A Tribal Girl's Schoolday
This is an article written by Sarita, a six-year-old tribal girl from Orissa, India. Sarita is a very poor tribal girl who belongs to a family and community of total illiterates. She lives in a tiny hamlet up in the hills.
I am Sarita. I am six years old. I am the youngest of the seven children of my parents. I live in a small village. I am a sponsor child with Plan, my sponsor is from Germany. I am a tribal girl. My parents are poor and live as daily wage labourers.
I used to spend most of my time looking after the cattle or doing household work. All children in my village also spent their time like me. No one ever went to school. The nearest school was 10 miles away. None of the parents had money either. Nobody in my village taught us (children) to read or write.
Three years ago, when Plan staff visited our village and asked the committee to send children to the pre-school or bridge school, I was very happy. My parents did not agree and I cried for many days. The village committee and Plan made my parents send me to the pre-school.
The pre-school was very far from my house – more than five hours by bus. It was in a big town. All in the pre-school were tribal children from the hills, like me. I liked this very much. I lived in the school hostel with the other children.
I learnt English for the first time in the pre-school. I studied very hard and got first rank in the class. Then, Plan selected me to study at De Paul School, a very big school.
Plan staff helped me in facing the big school. My classroom was full of children. I was now in Class I. I had to wear uniform, badge, shoes. I liked my uniform very much. I studied very hard. All my classmates were from the town. They were not from the hills. They went back to their parents (homes) everyday after the school. I went to my hostel after school.
My class teacher is very nice. I also became the class leader. In the half yearly examination I got second rank in my class. I got 97 per cent in my class. My class teacher told me that I missed the first rank by just two marks.
Because of the pre-school, I now know a lot of songs. In this school I got first prize in a singing competition. I also got second prize in fancy dress and third in the running competition.
I enjoy my school. I want to thank everyone in Plan, and my sponsor in Germany who is helping me to study. I will grow up and become either a staff of Plan, or a teacher who will teach the other children like me up in the hills.
|
|
