HYDERABAD: Whenever I mention Singareni Colony to a GHMC official, the response is usually: ‘Notorious place’,” Professor Sujatha Surepally, founder of the Dalit Women’s Collective, recounts. Tagged such for its high crime rate, Singareni Colony, situated in Santhosh Nagar circle, grapples with multi-faceted challenges that threaten the well-being of its residents, — a majority of whom come from SC and ST communities, apart from a few immigrants.
For a child growing up in such a background, it is very easy to give up and resort to a life on the margins. To break the cycle of poverty and deprivation, Surepally, who is also a professor at Satavahana University, has been running 11 learning centres for the past two years. As many as 300 children from marginalised backgrounds are taught basic language, arithmetics and science by the teachers, who are youths from the locality who completed their Intermediate education.
The centre offers regular classes in mathematics, language and computer skills. Additionally, during the summer months, karate, drawing, dance, cricket and carrom are organised. These recreational activities not only engage children but also provide a safe space away from abusive families and predatory surroundings, Surepally tells TNIE.
Through her interactions with the residents and social workers, Surepally found that garbage, a seemingly innocuous issue, lay at the root of Singareni Colony’s myriad problems. A large amount of waste was dumped near an empty plot of land near the VAMBAY (Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana) houses. Before the Republic Day celebration this year, which was presided over by Tipparthy Yadaiah, Deputy Commissioner, GHMC, Surepally implored GHMC officials to clear the area, but her requests fell on deaf ears, prompting her to spend `10,000/per month out of her pocket, so that it can be used as a classroom and play area from now.
Many children used to have to navigate through flowing drainage, particularly during the rainy season, to access the sole government primary school in the area. Diseases like malaria and dengue are common. “All the problems that persist in this area are invariably linked to the life of the child. Children get affected by unhealthy, unsafe and unhygienic environments. There are issues of mental health among children who come from abusive homes,” Surrepally remarks.
Covering the basics
Parents enrol their children in these learning centres for a multitude of reasons, with one major factor being that the classes are free apart from the fact that the teachers pay special attention to students, something that is almost impossible in most government schools.
Sethupalli Yadaiah, a home guard residing in Vanasthalipuram, has been sending his son Kiran to the learning centre for a year. “This place is far from my home but I have seen my son improve in his studies. He confidently says that he can understand his coursework now. After failing in Class 9, I wanted to look for a place to cover his basics and also provide support for Class 10,” he adds.
Many residents feel sending their kids to government residential schools — popularly known as gurukul schools — will help them and keep them away from the predatory environment.
Verapaga Shobha Rani, a nurse in a nearby private hospital, has been sending her two children for the past four months so that they can be enrolled into gurukul schools. “We live in a rented house. My work involves helping with childbirth, hence long working hours. My children, a boy and a girl studying in Class 4, need support and guidance to do well in academics and I feel that they are in safe hands when they are at the learning centre,” she shares.
No kid left behind
The Dalit Women’s Collective, alongside corporate social responsibility funds garnered by iLocal, an initiative of the Hyderabad Urban Lab, has made some efforts to alleviate the community’s problems through clean-up drives, learning centres and adding public infrastructure, like parks, in the area.
“We have seen a lot of positive changes among children who come to the learning centre. They are doing well in their studies and getting good feedback from their school teachers,” says Fatima, a 22-year-old teacher at the centre.
However, Surepally says a sustainable solution is required to the problems of Singareni Colony where consistent governmental intervention and community mobilisation are necessary.
Sharing her experience of teaching, Vankdavath Anjali, a teacher-volunteer at one of the centres, tells TNIE, “Here, about 50% of the children are falling behind in their skills compared to peers in their grade and age. There are children in Class 4 who cannot read simple sentences. In my one year of teaching, I have started with letter identification, helping them build two-letter words and gradually I brought them up to a level where they can read a paragraph with 7–8 lines and then simple stories.”
Of the 30 kids she has taught, 10 were slow learners, she says, adding that besides teaching them basic arithmetic and language, the teaching volunteers at the centre also conduct sessions to educate children about personal safety and well-being.
Talking about the state of education in government schools, Anjali says that most teachers focus on finishing the textbook syllabus due to which a few of the children, who are not able to work on their competencies, stay behind. “The burden just keeps on accumulating on them. Here, we give personal attention to the children, see where they lack and work with them accordingly,” she explains.
Being associated with the Dalit Women’s Collective, she says she has experienced a certain kind of freedom and familiarity being with other women. “Madam (Sujatha Surrepally) has even helped me with personal problems. I used to live in VAMBAY houses until a couple of months ago and one day, while getting down the damaged staircase, I sprained my leg. She helped me get treatment for it,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sampangi Sukanya, who handles administration at the local government high school, says parents appreciate the breakfast provided by the Dalit Women’s Collective. “There are 396 children — from Classes 6 to 10 — in the school. Parents pass on their burdens as well as hopes to us. They feel happy about the breakfast initiative, which has also helped maintain the attendance of children. Most of them don’t eat anything before coming to school,” she adds.