MADURAI: The teachers of Dr T Thirunanam Primary School in the city have adopted a novel way to raise awareness on child abuse through traditional puppet shows, drawing attention and admiration. The pandemic took a toll on children and their education at the government-aided school. With online education becoming the new normal, many students are compelled to sit idle as they don’t have smartphones or televisions.
The government took the initiative to educate students through Kalvi TV channels soon after educational institutions were shut in March. Keeping this in mind, the teachers of Dr T Thirunanam Primary School have been taking classes at children’s doorsteps since July. Besides academics, they taught the children farming and manure-making.
If anyone visits Chinthamani, Viraganoor, Sakkimangalam, Panaiyur or Kalmedu, where the students reside, they will come across several puppet shows being held to raise awareness on child abuse among the students. This usually takes place on weekdays between 10 and 11 am. On visiting Kalmedu, this reporter saw nearly 50 children, accompanied by their mothers and grandmothers, seated on a mat and watching the puppet show attentively as famous fictional characters appeared on the screen and greeted the kids. The children gleefully greeted them back.
Thereafter, string puppets were used to enact a situation in which a girl was watching TV at home when her parents went to work, and using this opportunity her grandfather, who lived nearby, lured her with ice cream and chocolates. He tried to physically abuse her and she immediately started shouting. She called out the significance of the POCSO Act and child helpline 1098.
Besides using string puppets, the teachers lent their voices for the background ambience. After every such show, the teachers ask the kids questions to check what they understood and clarify doubts, if any. Similarly, through puppetry, they perform various awareness programmes on child sexual abuse, child marriage, the significance of discipline, and the emergency number ‘100’, among other things.
Speaking to Express, K Saravanan, headmaster of Dr T Thirunanam Primary School said, “Puppets have been used since ancient times not only to entertain but also to communicate ideas. Also, they can help develop oral language skills and help children learn and understand the world. After Covid-19 struck, the number of cases of child abuse shot up. We usually teach children about good touch, bad touch, and the POCSO Act. It is also important to ensure their safety when they are alone at home.
Puppetry is an important medium to understand a child’s world and mould their understanding.” Two years ago, he attended a month-long training programme on ‘puppetry’ at the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) in Hyderabad. Thereafter, he started training his fellow teachers and others who were willing to learn the art form, he added.
Stressing on the need for such awareness, another teacher, T Thangaleela said, “Apart from raising awareness, we keep an eye on children’s behaviour and if we see anything unusual, we talk to the child.”M Selvasundari, a student of Class 5, said the puppet show taught her the importance of dialling the helpline and emergency numbers, when required. She got the courage and confidence to fight against any form of abuse, she said.
Parents too agree that instances of child abuse are on the rise during the ongoing confinement due to Covid. Meenakshi, a parent from Kalmedu, said, “Here, many parents belong to economically-weaker sections. Though we know leaving our children alone at home is not safe, we need to do it to make ends meet. Teachers here come to our doorsteps to teach our kids academics and moral values. This makes us feel our children are on the right path.”