Some experiences of the Adolescent Girls

Badgujaran: Usha

Usha is 20 years old, too old for school according to her parents.  She says that they're not happy about the fact that in a little over a month she will be taking the Government of India primary education equivalency exam and that she wants to study in 6th class in a nearby government school.

But Usha is firm.  She says that she doesn't want to get married, move to her in-laws and have children.  She wants to become an eye doctor. 

 

Clearly, this dream will be a difficult one to achieve for a village girl who spends most of her day weaving carpets to help support the family.  However, one must consider that four years ago, when her Kishori Samooh, or adolescent girls' group, was organized by Bodh Shiksha Samiti in her village, she was not even literate, had never had the chance to go to school.  Today, with the education she has gained in the Samooh, she is feeling confident about the coming exam and tenaciously holds to the idea of attending school outside the village.  She says that she only wishes that her parents too, could learn about the ideas that they discuss in Kishori Samooh.

 

Guru Teg Basti: Julie

 

Julie, a 15 year old girl from Guru Teg basti in Jaipur, is quite different from the outspoken Sikh women in her community.  She seems shy and reserved, sweet and thoughtful.

 

Even though she comes from a struggling family of 11 children, Julie managed to pass 8th class in her basti's Bodhshala, and for a while attended government school.  For a variety of reasons, Julie dropped out.  She says she was needed at home to help care for and support the large family.  Besides, the teachers in the government school weren't like those in the Bodhshala.  They weren't interested in her education and didn't push her to study hard.

 

Today Julie attends her basti's Mahila Samooh on a daily basis.  It is welcome break from the stitching work that she does in her home to supplement the family income.  She says that she likes going because the others girls from her basti are there, and most importantly, if there is something that she is curious about, if there is something that she wants to learn, she can do so there.     

 

Amagarh: Rajiya

 

It is clear that Rajiya’s family values education.   After all, they have sent all of their sons and daughters, with the exception of Rajiya herself, to both community and government school.  After completing fifth class at the Bodhshala across from her house, she was unable to attend government school because she can’t walk.  Rajiya suffered from polio in her childhood, and though she has had twelve operations to improve the growth of her legs, she will never be able to stand.  It seems unfair that Rajiya, who comes from the most progressive family in Amagarh, a Muslim slum of Jaipur, would have to miss her chance at education because of such a preventable disability.

 

However, Rajiya is continuing to study at Mahila Samooh, where she has lessons in Hindi, Urdu and English.  She says that English is her favorite.  Rajiya proudly states that she is able to attend the Samooh everyday, since it meets in her home.  While a conversation with her mother makes it clear that day-to-day life is not easy for Rajiya, Mahila Samooh seems to bring out the best in her.  She is all smiles during the hour that the Samooh meets, arriving early with her notebook, and chattering away with her teacher, and the friends who had come to her home to learn.