KOCHI: When we send our kids to school, we take various factors into consideration. Right from the infrastructure facilities to the qualification of the teachers and the ambience of the classrooms, everything features high on our list. But there are many children who don’t have the luxury to think of alternatives even if they don’t like the classrooms. The financial background of their families forces them to make do with schools where the classrooms look more like a ramshackle setup. However, a group of volunteers spearheaded by the Slow Claps Media, are setting things right.
The group has been going around transforming classrooms into beautiful, pleasant places of learning. “Classrooms are places where the children get to learn new things. In order to get them interested in the learning process, the ambience of the place needs to be exuding the right sort of energy,” said Sumi Thomas, one of the founders of Slow Claps Media. A pleasant setting always induces a positive energy in people, she added.
“Children need happy places to spend their time in. If they are greeted by drab walls with paint peeling off them, it will only dim the enthusiasm with which they come to school,” said Sumi. It is not their fault that they belong to the underprivileged class in the society, she added. “These kids too have the right to pursue their academics in a congenial atmosphere. We aim to provide the kids with the same,” she said.
The group enlivens the walls of the classrooms by painting pictures. “The pictures vary according to the age group of the students. The classrooms where the kindergarten classes are held we go in for alphabets, numbers and various cartoon characters that the children of that age group identify,” said Sumi. For those in the higher classes, the pictures or paintings are meant to pique the inquisitive side of the students.
“These kids need to think about the paintings which are mostly based on incidents in history or myths. All of this exercise is to make learning a happy experience for the children,” he said.
Till date, the group has spruced up more than 40 classrooms all over the country. “We have so far brightened up 38 classrooms in Kerala, Vapi (Gujarat), Delhi and Mumbai,” said Sumi. “Everyone at Slow Claps Media including the other cofounders Jayakrishnan G Pillai and Sreejith P A has been actively involved in the initiative,” she added.