Ishita, a sixteen-year-old from Vadodara, always aspired to study and make something of her life despite her mother working as a house help. She learned about a mobile van offering education to underprivileged children from her cousins. Soon, she started attending those classes, which eventually transformed into a full-fledged school in Vadodara.
Now in the 9th grade, Ishita stays in a hostel near the school and has become the Activity Coordinator of the school’s Student Council. “Here, we have level-based learning, which allows me to study different subjects based on my understanding. This makes the subjects more interesting. Additionally, we have various activities like drama, dance, and project-based learning, where we can express ourselves on various topics,” Ishita says. “I feel much more confident in how I speak and think now.”
Ishita loves to dance and plans to pursue a career in dance. She is one of 100 students receiving free education and hostel services under the Pathshala Project, started by the Srotoshwini Trust. The project, handled by Juin Dutta, aims to offer free education and shelter to children from streets, construction sites, and slums.
Holistic Learning Approach
Dutta explains that the school follows a level-based model for education. “In this system, we have five levels for each subject. The levels are decided based on the child’s knowledge rather than their age. If a child is on level 2 in Maths, they can be on level 1 in Gujarati. This way, we do not follow a set class system and give children the freedom to study subjects according to their understanding. It also ensures that no one feels misplaced even after joining later,” she adds.
The school also follows project-based learning, taking up specific topics like diversity and the city of Vadodara. In these projects, students discuss the topics, read related materials, and watch relevant movies. Apart from mainstream subjects such as English, Science, and Hindi, the students also study natural sciences, tribal studies, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. For subjects like science, they take a practical approach by teaching through basic experiments.
After completing level 5, students become eligible for class 8. They follow the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) syllabus, choosing five subjects to study. “Since we work so closely with these children, we know their strengths and weaknesses, so we try to help them in choosing the right subjects,” Dutta says.
Building Future Careers
While most students focus on their studies and aim to build their careers, Dutta says that if a child struggles academically, they offer support in learning vocational courses like welding and computer applications. This helps ensure the child can eventually have a source of income.
Currently, the school has 11 teachers for academics, six for extracurricular activities, four for sports, and five who stay in the hostel with the children, along with Dutta. The school supports 100 children, focusing on each individual. The school also offers activities like arts, dance, drama, and music, which are incorporated into the project-based curriculum. Additionally, there is a Student Council in place to manage the operations of the hostel.
Inspiring Confidence and Leadership
Chandini, who will turn 17 next month, is Ishita’s classmate and a Student Council member. In her role, she ensures all children attend school regularly, helps arrange school programs, and maintains discipline. “I have gained a lot of confidence in expressing my opinions and leadership skills, which will surely help me achieve my dream of becoming a lawyer,” she says.
Overcoming Challenges
Dutta’s passion for teaching and social service comes from her parents. Her father, a trade union leader, and her mother, a teacher, inspired her to help others. Initially, Dutta faced distrust from parents of underprivileged children. However, she was undeterred and began teaching children at a nearby construction site. This led to the start of a mobile van in Gujarat offering free education to children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Despite setbacks, Dutta and her friends’ efforts resulted in teaching hundreds of children across Vadodara. To address the issue of students dropping out when laborers shifted places, Dutta decided to build a school and a hostel, offering free education, shelter, and food to these children.
Dutta emphasizes that many of these children do not attend schools despite being enrolled. They lack role models to trust the importance of education. To motivate them, Dutta and the teachers incorporate many activities and fun ways of learning into the curriculum. However, funding remains a challenge. The school runs on donations, but Dutta is actively seeking more funds. “We started with around one and a half lakh rupees while we were looking for more funds, but our desire to help these kids kept us going,” she adds.
Despite the challenges, Dutta’s passion and dedication continue to drive the Pathshala Project, offering a brighter future to underprivileged children.