Teachers
Kamlesh Kaur
Kamlesh Kaur teaches in a school in Village Kullian, near Amritsar, Punjab.
Kamlesh grew up in a village three kilometeres from where the Too Young To Work (TYTW) project school is now located. When she was a child, there were no schools in the area that focussed on eliminating child labour. Her childhood was difficult as she grew up in a poor family. Her family all work at the brick kilns in the area and her father spends his days loading and unloading bricks from trucks.
Kamlesh knows how hard the work is in brick kilns and how damaging it can be for the small children that work there. She has always liked children and had a dream to be a teacher one day. In 1997, when she heard that the school was starting she met with a local representative and told her she wanted to work at the school. By getting involved in the school she felt she could do something positive to help stop child labour.
When she arrived at the school, she had not had any formal training, but the school, understanding her background and her motivation for teaching, sent her to teacher training. There she learnt the skills to teach the children and each year she looks forward to the opportunities she has to upgrade her skills. Recently, the school organised a teacher from a Montessori school to come and give the teachers lessons on how to teach following those principles.
Kamlesh loves to teach and believes that by teaching she is also learning. She teaches 1st grade, which has 14 boys and 16 girls. The number of girls is particularly pleasing for Kamlesh because in India girls can struggle to get access to education.
As a teacher, she’s very involved in the local community and acts as a point of contact for the children and parents involved the school. She’s on the parent/teacher committee and works with parents to ensure their children attend class regularly.
On a personal level, she was married in 2005 and now has a small child. She is keen to continue her teacher training and would like to be trained to teach children in higher grades.
Uttam Kumar Thakur
Uttam Kumar teaches in a school in Bihar.
At 21 years old, Uttam is proud to be at teacher at the school he once attended a child. He’s happy, healthy and full of enthusiasm.
But life hasn’t always been so good for Uttam. He grew up in a very poor family with four brothers. When he was a small child his father was very ill and unable to work. His mother worked at the brick kiln but her income was not enough to support the family, so from the age of eight Uttam had to also work in the kiln.
For three years he carried the heavy bricks and water to make the bricks. He was harassed regularly at work by the brick kiln owners, and never had time to play like other children. The work was hot and difficult and Uttam was very unhappy.
His life changed when a local contact from the TYTW school visited his grandmother’s house. She asked Uttam’s grandmother to tell her about her grandson.
On hearing that he was at work she offered to arrange for Uttam to go to the school. The organiser then spoke with his mother, and she was very worried about what would happen to the family’s income if Uttam went to school. However, with the support of his grandmother Uttam was able to attend.
When he joined the school at age 11 he could read and write very little, what he had learnt he had picked up from sitting with other children who were attending school. Because of his limited literacy when Uttam arrived at school he joined 2nd grade.
Since that time he has worked hard and finished his schooling and made the decision to become a teacher at the school. Uttam knows how hard child labour is and decided he wanted be part of the solution by providing an alternative for kids like him.
He is now dedicated to helping eliminate child labour. As a teacher he enjoys contact with the children and works hard to continue his own education and recently gained his intermediate certificate. He has attended teacher training in Bombay and is enthusiastic about developing himself.
Uttam’s future looks bright and his dedication to teaching is continuing to make a difference to the children he teaches.
Savitri Devi
Savitri Devi teaches in a school in Etah, near Agra.
At 30 years old, Savitri has a fire in her eyes and an energy about her that is impossible to miss when you meet her. She is a teacher at the TYTW project school in Etah and has been with the school since it was first established in 1995. When she joined 80 children were taught under trees in the yard, there were no desks, toilets or permanent buildings and the teachers were unpaid. Now the school has a permanent building made possible by the funds raised by TYTW.
Savitri is not from the local community, she grew up in another state in India. When she was just 16 she moved to Uttar Pradesh to get married. She always had an interest in teaching and when she heard about the school being set up she let the local organisers know she was interested. She had two children who were ready to attend school and her husband supported her decision to become a teacher.
Despite there being no buildings when the school started, parents knew how dedicated the teachers were and sent their kids to the school rather than sending them to work. When the school opened the teachers taught on a voluntary basis. With the assistance of TYTW all the teachers now receive a decent wage for their work. In addition, Savitri has continued to educate herself and has obtained her teaching qualifications with the support of the school. She now has a Bachelor of Arts and would like to complete a Master of Arts.
Tragically, in 1997, Savitri’s husband died leaving her the sole income earner for the family and working in a society where life as a widow can be very hard. The school has provided her with not only an income, but also a purpose in life. She is committed to being the best teacher she can be and is determined to improve the lives of the children she teaches. The teachers are well respected in the local community and she plays an active role in the community as a part of the parent/teacher committee.
Since the permanent building was opened. Savitri has noticed an increase in the enthusiasm of the teachers and the children. The structure makes people feel the school is permanent and this is confirmed by visits from international donors and local government officials.
Savitri’s own two boys also attend the school and are 9 and 14 years old. They aim to grow up to be a lawyer and a doctor, something they can now achieve thanks to the school established by TYTW.
