ABC Nee Vaasi ! - English is never a stumbling block for the rural kids....

ABC Nee Vaasi ! 

English is never a stumbling block stone for the rural kids....

There has been a stigma over the years that the rural kids can't learn English and it is an uphill task for the kids and people in village to interact in English.  Theoretically , many things has been told like English is not a difficult language, it is just another language etc.,. But when it comes to practical, only a few works towards what has been said theoretically. 

" It’s kind of fun to do the impossible " - Words of Walt Disney. How many of us see it as fun, is a million dollar question. There is always a risk involved in trying to do the thing which is impossible. But those who are ready to take the risk, can bring the change. 

I Went to an unusual event yesterday by the name "ABC Nee Vaasi" at Pitty Tyagaraya Hall, Chennai. As the name suggests, this is an event related to English by the Eureka primary school students from the "Vembakkam" village in Kanchipuram. I used the term "Unusual Event". Yeah, truly it's an unusual event for me or modestly I can tell, I have never came across any such event. This event showcased the students' abilities in English in all the verticals - Reading, Speaking, Analytical, Reasoning etc., It has been exhibited in the form of game shows and competitions. 

The games has been categorized and the questions are set based on the standards in which the students studies ranging from 1st standard to 5th standard. I personally amazed on seeing the performance of these kids. First thing was their stage presence. The children did't show any sort of stage fear at all. They are very much confident in what they do. In my opinion and my experience, the first step in learning English or any foreign language is to eliminate the fear of that language. These kids have handled it exceptionally well. They are very confident, even if they are wrong - they are not showing the hesitation. That too in front of 100+ audience. 

I must honestly admit that few of the questions have made me to think a long time to find the answer, but these kids have replied at a lightning speed. Even for some questions, I wondered that how the students of this age can answer , But yet again these children proved it. The confidence and the speed at which they are answering were really amazing. 

One thing which needs to be appreciated is, the school not just brought the students from that village, but also brought their parents. I am sure that their parents were proud of their kids and it is a kind of enlightenment which can make them think like we too can interact in English. As an audience, I observed the feel of the parents. Also for some questions, the parents started mumbling the answers... 

The teachers are playing the huge role in it and also the management. It is an uphill task but not an impossible one. They also had a book-stall at the event and I have gone through their materials. Only a stronger basement can bring the stronger building. As such, the materials are too good and provides the stronger basement. They have also shown the video of how they teach the students and also some volunteers have spoke about their teaching methodology. It is truly amazing and an eye-opener for all other schools even in the city !

The speech of Mrs.Vasanthi Devi, Mr. Balaji Sampath who are the backbones of these Eureka Schools have revealed that they want to be the MODEL school in all the ways. And this event has proved that it is going in a right direction. There is no media coverage, no publicity, no hype. But this event being an eye-opener, should be made known to the people and hence I am writing this post in my blog. I am eager to witness their next event and kudos to the entire team who is behind the success of this event "ABC Nee Vaasi". As I usually say in my posts, Be the change and make a difference, here is one change which can make a difference. 

You can get to know more about this school by visiting their website : http://www.eurekachild.org/

With Cheers,
Deepak Raghuraman