The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `School on boat' lands a big catch

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 12, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`School on boat' lands a big catch

B.V.S. Bhaskar

NOVEL EXPERIMENT: The `school on boat' with children.

RAJAHMUNDRY: A novel idea -- school on a fishing boat -- to educate children of poor fisher folk in the Godavari backwaters is a success story and the Ministry of HRD is sending a team to take this innovative idea to other parts of the country where most of the out of school children and dropouts are from the fishing community.

East Godavari district, which stood first in the country with its impressive performance in `Sarva Siksha Abhiyan' (SSA) has set another record by successfully running the `school on boat' programme, which got applause from the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Brainchild of D.N. Murthy, additional project coordinator of SSA, the programme was launched last year in Mondepulanka village of Karapa mandal. Mr. Muthry and his team found that there were 310 fishermen's children in this mandal, who are out of school and few dropouts.

Most of the boys and girls between 5 to 14 years age go fishing and earn Rs. 50 to 100 each. So the SSA team designed a separate boat for them with play kits and teaching tools. They arranged for two teachers who do not teach, but guide and create interest for education through story telling.

The boat will sail with the other 168 fishing boats, and children from these boats can board the special boat to move towards academics.

"After spending two to three months in the boat children who are regular, will be sent to the residential bridge centre in Kobbarithota village in the same mandal and from there to regular school," Mr. Murthy explained.

There are 67 fishermen villages, spread across 19 mandals in the district and the number of children in these villages will be around 40,000.

The success rate of this programme is good. Except for 57 of the 310 children from Mondepulanka mandal all joined regular schools within nine months. "About 70 to 80 children passed 7th and 8th classes. We will spread to other fishermen villages in this academic year," Murthy said.

Badi bata

The State Teachers Union has said `Badi bata' campaign to enrol children in school should be made a continuous affair. The STU President, P. Subba Reddy and General Secretary, A. Anantaramulu said teachers should sincerely participate in the `Badi bata' campaign. A resolution to this effect was passed at the two-day state executive meeting held here on June 10 and 11.

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