Seasonal school scheme inflicted hope in nomadic community
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Seasonal school scheme inflicted hope in nomadic community

Post by on Sunday, July 10, 2022

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Bandipora July, 09: Nomads may seem to be living a quiet and carefree life but these communities also suffer from numerous deprivations and lack of basic services such as primary education, which is the right of every child. These tribes have low literacy rates, low socio-economic development and their habitat in different ecological and geographical climatic conditions, from plains and forests to mountains and inaccessible areas.
However, the community recently got dawn of hope when the government of Jammu and Kashmir union territory introduced the concept of mobile schools also known as seasonal schools under "samagra shiksa scheme".
The children of Bakarwal and Gujjar are now looking to the horizon of a bright future as they will not have to choose between their traditional lifestyle and education.
Mohammad Mustafa a nomad of Rajouri told Rising Kashmir that mobile schools are playing an important role in raising the standard of education in the nomadic community. These schools are pillars in the formation of the early years of nomadic children. The lessons they learn in these schools have a lasting effect on their lives as the teachers here put both their heads and hearts to clear their basic concepts.
He said that teachers of these schools here belong to the same community and they are well aware of the living conditions and sufferings of the gypsies, so they spare no effort in imparting to them the early lessons of their lives.
He also said that no outsider would bother to teach these children and would not live with them for so long, so the teachers belong to the same community or tribe.Teachers have a good educational background and training for this important task.
Afshana Kausar, a teacher at mobile school in Kharimaidan forests of Gurez told Rising Kashmir that these mobile schools’ function on same pattern as other schools’ function but mobile schools lack infrastructure. "We adjust our classes according to location and weather conditions, as we move from place to place in different seasons", she said. 
"We conduct exams on time as scheduled, and our main goal is to provide basic education to nomadic children" she added.
However, there is lot of need to improve education standard of these nomadic children as they lack infrastructure. 
Zonal Education Officer Gurez, Ishtiyaq Ahmad told Rising Kashmir that there are eighteen mobile schools running in gurez valley and all the schools have been provided the tents and other required things. 
In a mobile school in the Bahi Nallah forests in Gurez Valley , it is Zubeida's turn to demonstrate what she picks up from the morning session. After playing with some numbers on the chalkboard, she cheers on the other five students in the class as she prepares the answer with a double stroke.
"Mathematics is my favourite subject and i want to go into business in the future", she said. However circumstances are conspiring against her as increasing in erratic weather often pushes nomadic families away from their settlements in search of water and grazing, limiting children's access to formal education. 
Don’t forget your book,” cries Zareena's mother, an another student of same mobile school. A young girl bounds in and retrieves her book before setting off for school. “I want to show our teacher. I’m a good student so I never forget my book.” 
Zareena lives with her parents and is fourth child among five siblings. Her life is very much set in the nomadic routine. “I still have to help Mummy in the household chores but my brothers look after the livestock.” Her family has fifty sheep and a few horses, diminished in number due to unseasonal snowfall this year. 
“I’ve been to school before in my village but only for a short period,” she said. Zareena’s parents could not afford to keep her in school as they could not pay for her and a brother. Another reason was their migration patterns prevented them from staying in one place. 
“When Dad heard about a school settling near us he said I have to go there as soon as possible,” says Zareena. “It suits us because when we have to move to get access to the rains and fodder for our livestock, the school will move with us.”
“So far, I’m enjoying learning English. It’s nice to be able to go to school but also to help out in the house.”
“I really want the mobile school to continue so that I can get to a higher level and my younger siblings have a chance to study. I’m already showing them what I’ve learnt in school and they are always interested when I explain my lessons to them,” she explains.
 Zareena’s parents are also happy with the school and would like to see the initiative carry on. “Our children will not lose the nomadic lifestyle but will also have the chance to get the education we had no access to,” says Zareena’s mother.
In Patalwan forests of gurez inside an another mobile school, the children start their lessons in morning for three hours, then go off to look after their grazing animals and then study again in the evening. 
The children's uneducated parents are enthusiastic about the possibility of a better future for their children. "We are ready to look after the animals the whole time by ourselves if the school is successful. We don't want our children to be left behind," said father of Zulaikha who studies in Patalwan mobile school. 
Aamina, younger sister of Zulaikha is convinced that her education will help her. "People think educating girls is a waste of time but that is changing now. Education will make my life better. I want to go on with my studies to become a doctor," she said.
With such big dreams, these children are sometimes forced to wonder if they can really fulfill their dreams because they feel infrastructure and many other things are not upto the level in these schools.
Parvaiz, a teacher teaching in this Patalwan forest mobile school is unhappy with the facilities provided to "seasonal teachers" and believes that this has a negative effect on their ability to teach.
He is the only teacher for seventeen students from nomadic families. "I have been teaching these children since I came here.It is really hard to meet ends on four thousand rupees", he said. 
In April last year, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha assured that the wages of seasonal teachers would be increased to Rs. 10,000 while interacted with All seasonal teachers Association. 
Sinha also assured the administration of full cooperation in the educational development of the tribal community and said that "concrete steps will be taken to improve the future of students living in farflung areas."
 
 

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