The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Motivation makes a difference for Multanis

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Motivation makes a difference for Multanis

S. Harpal Singh

Good response to girl child education programme Good response to girl child education programme

A NEW BEGINNING: The motivation camp being organised for dropout girl students at Keshavpatnam in Adilabad district.

KESHAVPATNAM (ADILABAD DT.) THE: Multanis of Keshavpatnam are happy over the efforts of the Government to educate their girls through a 45-day, short-term motivation camp for dropout girl students. "Ee porgaram assan ko accha malam thiriye aur jada se jada cheriya log padh theriya" (this is a good programme and more and more girls are learning here), sums up in Multani dialect the vice-chairman of the school vidya committee, Sk. Eesa, about the camp taken up under the National Programme for Girl Child Education at Elementary Level (NPEGEL), a part of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Right choice

At the camp, 55 girls in the age group of 9-15 learn elementary level topics so as to be eligible for regular education. An overview suggests that the camp has been set up where it is needed most.

Shammu Tabi a dropout of VI standard about two years ago is aiming to get back to school through the camp.

"Talim ke liye" (for the sake of education) is her simple reply when asked why is she interested in getting educated.

Illiteracy rampant

Keshavpatnam in Ichoda mandal, 47 km from here, inhabitated by the Multani tribe (nobody in the village knows about its antecedents) needed such an effort considering its typical demographic profile. Owing to rampant illiteracy there was hardly any prevalence of family planning norms until two years ago. Of the population of 1,867, 1,000 persons are in the age group 0-15.

Of the 300-odd families many boast of a dozen children.

The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) Community Mobilisation Officer, T. Ravindher, and the Ichoda Mandal Education Officer, T. Pandit, are instrumental in setting up the camp on May 15.

The girls brought to the camp are being taught the available study material besides being given vocational training in various activities.

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