After a long time, I am once again happy to be associated with a school project which is locally conceived,locally driven, locally funded and locally executed. It is a formula that is sustainable...that has the ingredients of success.
This experiment is at the island of Divar in the Mandovi, an island that has not yet forgotton the flooding of its roads when man's greed made him breach the bunds for pisciculture and leabve them to the vagaries of the estuarine flow and the effects of the iron-ore laden barges that ply the river from the hinterland to the port. There are two Panchayats [ Goletim-Navelim and Piedade], two communidades and two Bonderam festivals[ Piedade and Malar/ San Mathias]. There are two schools ,too. There is one summer camp for all of the island. The project is all inclusive: the students, their parents, other villagers, teachers, ex-teachers, locals, bhaile, NRIs, non-resident natives[ the Menezes clan of Divar spread all over Goa and India,for example] are all involved in the project. A raffle has been floated to 1.raise funds , 2.to inform all the villagers about the camp and 3. to involve all the villagers. Anyone who has bought a raffle has contributed to the camp. Even the one that has not bought a raffle tickect would have been approached by a student and hence been informed about the event. Many who were not part of the planning process have volunteered to be a part of its execution. The island is aware of the summer camp. The camp caters to all needs: from vocational skills like tailoring and gardening to home skills like cooking to environmental skills like vermicomposting ,EM and garbage management to self defence through taekwondo to games like football and Kho-kho . A library is open to cater to the reading habit and a computer lab to learn a skill that has become as much a part of life today as writing skills. The primary school children have not been forgotten. They are learning not to have stage fear by being involved in stage items like song and dance. The teachers are not forgotten either: they are learning computer skills, a thing that some of their city counterparts have not accessed in their schools. The wonderful thing about the camp is that it is voluntary for both, the trainers and the participants. Each student or adult has chosen the mix of learning opportunities like s/he would have chosen at a buffet party or a 'a la carte' lunch . There are no fees and no honoraria. There is no hierarchy, no pecking order in the implementation of the project. One can contribute to its enrichment ...and it is welcomed. I have committed my involvement in the project over the next academic year and beyond. There is great potential to replicate this in other schools in Goa. Imitation is ,afterall, the best form of flattery. I am hoping that the DSE adopts this pattern in schools that do not have their own programmes as yet. Other managements can do likewise. There is in-house talent in most schools [teachers, students, ex-students, parents of students, neighbours of the school] that is waiting to be tapped. Some schools/colleges like St.Francis Xavier HS-Siolim, St.Britto HS-Mapusa, St.Xavier HS-Moira, Carmel HSS-Nuvem, St.Xavier's College-Mapusa and the Government colleges at Sanquelim, Khandola and Quepem have used these talents successfully. St.Brittos HS-Mapusa and St.Xavier-Moira have such programmes going on right now....absolutely free of charge for the students. It builds up their students,creates a sense of belonging and genuine pride in belonging to the institution. Other institutions can do as well or even better. Viva Goa. Miguel --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.543 / Virus Database: 337 - Release Date: 11/21/2003 ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
