Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya in Gorthan is a unique school. Located in the Gorthan village of Palghar district, the school bridges the educational gap for young girl students of a school going age who have dropped out and not been able to complete their education due to reasons such as domestic responsibilities from an early age, lack of funds, inaccessibility to a nearby school, and other such challenges. The all-girls boarding school caters to 172 students of which 50 students attend classes IX and X 100 students attending Classes VI, VII and VIII.
As per the RTE (Right to Education) Act, free education is provided in this school. Facilities via e-learning (video-recorded lectures, audio visuals, animation and graphics) through Maharashta Prathamik Shikshan Parishad (MPSP) are provided. In this school that has faced multiple challenges, live education through seminars and classes was provided and during the pandemic, they were taught through mobile phones.

The transformation is a glowing example of the power of the collective, and has been built on the twin principles of bhoodaan (donation of land) and shramdaan (voluntary contribution involving physical activity). In other words, the big landowners agreed to donate some part of their land for the larger cause of the village while the small peasants toiled away to meet these goals.

This intervention was led by Project Chirag in alliance with their grassroot partner, Diganta Swaraj Foundation.

Keeping in mind the objective of educating the girl child, the central government decided to dedicate its energies in helping and funding the school. The centre started classes VI, VII and VIII and the state government further added classes IX and X. I too, believe that real progress is when the girl child gets educated and it is very important for them to study. A student who learns from us and goes back to her village is closely observed by other villagers, on whose basis they also decided to put their girl child in our school

- Headmistress Kalpana Bhoir
“What we teach is reflected back at their homes. I have also had instances where these young girls have come to us and said that our marriages have been fixed. So then our school teachers have personally gone and counselled the parents of these kids, emphasizing that they are bright, deserving and capable students and must not be married off and should be allowed to pursue even higher education. After their parents are counselled, they are happy that their daughters have access to education. Now, there is a change in the mindset. There is scope for higher education in the district so they can always go out after completing their 12th board exams,” added Bhoir.

Problems of water supply, access to clean drinking water, lack of outdoor safety, and deteriorating health of the students, were some of the common problems the school dealt with. The school was not fully electrified, extensive load shedding was common), and potable drinking water was obtained from the well a few kilometres away for which the school would have to send a tanker. An iIntervention by Project Chirag has helped in solving a lot of problems at the school, but there are some other challenges that the teachers there still grapple with.

“A detailed discussion on the location and installation process of the filtration unit and street light to ensure their effectiveness, took place. We engaged in a discussion on women empowerment and careers with the girls – to understand their perspective for scholarship planning. A continuous dialogue allowed us to understand their requirements and propose the appropriate interventions. They now even receive a regular supply of clean water,” said a member from Project Chirag.

The plant works on ultra-filtration technology. It’s power-efficient and a good idea for a village that suffers from the irregular electricity supply, he adds. Furthermore, the overhead tank is connected to taps across the village.

“A detailed discussion on the location and installation process of the filtration unit and street light to ensure their effectiveness, took place. We engaged in a discussion on women empowerment and careers with the girls – to understand their perspective for scholarship planning. A continuous dialogue allowed us to understand their requirements and propose the appropriate interventions. They now even receive a regular supply of clean water,” said a member from Project Chirag.

The challenges are many for a dedicated Manisha Patil, who has been teaching English there for 10 years.

The availability of clean drinking water has led to a drop in the cases of water-borne diseases in the village. “Earlier our stock of 50 tablets (for cough, fever and dysentery) would last for about two months. But our last stock lasted for eight months!” said the resident ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker.

The tap water facility was followed by the construction of public toilets in the hamlet. This has brought down the instances of open defecation and made the women feel safer.

“Earlier, we had to wait till the dark or venture out very early in the morning to the fields. And it was always embarrassing to take someone along to relieve ourselves. [But] after the construction of toilets, we don’t have to worry about our security,” says another woman anonymously.

“The children who attended the school are tribals from backward areas and belong to uneducated families. After they last drop out, and re-join our school, we have to begin from scratch (by teaching alphabets). Communicating with them is often a challenge because they do not understand anything else apart from their own dialect. Sometimes we use their own dialect to make them learn and understand things like manners and etiquettes. The biggest challenge is to first get them mentally prepared to study as all of them have a gap of a year or more so they have gone blank.”

The electrical energy received from the grid activates the main control board that draws water from the dam and stores it in the overhead tank. Narendra Ghane, a 30-year-old farmer, who is in charge of operating the main control board, says, “The dam caters to Warghad and Gumbadpada villages. I run the motor for two to three hours every day to meet our requirements and fill up the tank.”

Clean energy and lighting have had far-reaching effects. Around 108 households in Warghadpada today have solar home lighting systems comprising of two bulbs, mobile charging facility and a portable lantern installed under Project Chirag. The farmers are able to save close to Rs100 per litre, which they would earlier spend to run the kerosene lamps. The lamps would also give off dangerous fumes, which the villagers don’t have to put up with any more.

Today, the girls at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya are finally having conversations on their dreams for the future. Dreams of studying further, of being policewomen and even doctors. Empowerment and education in perfect synergy are a recipe for spectacular change.

These sustainability programmes have addressed the issue of migration in this tribal village. Labourers, who had returned to their homes during the pandemic, now grow and sell their farm produce in the open markets.

However, education does remain a challenge and it has suffered further because of the pandemic. On the one hand, schools and junior colleges within the Zila Parishad aren’t fully equipped to impart e-learning. On the other hand, many children haven’t been able to take online classes since the lockdown because their parents do not own a phone, leave a smartphone.

Stories of change