creating the base of their education so we want to take utmost care so that nothing is taught in an unconventional and ad-hoc manner.

So it will be really helpful if someone could guide us on how to teach them in such a manner which is both easy and correct way to teach.

So if you know any person who is teaching in primary schools who can guide us or any useful article that could help us with the same then please come forward and share.

Updation on our regular activity: It’s just to inform you that these days’ exams are going in government schools and after that there will be summer vacations. So, probably in July, the school resumes again.

Please share your viewpoint with us.

Your one reply is very motivating and helpful for us.

Come forward to make a difference in somebody’s life.

Thanks

Regards

The News Mug Group

DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR

11th edition- 29th July, 2009

Big Problem, Simple Solutions

Continuing with one of the big problem of India, “Illiteracy”, we come up with some simple solutions to tackle with it:

Our experience:

After the summer vacations, we started visiting the government schools and the slum area or poor localities. In two weeks, we visited three government schools and two localities. Our analysis up to this point:

1. Most of the government school staffs are overloaded with work. They are assigned extra duties time to time, like these days they are assigned the duty of “Bal Jan Ganna” (Census of children).
2. They have to finish these duties within school hours.
Result: They are not able to take their classes regularly and properly.
3. Plus, they are not answerable to anybody for their teaching duties, so they don’t try to make much effort and they are not enthusiastic towards children education.

Result is that the very impression of government schools is made in the minds of the poor people and that is right up to good extent.

Moreover, they compare the government school with private school in terms of studies, discipline and status even.

Many children have their name registered in the schools but they are not going school as they parents don’t force them to go.

What’s the need of the time?
We have to improve the standards of the government schools and try to remove their bad impression from the minds of the people.

What’s the possible ways?

As we can’t change the government rules of assigning extra duties or can’t force the school staff to do their teaching duties well, we can do only what is in our hand.

Simple Solutions:
1. Try to give your little time (say 1-2 hr) during weekends to government school. Go and have a lecture their. Your one weekly lecture proves to be very helpful and motivated to the children.
2. Motivate your mother or wife, if they stay at home, to give their time to school, as per their convenience. If one lady of a colony starts doing this, it will surely motivate other ladies to follow the same steps.

We are not saying that NGOs are not doing anything or they are not helpful but their number is very less as compare to government schools. Almost in each and every sector or locality, there is a government school and most of the poor children are going there.

Try to locate a government school in your nearby locality and we also help you in doing this. Three government schools that we visited in Noida are:
1. Sec-53 , “Gijhor”
2. Sec-26, Behind Vinayak Hospital
3. Sec-27, beside Indra Market.

Will tell you about the location of other government schools soon.

Timings are: 7 am to 12 pm

If you have any doubt (small or big even), please clear it with us.

If we are able to improve the status of government school up to some extent, then believe us, “we surely make a big difference”

Thanks...

Regards,
The News Mug Group
DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR

Koshish work updation- 13 Nov, 2009

In "Koshish-a solution oriented attempt", few more friends came forward and we, seven friends , went to the govt. school and taught there this time. We took three classes, 2nd, 3rd and 5th standard and taught them English and maths and discussed their problems.

It was a nice experience for all of us. This time , we are planning to expand our activities so that more kids benefit from it.

We request you all to give small time of yours to these activities and try to make a difference in some body's life.

If you have any query or doubt , you can ask us any time by mail or on phone.

12th edition- 29th Oct, 2009 [released date]

Big Problems, Simple Solutions

Continuing with the problem of “Illiteracy”, we came to know about one of the reasons for it, i.e. “Lack of Motivation”

Neither parents nor teachers of govt. school force or motivate students to study hard or to take study seriously.

Parents are usually busy in earning their livings and even they don’t know the importance of study. They don’t care whether the child is attending the full day class or he/she bunked the class after having free lunch there.

Result: Mainly students of class up to 3rd and 4th don’t attend the class regularly and properly and don’t give much concentration in class even.

Possible Solution:
"Interact with them and try to motivate them and make them feel the importance of study."

Last Saturday, we, three friends , Balakrishnan, Pran and myself (Monika) went to a govt. school of Sec-27, near Indra Market and conducted a test there to motivate the students. This is what we did:

1. We asked students to write down their introduction (say, their name, father’s name and what they want to be and why).

2. After this written round, we shortlisted few students and conducted the second round.

3. In second round, we conducted an oral quiz of General knowledge questions (say, what’s our national bird, etc.). We also check their reading and speaking capabilities.

We kept on correcting them and tell them the right way of doing and tried to motivate them to study well and to attend the class regularly.

At the end, we chose one girl as the winner and awarded her with a pair of shoes. We also gave prize to the most disciplined student during the conduct of test.

This whole test just took 1-1.5 hours time and we all (including students) enjoyed a lot. Check out the attached pics.

Priyanka- First Prize

Pinki- Second Prize

Anshu-3rd prize

Balram- Most active child

Kusum- Most disciplined child

Pran Krishna- Friend

Balakrishnan- Friend

Request: Just try to take out a small time from your busy schedule and spend it with these students. Your interaction with them also motivates them to study to become like you.

Even this weekend, we will go to the school and conduct another test. If anybody is interested in coming, then please inform us soon so that we can plan it effectively.

Share your viewpoint with us....

Your small effort can make a big difference in somebody’s life.

Regards,
The News Mug Group
DON'T BE A SPECTATOR, BE AN ACTOR