Some are young and others are much older, but all come to the school to learn. The class is unusual in the sense that not just students but even their teachers are different. [break]
The teachers are mostly ninth grade girls at Jyotidaya. They are part of Growing Service Leader (GSL) program, a leadership and service learning program of Anuvuti International that is run with the support of Chaudhary Group (CG).
GSL, a ten month long program, was launched in middle of 2011 at nine community schools and two CG run private schools in Kathmandu Valley.
“Our goal with GSL was to nurture inherent leadership potential in youths, especially, those in government schools who are always thought of as the recipients of charities which disempower young people and inhibits their growth,” says Swastika Shrestha, director of Anuvuti International.
The first phase of the program consisted leadership and life skill workshops where students learnt about goal setting, academic success, teamwork and communication and presentation skills. The interactive workshops made use of various games as learning techniques.
“My self-confidence got a boost,” says Arjun Lama an eighth grader at Saraswati Higher Secondary School in Techo, Lalitpur. Still visibly sigh of speaking to a stranger, he, nonetheless, made a speech in front of some 200 people about his achievement. “I have become more aware about my goals and I now spend more time studying,” he says.
His teacher Krishna Kumar KC concurs. “I have noticed that students are taking initiatives and are participating in the classroom discussions and often lead school wide activities,” he relates.
The second phase was all about understanding community and developing service program.
In all of the ten schools, the students have identified a key community issue and are working to address it. At Jyotidaya, the students identified illiteracy as a problem in their community.
“When discussing problems in the community we had a laundry list of things,” says Izu Regmi, a ninth grader at Jyotidaya. “But when we looked at it, we realized that education was the root cause of all the problems.”
To understand the issue further they went door to door, collected feedback, and found that illiteracy is pervasive in the community. So they decided to conduct literacy class to educate illiterate people in the community.
But it was not simply an intellectual exercise. For some students the problem began at their homes as the mothers of many of the participating students themselves were illiterate. So they decided to bring their mothers to the evening classes. “My mom also comes to the class,” says Nabina Deshar, a ninth grader.
“I am glad our daughters are taking these initiatives,” shares Mana Maya Deshar, Nabina’s mom. “Even today I can’t travel on my own or do anything,” she adds. When women can’t come to the school, students even go to homes and tutor women one to one.
At Saraswati School in Techo students identified drug and alcohol abuse as the major problems in the community and have organized awareness campaigns including a rally and a friendly football tournament.
“Even my dad drinks a lot and my parents often end up fighting,” says Sandhya Shakya, a grade seven student at Saraswati School. Several of her friends share similar tales in the family.
Impact of drug abuse on students was also the problem identified at Nandi Ratri at Naxal. People who come to the temple area, by the school, sometimes ask for money from us.
One student shares the story of being beaten because he refused to give them the money meant for buying his lunch. They organized a program in the school where they asked local leaders and school management team to address their concerns.
“I am absolutely impressed that these young kids can organize a program like this and bring their issues forward,” saysBhola Thapaliya, principal at Nandi Ratri
The issues are as diverse as the schools and community themselves. At Patan High School, GSL participants came to a conclusion that child sexual abuse is a problem that needs to be addressed. Many of the girls themselves had felt that male teachers often touch them in inappropriate ways, but feel powerless.
It was a difficult issue to raise. Collectively they wrote and directed a play on child sexual abuse and performed at the school.
At Mahendra High School in Baluwatar students identified that some of their friends as young as the students in grade five and six were getting attracted to sex trade.
They invited a speaker from local child organization and had him make a presentation to the other students. They also wrote a play and performed for the entire school.
Other GSL groups have developed programs on waste management and smoking. The students at two private schools, Campion and Chandbagh felt that they needed to understand the problems.
Not that they hadn’t studied the issues in their Social Studies class, but “we don’t really take up these issue in our daily life,” they share.
To understand the problems they went around the city, took pictures, and organized a photo display in the school. Now, they are also collecting funds to support a library in a village in Lalitpur
“We have understood that it is not just the leaders we read in books, who can become great human beings. We can also become leaders,” says Rashmi Maharjan of Saraswati School in Thecho.
“Earlier, I used to think it was for the adults to address all the social problems,” adds Izu of Jyotidaya. “I have now realized that we too have responsibility, and if we choose so, we can also make a difference,” she adds.
(Shisir Khanal is president of Sarvodaya Nepal, an organization that promotes sustainable development and holistic education. He has a master’s degree in International Public Policy from University of Wisconsin-Madison.)
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