STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION

I am very happy to have this chance to teach illiterate children. It was a new experience for me. I will try to take out time to teach poor people so that the next generation can have a better future.

There’s no greater joy than being able to share my knowledge to serve others – whether they be of my own caste or some other caste, it makes no difference. Even people who have never gone to school don’t have any difficulty learning.

The person I taught was none other than my trusted maid. It was a great experience for me. We had a lot of fun together. She was a very keen and fast learner. After each lesson she used to ask for one more lesson and would extend the lesson 40-50 minutes sometimes.

As this project says that ‘no one should be left behind’ I found a girl called Gunjan who was very eager to study. Gunjan found it really tough in the beginning but she has learned so much that she can now read a newspaper. Through this experience I have got to know Gunjan and her family really well.

I loved doing the project because I saw the joy and opportunities a person gets by becoming literate. For simple things like making groceries list or reading something in the bill she was dependent on others. But now she can do these things on her own.

My learner Shabeena had never been to school. When I started teaching her, she couldn’t even recognize her own name. Starting out she was very playful and wasn’t that eager to learn. But after her first session she took a real interest in learning Hindi. She was so excited after she learnt that she took the book to teach her elder sister Ruksana.

The special bond that has developed between us will always make us remember each other. There is a feeling of gratefulness that I see in their eyes. Seeing their self-confidence increase after learning how to read makes me feel really proud.

The first day only 3 people came to my classes, but gradually it increased to 15 people coming daily, as they discovered the joy of reading. They initially asked me ‘How much are you earning for this?’, but I explained that I’m not earning anything, I’m just doing it to serve society.

One 35-year-old man had previously asked me for help with Hindi documents and couldn’t even recognize his own name. After a 20 minute session, he was able to read all the two letter words in the first lesson, and some of the three letter words. He was so excited, that he wanted to keep the book for practice and to teach his wife and son.

The Literacy Now app was very helpful when I took my learner’s pre test. I liked the format of the questions. The explanation of the topics is excellent. I loved the app.

The Literacy Now app is user-friendly. The innovative and interactive way of teaching is helpful for the learner to understand and explanatory. I am enjoying teaching with the hybrid teaching method.

In today’s scenario, education is the most important part of life. For the development of our country, education is the first priority. As NSS volunteers, we are daily working hard to teach the people – whether they be children or adults.

I learnt a lot from the people in a slum by the side of the railway track. After all these circumstances they have a tremendous learning attitude and attraction towards studies. From the scenario they were not able to identify letters, to being able to read paragraphs: it was their learning attitude which made their dream come true.

Before joining the campaign, I was a bit concerned whether I would be able to manage my time. But after joining this program, I am really happy. I don’t want to miss these classes. The quality time spent there [in the slum] makes my day a happy and good one. Not only do we teach but also learn different things. Each moment there is well spent… I just love it.