Educating Grannies and Breaking Stereotypes-Aajibaichi Shala
Educating old women in rural areas is a noble work. Yogendra Bangar in Fangane village of Maharashtra has started Aajibaichi Shala to educate the grandmothers living there. Illiteracy- one of the biggest hurdles to development. As per the reports available on Google, India is the home to over 300 million illiterates, more than half of which are women. According to the standards of the Government any person who is 7 years old or above and can understand, read and write in any language is called a literate.
But this term has a broader definition, education improves the character of an individual. It changes the perception of an individual on how they see the world and also themselves. It enables them to understand the importance of self-respect and being self-reliant.
The society looks down on the illiterates/ uneducated, at times the society even disrespect and humiliate them. They can feel the lack of literacy at every point in their life. While they want to get information on something unable to do so. They can’t read or when they can’t help their children with their school assignments. And even when they can’t write their names they feel helpless.
What inspired Ajibaichi Shala
With a motive of educating such women, a primary school teacher Yogendra Bangar started a school “Aajibaichi Shala” for old women in Fangane village of Maharasta on International Women’s Day, in 2016. Sheetal More who a former student of the shala started teaching here. Grandma’s aged 60 to 90 years go to this school flaunting their bright pink saree as their school uniform with full enthusiasm, to learn how to read and write in Marathi.
In an interview with The Better India, Yogendra has said that it was not like that these grannies wanted to study and work, but they wanted to be able to read and write. And know how to sign their names, like other member of their families. They want to be able to sign their names and read the holy books.
This school has broken the stereotype that older people cannot start over in their lives again. Grandmas who never attended a school in their childhoods are educating themselves here. At an age when people rest in their houses, playing along with their grandchildren, these grannies’ study with their grandchildren.
The children often go to pick and drop their grannies to school and also help them with their homework. They also sing and dance on rhymes along with learning alphabets and math tables. They are engaged in gardening activities also.
This initiative has broken most of the societal stigmas around the elderly people. There is no age and limit to learning. This school has given a purpose to the elderly and made them proud of themselves.
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