Friends of 3L Distribute Bag of Stationary Items to Govt. Primary School, Panaji
Panaji-Goa: Between the old Education Department building and the Pharmacy College, along the 18th June Road, Panaji, the Government Primary School Ramdas is situated. It is a Kannada medium primary school from standard one to four. There are 58 students and two KG students. Four teachers are the staff members. 3 teachers teach all the subjects using the Kannada language. One teacher teaches the English language. All the students are children of migrants from Karnataka, born and brought up in Goa. Students are very lively and interested in learning. They come to school every day from Porvorim, Bambolim, Chimbel, Betim, Taleigao, and other neighbouring villages on their own by bus.
Their parents are illiterate and daily wage workers. Some of them come from broken families. Hence, the learning for these students has to take place in the school only. Once they go home there is nobody to teach or supervise their studies. In Goa, the children of the poorest of poor, attend government schools. These are the real 3L (least, last, lost) students. At the beginning of the year, we strongly felt that we should do something for these students.
On 11th January 2024, on behalf of the Friends of 3L, two of us reached out to these students and distributed stationary with a carry bag. Each student was given rupees 76/- worth of stationery consisting of a long single-line book of 200 pages, one pencil, one eraser, and a sharpener. 60 students were the beneficiaries. We have promised them medals for the Best Boy and Best Girl of the Year. Similarly, the student with the highest attendance in the school will get a medal. If we get sufficient financial assistance or stationary, we will distribute it to them in June 2024.
From next week twice a month, I will teach these students English through story narration to students of 1V standard. We need young or middle-aged volunteers, those who live in the vicinity of Panaji, to teach English, singing through action, singing, dancing, drawing, painting, craft and artworks, etc to these 3L students. If anybody is interested, kindly let me know.
(Pratap Naik, SJ 9850658565)
