Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 17, 2005
Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Jul 17, 2005 |
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He is an advisor to the Literacy Commission by Japan International Cooperation Agency, an environmentalist and a staunch campaigner for literacy and education. Having served in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India for several years, this dedicated Japanese has developed a simple low cost technology to make hand-made paper and trained several people, including juvenile prisoners in Pakistan, conservative women and refugees in Afghanistan, artists, students, members of NGOs and rural women in India and Sri Lanka. Meet Tajima Shinji, Chairman International Centre for Literacy and Culture, Tokyo, Japan. Despite his busy schedule to train rural women in Dindigul on how to make hand-made paper, he shares his experiences, which impressed him to work for the development of the community, with K. Raju. "PAPER IS not for just recording documents. It has a great potential to change the society, leads all people to literacy and makepossible a democracy through expression in many ways. It could also be effectively utilised for income generating activities for rural people who have less opportunities, says Tajima Shinji, Chairman International Center for Literacy and Culture, Tokyo, Japan. Since being appointed the Advisor to Literacy Commission by Japan International Cooperation Agency in 1977, this Japanese had visited many countries to observe the functioning of non-formal community schools. His strange experience with children, particularly in prisons in Pakistan had forced him to mull over new ideas. "I was struck by many children who needed notebooks in several third world countries. School children in Pakistan use only `Takhti' (slate) to write. These innocent children wanted papers to write lessons that could be retained and shared with others across time and space. More over, they could re-read and review in class and elsewhere later, if they copy lessons in paper. I realised that non-availability of paper was a stumbling block to literacy in poor countries. Situation in Afghanistan was still worse. For many rural children, cost and availability of notebooks was a great problem. The pathetic state of children in many countries coerced my mind to find a suitable solution. I also found that the greatest issue for community development in the 21st century is literacy and basic education, he said. "In 1998, I started promoting recycling of old newspaper and paper boxes, use of roadside weeds, banana leaves and sugarcane stalk fibre to make paper. Traditional techniques were adopted to make the paper". This Japanese had conducted more than 60 paper-making workshops and trained 1,700 persons for community mobilisation, functional literacy and income generating activities for minority people, children in jail and women teachers in many countries. "Now I have started imparting training to rural women whose lives and work are closely tied to paper and its role in artistic, educational and cultural expressions. This exercise would not only improve their income level, but also promote and sustain peace and prosperity, Mr Shinji hopes.
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National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Engagements |
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