THE DAY WHEN MY SCHOOL LEARNT WHAT INCLUSION REALLY MEANS
What happens to a School when 20 students from an impoverished background is suddenly admitted to a school?
In year 2010, 20 students were admitted under a Rajasthan Govt sponsored scheme to our school, all hailing from the Sansi community. Parents were either into scavenging work, some without jobs, while some were into illegal activities.
After the initial “shock” to the parents,students and teacher community, things settled down. The initial challenges were about hygiene- these students didn’t know about the concept of daily baths, brushing, combing or plaiting hair. Many had no shoes,came in chappals. They all came to school on an as-is basis. The Govt did not provide for shoes,stationary and like. In any case, what they provided as reimbursement of fees, books,etc was not enough.
Teachers and myself, all chipped in. We got shoes from an NGO, I bought tiffin boxes and stationary boxes. School provided notebooks. We allotted a support staff for helping the children with brushing hair, polishing shoes,etc.
The next challenge was acceptance and integration with other students; parents were adamant, demanding creation of separate section while we were determined to integrate them with others. Claims of abusive language, pilfering, stealing of school items were rampant, some true while some were fictitious.
Another challenge was bridging the gap between what school was expecting and what was actually the reality. The struggle was uphill and quite difficult. Some teachers were gung-ho with the extra work while others claimed it was difficult to work. One teacher who till today is in my conscience was an aged otherwise mature lady, who point blank refused, claiming that she could not work with these students as they “smelled”. That was the day when I actually felt deep anger, made me more determined to prove everyone wrong. My resolve to prove that these children mattered became harder and stronger.
What happened next?
Life happened. Over the years; these kids found their passion and became excellent sports persons, public speakers, singers. Every event, function, trip was their calling card. Their persona changed, self esteem grew. They became their own person.
This batch of students passed out their AISSE in year 2023. The lowest percentage within the group was 60% while the highest was 86%.
Of all the 39 years I worked as Principal, this batch will remain in my heart forever.
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💥 Ipsita Choudhury,
School Leader
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I write about School Leadership, Learners & My Journeys
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I post every Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 9 AM IST
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