"Of course!", I replied reassuringly, "Just ask anything you need to learn in school".
In early January this year, I had accompanied Usha Rao and her friends to a village school in Bannerughatta, well known for its National Park. Usha and her friends conducted a quick test to identify students who were weak in Kannada and Maths. I picked one of the boys and stuck a conversation with him. He clearly didn't like being identified as a 'weak' student. So I offered to give him anything he needs to be able to catch up with the rest of his class. That is when he threw me a challenge.
"Anything? anything at all?", he probed again. "Sure! Go ahead and ask", I goaded him. He hesitated for a moment and then spoke:
"Will you give me two sheets of paper?", raising two fingers of his right hand. "Two sheets?", he reiterated thrusting his right hand for the second time.
I was taken aback. Composing myself quickly, I replied "Done! You will get your two sheets of paper today". His face broke into a broad smile.
"What do you plan to do with it?", I probed him.
"I want to practice writing Kannada on big sheets at home", he offered. His hesitation vanished. He was now speaking freely.
"How many sheets can you write in an evening?", I probed him again.
"I can write five sheets!", he boasted, spreading out all his fingers of his right hand.
"Very good!", I patted him on the back. "Why then did you ask just for two sheets?"
"I wasn't sure if you would give me five sheets. I didn't want to appear greedy", he confessed.
My interactions with students in village schools is peppered with many such moments of truth. Moments that prove the futility of analysis of statistical data on teacher-student ratios, teaching methods and the latest fad - toilets.
I spoke to our mentors and teachers about his need and helped him get ten sheets of legal size ruled paper -- five to write that evening and five more to keep in his bag. Next day, he can take as many sheets as he has written the previous day so that he always has ten blank sheets with him. The boy raced around the class telling everyone about his new found treasure. Soon I was mobbed with requests for sheets from other students too. I reassured everyone that they will all get as many sheets as they can write everyday from their teacher. Some students wanted new books to read. I took them to the library where newly bought books were being catalogued. Each one got a book . They all insisted that I take a photo of them with their new book:
Sikshana has been running a sheet bank program in all our schools where students can take as many sheets they need to practice writing at home. This initiative helped every weak student catch up with the rest in just three months time with no extra effort on the part of teachers. Students were free to use any source, not just their textbook. They could also write anything but only sheets with paragraphs are counted. This has not only triggered a stiff competition amongst students to see who writes the most but also expanded the scope of their reading habit to non-textbook sources. Here is a typical example of the difference in writing capability over a period of three months:
But will not the students waste paper? Will not paper be diverted for other uses? In 2009-10, Sikshana spent Rs. 65/- per student per year towards sheet bank program with an unprecendented outcome in learning levels. The figures for 2010-11 is not yet computed but I expect it to be slightly higher because teachers requested special ruled papers and graph sheets. Trust in students and teachers proved to be much more effective and economical compared to micro monitoring systems.
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