Case Study: Kheli Meena – Back to Basics

Kheli Meena

Kheli Meena of Turkia village enrolled in grade 5, have illiterate parents engaged in agriculture labour. She has one elder brother (17 years, studying in grade 9) and two elder sisters (19 and 20 years both married and left school in primary grades). Prior to intervention by CULP, Kheli Meena, rarely attended school and was mainly engaged in supporting her family in agricultural activities. She had no interest in her studies. She expressed the reason of her disinterest in school and study, ‘Teachers do not teach and find wastage of time for attending the school’. She was very much ignorant (not taking care) about of hygienic habits and health. She was not able to read and write simple alpha-bets and not having basic mathematical skills. She was very much shy and hesitate to speak with other students and strangers.

The project field team members of CULP / community volunteer teachers contacted with the parents and girl child and interacted with them. They shared the child-friendly learning activities being organized by them in school and insisted parents to send their daughter and persuaded girl to attend school regularly. The community volunteer teachers also organized school learing activities (eg. Songs and games) with children in community and this girl child also joined some of these activities. This effort succeeded to inculcate interest in the child to attend school. Subsequently she joined school on regular basis since child-friendly learning activities were being organized in classroom situation and getting every child to participate actively in these activities.

After one year’s intervention of the project, we find significant change in the personality of the girl child. She started attending school on regular basis and actively participates in learning process with peers. She also takes active part in games and sports, cultural (songs, dance and role-play) and creative activities. She has achieved basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills (simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). She expresses herself without hesitation before others. She is aware about personal hygiene and health. Her parents are happy by her performance in study and taking care of cleaning house and her personal hygiene. They expressed that they will support Kheli’s study to be continued. Now, Kheli has become the inspiring factor / role model for other such children, especially adolescent girls.