RESOURCES

Going to School in India

The basic minimum for this exploration, adapted for the study of another part of the world, would be good internet images.

We are fortunate that there is far more for the study of India. Read on for …

• Projected images• Book• Mini-books• Video material – Teachers’ TV

There are many images on the web of children going to school in various parts of India.

You and/or your class can search for these and use them in this study in your classroom. Use your preferred search engine in image mode, or search Flickr or Picasa.

It is easy to represent a wide variety of environments and modes of transport, which will make children in England wish their journeys were more exciting!

Some of the examples I share here are free for me to publish under the Creative Commons licence. The additional ‘Photos’ PowerPoint uses my own images.

Resources: internet images

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School-kids-going-to_school.jpg

“This picture was taken in Jharkhand, India from a moving car. These school children are travelling to their school.”

katertw.blogspot.com/2008/01/rajasthan.html

“This week, I have been to Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, which are all towns in Rajasthan, in India. In the cities, I have seen lots of children going to school on their bicycles. They all wear uniforms, like in England.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040702/nation.htm

Children from Dobra Jageer cross Ajnal river on a single-rope bridge for going to school in Adampur Chawni, near Bhopal on Thursday, July 1, 2004

© The Tribune

“School children getting on their regular school bus, yet having discarded their regular school uniforms.”Varanasi (Benares), India.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahron/148321419/

Photo: Ahron de LeeuwCreative Commons

Tamil Nadu

“Kids hopping aboard their rural school "bus" in the morning don't miss the opportunity

to smile and wave for the camera (and holler, but you can't hear that in a picture).” 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/2832084021/

Photo: mckaysavageCreative Commons

Kids in India get to school on foot, by rickshaw, or by school bus. They walk across bamboo bridges, navigate noisy city streets teeming with traffic, or trek through deserts. They come because they believe going to school can change their lives. In India, learning takes place in many creative ways. Nine-year-old Amla learns from an outdoor puppet show. Thirteen-year-old Devki, the prime minister of a Children’s Parliament, attends a night school for girls that is lit by solar lanterns. Captivating photographs and an engaging text tell the stories of real children going to school across a vibrant, diverse, and exciting country.

What is it like to go to school in India?From the review in THE HINDU newspaper, 21/12/2004

Going to school in India can be a wild ride. Kids get to school on foot, by school bus, or by camel cart. They zip over raging rivers in swings, climb mountains, or navigate busy city streets. The schools they go to are just as varied. “School” can be a city classroom, a railway platform, or even a walk through nearby hills. Captivating photographs and a vivid text tell the stories of real children going to school across a diverse country.

Going to School in India by Lisa Heydlauff

Charlesbridge, MA 2005

Resources: book

… a taste of the book …

Teachers’ TV website holds the entire 75 minute video, “Going to School in India”, and also the individual children’s stories – see below.

Going to School in India - Going to School in the Lakehttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29289 - A focus on education in IndiaGoing to School in India - Going to School in a Bushttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29290 - A focus on education in IndiaGoing to School in India - Going to School in a Tribehttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29291 - A look at the Saura tribe and how children are schooledGoing to School in India - Going to School on a Boathttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29292 - The Indian children who travel to school by boatGoing to School in India - Going to School in a Monasteryhttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29293 - An insight into education in IndiaGoing to School in India - Going to School in a Mud Deserthttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29294 - An insight into education in IndiaGoing to School in India - Going to School in the Darkhttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29295 - A look into girls roles and education in IndiaGoing to School in India - Going to School on Wheelshttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29296 - A new wheelchair enables one boy access to an educationGoing to School in India - Going to School on a Mountain Tophttp://www.teachers.tv/video/29297 - Focus on a school high in the mountains on the Tibet border

http://www.teachers.tv/video/29288 Resources: Teachers’ TV videos

10 mini-books (16 pages), each full of images and details about one child’s life. Each contains a map to show the (approximate) locations of the schools.

http://goingtoschool.com/

Excellent for small group research or private reading/research.

Resources: mini-books

• You can sometimes obtain Going to School in India from www.amazon.co.uk but beware vastly inflated prices from some booksellers.

•A better source is the Development Education Centre, South Yorkshire, Scotia Works, Leadmill Road, Sheffield S1 4SE (0114) 241 2750 www.decsy.org.uk

•DECSY can also obtain the small book versions of individual children’s stories, developed from the complete book.

•Videos of some of these children’s experiences are also available from Teachers’ TV.

Obtaining the resources used to explore India