In April, Jeevanshala halted operations for a Spring Break for the children, but before they went back to their homes, the senior children were beaming with energy for an educational trip to Patna that we organised for them. The younger ones went back home with their parents after the Parents-Teachers Meeting, and a total of 15 senior students, along with the Teacher-Learner (TL) community, packed their bags and got on a train to Patna for an excursion around the city. They visited the Bihar Museum, where they were most excited about the children’s section for its many interactive exhibits and audiovisual (AV) aids. Among the many places they visited were the book fair at the historic Gandhi Maidan, Sri Krishna Science Centre, the zoo, the planetarium, and ending the trip with a mesmerising cultural programme. It was a trip of many firsts for the children as they witnessed the first elevator of their lives, saw rare animals for the first time at the zoo and saw science in action at the Science Center.
While Jeevanshala was on vacation-mode, our teacher-learners Sangeeta, Priti, Rashmi and Suman didn’t take a break and continued their support for the Ambedkar Center – located in the Safai Karamchari Basti of Araria. It is a vibrant informal learning space where children left out of formal schooling system come to learn, sing and play.
Children at the Ambedkar Centre also celebrated Ambedkar Jayanti on April 14 with great gusto. Social activist Tanmay joined them for a special session, sharing stories of Ambedkar’s life and his vision for equality and justice. With bright eyes and loud voices, the children sang songs of equality and chanted slogans of fraternity and constitutional rights.
The TL team also actively participated in reorganising assessment resources, books at the library and making it ready for the children to embark on new learning journeys. TLs also went to the marginalised neighbourhoods near the Jeevanshala to distribute leaflets and create awareness on the importance of education for young children and enrol a new batch of students at Jeevanshala.
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Mosamat Budhiya Shiksha Nirman Sangathan 