The Weekly
Observer Volume 14 | Issue 4
BRIEFS
Schools refusing admission to migrant children Children from UP denied admission in government schools in Bangalore.
Page 2 Child laborers rescued by NGO 30 child laborers rescued from the footpaths of Bangalore.
Page 3
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
‘English’ teachers who can’t speak English Soumya Chatterjee Students of government
book.” Students usually repeat
schools in rural Banga-
what their teachers read
lore are taught English
from the book. Vish-
by teachers who cannot
wanath, a 5th standard stu-
speak the language.
dent
said,
“I
can’t
Suresh, parent of a stu-
understand much of it. I
dent of Devagere Primary
just repeat like the whole
School, which is under the
class.”
Gollahalli Panchayat said,
In Kumbalgodu Golla-
“If the teachers can’t speak
halli Primary and Upper
themselves, they can’t teach
Primary School, D.A. Na-
the kids. This is the reason
garathana, one of the four
why people send their chil-
teachers in the school said,
tioned any English language
ing on English education
dren to private schools if
“Little, little English I
teacher. The arts teacher
because they are afraid of
know.” B.S. Bhagyalakshmi,
takes English classes.”
they can afford it.”
the people’s reaction. He
In the Devagere Primary
another teacher, said, “I can
Gayathri, who teaches
School, Yashoda L, the as-
teach English for second
English, said, “It is very dif-
sistant headmistress, said, “I
standard but I face diffi-
ficult to teach the students.
Manjula S., Cluster Re-
cannot speak English my-
culty in speaking.”
There is no spoken English
source Person, Bangalore
self.”
The
only
said, “The whole issue has acquired a political color”.
other
In Kumbalgodu Golla-
training for teachers. Stu-
Rural of Department of
teacher in the school, Shan-
halli High School, headmas-
dents face difficulty in
Public Instruction, said,
tama, said, “I can teach
ter Gita T said: “The
learning grammar and pro-
“There should be subject-
English with the help of a
government hasn’t sanc-
nunciation.”
wise recruitment of teach-
Dr. Wooday P. Krishna,
Over 100 killed in rash driving 110 people including 18 minors killed due to rash driving in Bangalore
Page 4
M. Gangambika, PDO, Gollahalli Panchayat
an educationalist and social
teachers applying for the
activist from Bangalore, in-
post it has to be filled in."
dicated that the problem
Overall, there are 50 stu-
was twofold. He said,
dents in Devagere Primary
“Kannada is given too
School and 306 in the
much importance, due to
Kumbalgodu
which English gets neg-
High School who are af-
lected. In the modern
fected by this.
Gollahalli
world, learning English is a
Panchayat Development
must, whether we like it or
Officer, M. Gangambika
not”.
said, “Nobody has ever
He agreed that the gov-
Gayatri, one of the teachers in K Gollahalli School
ers. But if there are no
ernment is also not stress-
complained to me about this. I am unaware of it.”
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Tuesday, September 9, 2014
The Weekly Observer
Government school refuses admission to migrant children Ridhi Agrawal At least 20 children, aged between 5-10 years and belonging to migrant families, haven’t gone to school for the past six months. Around 30 families from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh migrated to Bangalore and are currently residing opposite Rajarajeshwari College and Hospital, Mysore Road. These families earn a living by selling soft toys off the highway. There is a system in place to educate migrant children. Once migrant families have been identified, teachers who know the language are appointed to teach children the basic skills at tent schools near
their dwelling, following which they are put main stream. According to the Department of Public Instruction, in the academic year 2013-14, 759 migrant children had been educated across Karnataka. For 2014-15, up to 31st August 2014, 2836 children have been educated, almost a threefold increase. Rakhi, 20, mother of Mansi, 3, and Nancy, 5, said, “There was a school nearby. One teacher came for around 15-20 days to teach the kids after which she stopped coming.” Ramesh, 16, (name changed) said, “Around 1516 children went to the school before it was shut down.”
The parents complained that their children couldn’t go to school even if they wanted to as no school is willing to admit them. Arun, 40 said, “The nearby government school, Nammur Prathamika Pathshala in Kengeri, refuses to admit these children as the medium of instruction is Kannada which they do not know.” Mrs. Prema, the principal of the school said, “These children don’t agree to study with the children in the school. They don’t have any manners and are indulging in stealing books and slippers.” She added that the children are irregular and since the school is near the highway, they might run away
Garbage dumped at a site which earlier housed a makeshift school for migrant children on Mysore Road
for which she doesn’t want to be held responsible. On highlighting this issue to the Department of Public Instruction, Mrs. Shamshunnisa, a project officer, said: “Officials have inspected the area where
these children live. An NGO has come forward to support these children. Once they get the Department’s approval, teachers will be sent to teach the students by next week.”
Hospital chief blames spitting patients for shoddy state of wards Sharangee Dutta The Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital claims that patients are responsible for the lack of sanitation. Dr. M.V. Prasanna Kumar, RMO of the hospital, said that the patients are responsible for the filth. “The patients spit and urinate everywhere. They should keep the hospital clean too. We do our job,” he said. The toilet cistern beside the ‘Triage Area’ in Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital was broken. “This is the best we can provide,” said a nurse. Tohit, 45, son of a patient said: “It is only because we can’t afford to go to a private hospital that we came here. Just because they treat us for free doesn't
Resident Medical Officer, Dr. Prasanna says patients don’t keep hospitals clean mean that the facilities have to be bad.” His father was admitted a few weeks ago due to a spinal cord problem. His wife said, “We are used to seeing dirty toilets in government hospitals.” Firdouse, 28, whose 4year-old daughter, Moorail, was admitted with urinal infection said, “There is one cleaner and four dustbins assigned to every ward.
Cleaners wash the toilets and empty the dustbins twice a day.” A pregnant woman who came for a check-up with her sister said: “It is silly of the RMO to think that we are responsible. The cleaners are supposed to check on the toilets frequently but they just clean the toilets twice a day. How is that enough considering that
there are so many patients?” The general ward in Victoria Hospital has seven beds with one washroom, a basin with defective taps and lights and a clogged toilet. The pediatric ward has three toilets which are unhygienic. There are no proper waiting rooms for patients who are seen lying
or sitting on the floor while waiting for their turn. Dustbins at the entrance of the toilet were overflowing and also contained used needles. Priya (name changed), a patient who is in her second trimester, said, “Due to shortage of beds, I have been sleeping on the hospital floor since the past three days.” She and her husband, Amjad, were asked to visit Victoria Hospital by the Hosur Government Hospital with the promise of better facilities. Several agencies provide cleaners to the hospitals who are appointed after going through various government procedures. “Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital is quite renowned. Hence, we ensure that all proper sanitary measures are undertaken,” added Dr. Kumar.
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Tuesday, September 9, 2014
The Weekly Observer
New ‘HOPE’ for child laborers Sreemoyee Chatterjee Thirty child laborers were rescued from a footpath and given shelter and education by HOPE, an NGO in Bangalore. Rama, 10, Ajay, 16 and Varun, 8 (names changed) were working as a vegetable vendor, a construction worker and a sweeper respectively. This was in violation of the Child Labor Prohibition Act. The children themselves want to go to school. “I hate to work with a broom and dirt. I love going to school, stand first in class and get a Dairy Milk chocolate in return,” said Varun. “The children are provided with a computer training course and spoken English classes. HOPE tries to train them until the age
of 18 and make them efficient enough to earn their own living after growing up,” said Veenappa, Rama’s mother, who could not afford her son’s education. Pooja, 11, and Riya, 16, (names changed) worked as domestic helps in city households. Pooja said, “Previously, I used to get a cup of rice in the evening and two dry chapattis at night after an entire day of hard work. Now, I do not have to work at all. I only learn rhymes and get a lot to eat throughout the day.” Riya was ill-treated by her employers. She said, “They hit me with an iron hanger once when I forgot to put salt in sambar.” Recently, she was admitted to Royal English Medium School and is preparing for her board examinations. N. Chowha Reddy, the
The three children who were rescued by the HOPE Foundation in Bangalore principal, said, “These children are no less in merit than the privileged ones in the city. They have shown noteworthy development in leaving behind their dreadful past. There are three tutors to help them at the hostel with their studies.” Mr. Mohan Kumar, coordinator of Child Welfare Committee, said, “The SAP Labs Centre of HOPE hostel had given home and hope to 30 children to live a new life. The Child Welfare
Committee handed over these children to HOPE that works for the betterment of their health and education.” Mr. Suraj Tripathi, one of the staff members of HOPE, said, “The poor little fellows are forced to indulge themselves in child labor instead of attending school at the age of 10 to 16 due to lack of money and food.” According to a survey conducted by US Department of Labor, India made a moderate
advancement in its attempt to wipe out the worst forms of child labor in 2012. They compared data from the reports of 2009, 2010 and 2011. Karnataka accounts for 4.53% of child laborers in India as of 2013, according to the Indian Labour Journal, 2013. “HOPE considerably contributed towards Bangalore’s effort in reducing the trauma of child labor,” said Maria Joseph, the Program Head of HOPE.
Anti drug campaign saves 25 children Raya Ghosh An anti-drug campaign was organized for 25 children who were rescued from the Yeswanthpur Railway Station. Sathi, which means a ‘friend’ in Hindi, is a nongovernmental organization which rescues children who are victims of substance abuse from railway stations. The campaign was organized by Sathi and spread over four weeks. Rescuing young drug addicts and reuniting them with their families was the main aim of this camp. Counseling along with informal education was provided to them, after which they were sent home.
Sathi conducts a rescue program in Yeshwanthpur Railway Station every day and recovers around 15-20 children. These children are addicted to drugs like inhaling solutions, marijuana, tobacco as well as alcohol. According to the NGO’s statistical reports, 37% of the children arrive at the station from Bihar, followed by 21% from Karnataka. Most of these children belong to the age group of 9-18 years. Shahdoot(name changed), 13, ran away from Bangladesh and was rescued today. “I don’t want to stay in Bangladesh as I had no work there. I want to work here,” said Shahdoot who is
also a school dropout. Counselors and teachers of Sathi said that most of these children do not prefer staying at home due to the prevalent family problems like marital issues and physical abuse. They added that children are unable to live in such conditions and hence, run away. By engaging themselves in meager jobs at the station, they earn money. This money is used for food and drugs, thereby indulging in such activities. Hari(name changed) was rescued from the station yesterday morning. “I want to work in the Mysore Dasara festival at a panipuri stall and earn money.
Counselor of Sathi, Divya with Gopal This is why I ran away from my home in Bihar,” said Hari. The Department of Women and Child Development and Integrated Child Protection Scheme support the camps conducted by Sathi. Also the Karnataka Police provides help to the NGO. Most of the children provide their wrong address, but original locations are tracked by the
police. Gopal Kumar (name changed), 13, who ran away from his home six times, was rescued by the staff two years back. He was addicted to inhaling solutions. “I stay with my grandmother now and aspire to become a military officer,” said Gopal, who is now in the 9th standard in Anand Social School.
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Tuesday, September 9, 2014
The Weekly Observer
Reckless driving claims 110 lives including 18 minors in six months C.L.Ramakrishnan One hundred and ten people, including 18 minors, were killed due to reckless driving in Bangalore from January to July 2014. East Zone Traffic Police Headquarters itself registered 271 reckless driving
have been taking tough actions against those who are involved in reckless driving. He said, “Several minors are involved in reckless driving and most of them are not even capable of handling the vehicles. Moreover, they don’t have a driving license.” Kumar, a tea shop owner in MG Road said,
and questioned a person driving recklessly, he punched me and sped away.” Traffic Expert Prof. M N Sreehari said, “Most of the people involved in reckless driving are aged between 15-30 years. No one can be blamed for one’s personal mishap rather than the per-
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic East Division, Mr Babu Rajendra Prasad
cases involving motorcycles during this period. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Mr. Dayanand said, “Reckless driving includes negligent driving, illegal drag racing, wheeling and exceeding the speed limit. We are trying our best to curb reckless driving from taking place.” The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic East Division, Mr Babu Rajendra Prasad said, “We
“People driving recklessly in this area is common. A month ago when I stopped
son who is driving recklessly. He not only puts his own life in jeopardy but also endangers the lives of people around him.” The traffic police have installed barricades on the roads to reduce the speed of the motorcycles and nab those who are involved in reckless driving. “We are concerned about the safety of the youngsters involved in reckless driving as we do not want them to lose their lives,” added Mr. Prasad.
Mobile Health Clinic covering ten remote villages in Karnataka Sreemoyee Chatterjee Vidyaranya
Mobile
Health Clinic provides health services to people in ten target villages in Chikkaballapur district at an affordable cost. The clinic runs with the support of Karnataka Health System Development and Reform project (KHSDRP), catering to ten remote villages and people residing in deep forests. Mr. Ramesh, the Director of Vidyaranya, said: “We provide primary, curative, preventive health services to people of the designated areas. We co-ordinate with the District Public Health Systems to improve the Millennium Development Goals such as Life Expectancy, IMR and MMR.” Mrs. Rachikana, the expert dealing with Mobile Health Clinic, said: “We work six days a week. On Wednesdays, we have Headquarter Days for the health clinic and the rest of the days, we visit the target villages.” She said: “Other than providing them with high quality medical treatment, we also arrange for health workshops in the headquarters. This helps in creating awareness about communicable diseases among the people.” Vidyaranya Survey Re-
port pointed out that the ten target areas that come under this health program are the villages of Pendlivarahalli, Marihalli, Maddegarahalli, Marganaparthi, Tutkachanahalli, S.M. Kondarajanahalli, Bandahalli, Nallacheruvanahalli, Doddathekhalli and Chikkathekhalli. Rachikana informed that the medical team consists of a professional doctor, two trained nurses, one pharmacist and one driver. The medical lab is well equipped with all the modern medical tools including all essential emergency drugs. It also has provision for HIV counseling. She said that the clinic caters to 800 beneficiaries including 400 children, 250 women and 150 senior citizens. “A high body tempo with 13 seats, medicine and instrument cabinet is kept ready to reach the target place at the correct time so that affected people do not suffer the consequences of being delayed,” said Mrs. Rachikana. Mr. Ramanuja, one of the patients said: “Earlier, we could never imagine taking medication as we could not afford the cost of our treatment. But now, Mobile Health Clinic has made it easier for us to cater to our health with quality treatment for little or no cost.”
OBSERVER Team: Editor - Tushar Kaushik, Chief Sub Editor - Sreemoyee Chatterjee, News Editor - R.Suharika, News Desk - Shruti Suresh,Sub Editors - Saheli Sen Gupta, Ridhi Agrawal, Subhash Arvindh Design Head -Raya Ghosh Design Desk - C L Ramakrishnan, Sameer Deshpande Picture Editor - Soumya Chatterjee Reporters - Vignesh S.G., Shalini Raja, Sharangee Dutta Proofreader - Samreen Tungekar