The Hindu : New Delhi News : Their English dream comes true

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 03, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Their English dream comes true

Staff Reporter

A play school promises a new dawn for kids of Anantgram Leprosy colony

NEW DELHI: Their dream of studying in an English medium school has come true. The children of Anantgram Leprosy colony at Tahirpur in East Delhi can now be rest assured that they too can learn the three R's through English medium. A beginning has been made with the inauguration of St. Antony's Play School in the colony on Sunday.

While the Archbishop of Delhi, Rev. Vincent Concessao, led the blessing ceremony, the area MLA, Vir Singh Dhingan, inaugurated the school building. The Municipal Councillor, Ajit Singh Chaudhary, was among those present on the occasion.

An initiative of the local Catholic church, the school is the first of its kind in a colony inhabited by leprosy patients. Though there is a mushrooming of English medium schools in the vicinity, the people of Anantgram and the nearby leprosy colonies found it a Herculean task to get their wards admitted to one such school. Moreover, the prohibitive fee structure made those schools unapproachable to the poor inmates of these colonies.

"We wanted to prove that English medium education can be made affordable and available even to the children of leprosy patients," says Fr. Sabu Joseph, the parish priest of Dilshad Garden church, who is the brain behind the initiative. "However, we will charge Rs. 75 per month per child to give them a feeling that they are not being doled out some charity work," he adds.

The school, which will have only play school section in the beginning, plans to add more classes in the coming years. "The school is mainly for the children of Anantgram colony. If seats are still vacant, admission will be given to the wards from the nearby leprosy colonies," adds Fr. Sabu.

The church project has gone down well with the residents of the colony who now see themselves at par with other people. They feel that their children, after getting English education, will stand better chance to join the mainstream. "Our children will no longer be looked down by others because of their lack of English knowledge. Moreover, they can now get better jobs and look forward to better standard of living," said a resident with glee in his eyes.

The venture also brings out people's participation in such schemes for a good cause. Though a chunk of the funds came from people abroad, the local people too chipped in to lend a helping hand. Many have offered furniture, fixtures and equipments necessary for the school.

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