Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
Staff Reporter
Encouraging: School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu signing autographs for V. Ramayee and V. Lakshmi at Naganoor in Karur district.
KARUR: V. Ramayee and V. Lakshmi of Kalingapatti near Thogamalai in Karur district share a unique relationship —both are twins aged 14 and and are aurally challenged. Nature has dealt a double blow in endowing them with disability and poverty. Being daughters of poor stone quarry workers Veeramalai and Pakkiam, their aim is, well, to complete SSLC creditably. What next? Students of Standard VIII at the Panchayat Union High School, Naganoor, in Thogamalai Union of Karur district, Ramayee and Lakshmi could only explain with considerable difficulty that they would be content completing SSLC and not be a “further burden” to their parents who would be strained to educate them further. Born aurally challenged since birth, the twins could mutter or stutter just a few words that the listener would find it difficult to grasp. The inopportune sisters always prefer to go round together, legging the two km distance from their house to school. It was School Education Minister Thangam Thennarasu’s visit to their institution last week in connection with the path-breaking Active Learning Methodology (ALM) being implemented there that brought them into limelight. The Minister and accompanying officials sat through an hour-and-a-half of social studies class, interacting with their “classmates.” That interaction catapulted Ramayee to the immediate presence of the Minister and in no time her sister Lakshmi too was summoned. The ALM and its predecessor, Activity Based Learning, had scope for catering to physically challenged students like the sisters. But it was the ALM’s mind mapping exercise that brought out the variation in them — the difference in their thought process and the resultant grasp, though they are twins and always remain together. Gestures come in handy in interacting with them. Why do they want to quit schooling after SSLC? “Perhaps our parents may not educate us beyond SSLC. Already they are strained and we do not know how long we can pull on like this,” said Ramayee. When Collector T.N. Venkatesh came to know of their plight he promised them that the district administration would come to their rescue. Karur MP K.C. Palanisamy too promised to pitch in with his mite. Now, the sisters can see a ray of hope in their dream to pursue their education.
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