Nagapattinam tuition classes

We have started regular tuition classes for the 22 ST children at Porayar in Nagapattinam District. We have engaged a trained teacher Mr. Ravichandran holding Bsc,., BEd degree to take the classes. He is working on PTA posting in a local high school. The children are studying various classes from 4th to 11th. He will take classes for four hours a day - two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

The students of primary classes are in very bad shape - they are not able to read even simple sentences in Tamil. So, the teacher's priority for the primary classes will be to make them read and write flawlessly in Tamil. For other classes, he will guide them in lessons. He will hold tuition for each class thrice a week. On rotation all the classes 4th - 10th will be covered. All the 22 children will visit the tuition classes everyday, but will be asked to write tests on the remaining four days.

HM will pay Rs 1000 per month as salary to the teacher. The marks obtained by the students in the recent half-yearly examinations are being noted down. We will review the progress after three months and if the students show improvement, we will continue the scheme.

Renuka, a girl from the community, who is a volunteer of Safai Karamchari Andolan (organisation working to root out manual scavenging) will coordinate with the teacher and ensure that the children attend classes regularly.

The classes are now being conducted in a room at Bala's house (One of HM Members). If the classes prove successful, the teacher will find a new location later.