BHARATI PAWASKAR
Neglected, dejected, frustrated - these dropouts bunked school and watched cinemas, or sat idle in gardens. Some were addicted to gutkha, others to weed. But many also had an urge to learn, a yearning for knowledge. And those are the ones who were hooked by this uncommon school in Panaji and brought in the mainstream education system with hard efforts. It’s a success story of an inclusive school concept that kick started with just four students. Today the school could transform lives of 2500 odd dropout children in Goa, some of who could make it even to army and as a police personnel!
Anyone above the age of 14 who wishes to answer his secondary or higher secondary exam is welcome here. There is no upper age limit for admission and 58-year-old women also had been a student here some time ago. Most of these working students come from Chimbel, Merces, Santa Cruz, Betim and sometimes as far as even Vasco and Margao. This open school serves as a stepping stone for these students who, for multiple reasons, are thrown out of the regular schooling system.
“Their mornings are spent in classes learning while they work through the afternoons and earn their tuition fees or even livelihoods. Many of them work in the hotels or shops. Some have families, others come from broken homes. As the school time is three hours - 8 to 11 am, they have the rest of the time for themselves which they spend studying, working or helping their parents,” briefs Neena Naik, principal at Mustifund Open Schooling Tuition Classes in Panaji.
“Our school kick started in 2007 as an effort to bring the school dropouts into the main stream of education and in this journey of 11 years we have facilitated few thousand boys and girls in Goa to complete their SSC and XII, including 12 jailbirds a year. Our students fill exam forms through St Francis Xavier Academy, Old Goa and we come under Pune region of National Institute of Open Schooling, New Delhi,” shares Neena.
Neena’s team comprises of committed and dedicated like-minded friends who support these children to come out of their problems and complete their education. The six teachers, most of whom are PhDs - K Iladevi, Purva Asnodkar, Sapna Gaitonde, Geetanjali Thakur, Manasi Shah, Glenn D’Costa, Ankita Tari, Aparna Naik as well as two admins, Anupa Naik and Paresh Naik - willingly offer their time irrespective of meagre remuneration that the school can afford to pay them. While the free premises are offered by Mustifund, the water, electricity, stationary, maintenance bills and salaries are raised through the annual fees collected from the students.
Neena, who took this up as a challenge 11 years ago with just 12 students, and is expecting to cross a milestone of 300 plus admissions this year in this seven-room, three-hour morning school.
“Two of our students managed to pass with flying colours and join prestigious institutions like army and police. Today they live a life of dignity and are humble to express their gratitude towards the school for shaping their lives,” she smiles. If moulded at the right moment, many shattered lives could be put in place, pulled back on the right track and saved from getting wasted. Neena and her team are doing just that.
