Little Stars School

The Little Stars School, developed by Asha Pandey, began on July 1, 1996. It was founded with the hope and intention of growing and developing as the children who come also develop and grow. Asha Pandey is the project coordinator. She received her M.A. in psychology from Banaras Hindu University, as well as completing a one year teacher's training course. Upon graduation, she worked for 2 years as a teacher at the Ram Niwas school, as well as at the St. Atulanand Central school, both in Varanasi. At St. Atulanand"s there were 65-70 children under her supervision in the classroom. The methods at this school were not beneficial to teaching or learning for that matter and Mrs. Pandey became bored with the monotony of the existing system. Children could not learn because they were not receiving the attention or the support that they needed. Everyday she saw children in her neighborhood who were not in school. Mrs. Pandey talked to the parents of these children about sending their children to school for a few hours a day; she asked the children if they wanted to come. It was then, with community support on her side, that she decided that she would create a school, based on her experience, for those children who were forgotten by the educational system. The aim of this project is to provide an education to those children who, due to extreme poverty have not had the opportunity to go to school. Children who are orphans, who work to contribute to meager family earnings and those who beg. This school is now operating from nursery level to 1st/2nd standard and it is the project's aim to develop the school up to 5th grade standard. It is the school's goal that, by receiving a good education at this institution, children will be able to continue their education starting from 6th standard by obtaining admission into any state or privately run Hindi medium school. The education provided at this school has to encapsulate and convey practical, social, moral, physical, and spiritual aspects. Care is taken to discover every child's hidden talents and special capabilities in order to encourage and develop each childms character. There are 75 children presently enrolled at this school; they range in age from 4- 14 years. These children are either from the neighborhood of the school (Assi), or are brought in by rickshaw from the main ghat (Dasashwamedh). The children from Assi are mainly Bengali and most live in a small shanty town located next to Varanasi's last ghat. Dasashwamedh is Varanasi's largest ghat; it opens up to the main bazaar and is quite different from Assi's residential and more relaxed atmosphere. The children from the main ghat are homeless. Many families came from Bihar or neighboring villages in search of work; then without money or resources to return home, they have settled along the ghat's periphery. The project has given priority to those children who are extremely poor and without basic resources; for this reason the Dasashwamedh children have been accepted. These children are brought up in a completelydifferent environment from many Indian children. Child labor in India is a viable means for added income. Children living amongst poverty begin working at a very small age; whether it is with their parents or older siblings. Some ways these children are employed include: picking up trash in front of stores, begging, working in road side stalls selling tea or tobacco, pushing food carts, and/or working at others' houses cleaning and washing clothes. For these children and their parents, school is not a top priority; every member of the family is expected to contribute what they can to family resources, even if for only a few rupees a day. The parents of these children who are employed drive cycle rickshaws, wash dishes, clean clothes, cook for others, or sweep the streets (which are all low paying and seen as degrading jobs). Some children have parents who are alcoholics or drug addicts and many abuse their children, other childrenms parents beg or steal, and some children have no parents at all. These children need to learn more than the basic survival skills they have soaked up since childhood. They know how to live from day to day, but they must be taught that a better life exists beyond their immediate surroundings. Therefore it is crucial that this school have an alternative type of structure to work with these children's special and specific needs. >From the beginning, this school has been run as a Non-Formal Educational Institution. Five days a week class begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues until 12:30 p.m; on Saturday school is 1/2 day. The schedule allows children to work after class if necessary, thereby ensuring regular attendance. Another aspect of this project is to insure the health and safety of these children. Due to the lack of basic necessities in their lives it is this projects' goal to be able to provide nutritious food on a daily basis as well as basic health care. These facilities are necessary when children come to school with problems such as: hepatitis, fevers, wounds, lice, etc., all of which interfere with a good learning environment. Apart from Mrs. Pandey, there are four other teachers formally working at the school. This allows the children to be divided into five groups according to their level of learning, development and ability. Ideally, there would not be more than 15 children per teacher so that each child is able to receive the personal attention which is essential for the learning process. The true interests of children can be seen and encouraged by having a curriculum based on reading, writing, mathematics, as well as singing, recitation, and arts and handi-crafts. In addition, everyday basic hygienic practices are taught to these children, thereby encouraging health and improved personal standards of cleanliness. The teachers at this school are not merely interested in teaching children the rudimentary subjects but also to teach self-respect, self-discipline and self-motivation. Despite the outnumbering odds against them, these children are learning. At the start of this project the children came to school extremely dirty and unkempt, many spoke constantly in vulgar words (a reflection of their lives outside of school.) Now most of them have begun to understand the importance of coming to school with clean hands, feet and combed hair, and behaving with proper manners. Many of these children have had no previous experience in a classroom setting. At the start many of them could not even sit still to listen to directions. Now when the children come to school they are excited to show what they have learned and see learning as a puzzle to solve. These children are empowered by every bit of knowledge they uncover. There is a long waiting list of approximately 50 more children whose parents have come to school to ask for their admission. Unfortunately, these requests cannot be granted because of the current lack of space. In its first year, the school was run out of a small room on the roof in Asha Pandey's home. At first when only 15 children were coming from Assi the space was sufficient, but due to the influx of children from Dasashwamedh ghat, the small upstairs room was not adequate for the children to move around, let alone allow ample space for concentration. In its second year, Mrs. Pandey has rented a space in the quiet neighborhood of Nagwa-Lanka. Now there is room for the children to concentrate on thier own work and the teachers can focus on teaching rather than the discipline of destracted students. Through private donations the school has just recently purchased land located between Asha's home and the current location. Plans have been drawn up swhich detail a one floor school with a capacity for at least 100 students in addition to proper storage space, a large Hall for school functions, a playground, and a kitchen. In order to complete this plan $23,000 is needed. The bare minimum costs needed to relocate the school is approximately $9,000. With this partial building the school could still run properly and as junds were collected ghe school could expand from there. Asha Pandey and The Little Stars School would like to begin building as soon as possible so by July 1, 1998 the school can begin the year at its permanent location. This is only a beginning; continued financial support is necessary in order to get the school up and running quickly and efficiently. There are many government run schools in Varanasi into which these children could be admitted. One of the major problems facing the children coming to this school however, is that they lack the resources to actually go to any of these schools. Uniforms, notebooks, pencils, erasers -- all of these things cost money. Money which these children simply do not have. Asha Pandey has founded a school that not only provides the basic supplies, but also caters to the individual needs of these children. This is not merely a school for learning letters and numbers, but it is most importantly a place where the children feel safe. Here is a place where children belong. Many of the children coming to this school would not learn in a formal state run institution where wondering curiosity is stifled and mindless memorization from text books receives good marks. It is not the grades that these children desire but a stimulating environment where learning is encouraged in each child. At the Little Stars School, children are learning to develop their creative and intellectual minds as well bringing a feeling of self-confidence home with them every day.

Dear ASHA members,
    I recently returned from a ten day visit to Varanasi, India. I was able to spend a few days at the Little Stars School and would like to update the ASHA organization of the schools progress and future plans. Over the last seven months the Little Stars School has undergone quite a few changes. After the 2 month long summer recess, the number of children attending had reached over 75. Asha Pandey was unable to run the school out of her house, as she had done before, due to lack of space and had to locate a temporary residence for the school. It took her quite sometime to find the proper local. Landlords in her area were not willing to rent to her because of the stigma attached to poor/homeless children; those who were would only rent space for outrageous prices (4000 Rs. a month ~ $110 U.S.). Currently she has a place in the neighborhood of Nagwa-Lanka, a ten minute walk from the schools old location. She is paying 2000 RS. a month for the roof of a large house nestled amongst a quiet residential area that has two or three other schools nearby. The space is large enough for the children to spread out. There are three rooms off of the roof (in addition to a bathroom) two of which are used as classrooms and the third as an all purpose storage/office/kitchen. The other three classes take place on the roof itself. Unlike before, there is now enough space for the classes to be completely separated and the children can concentrate on their own classwork. Manisha and Uma are no longer teaching at The Little Stars School; as Manisha is continuing her education and Uma was not focused on the goals of the school. Asha has found three extremely competent teachers who are well educated with teaching degrees. They are given the freedom to structure their classes as they wish. Through my own observation they are each doing a wonderful job. Mrs. Pandey is working with a new nursery level teacher who does not have much experience but is willing to learn. This new teacher is enthusiastic, focused and doing well in teaching these children in the very first stage of school. The school is now divided as follows: - Bharti Patel teaches nursery class - children in this class are of the widest range in age and education. Children are put into this group to test their level of learning. Many children are not yet learning the alphabet while others are beginning to be taught the concepts of the first letters. The nursery class is the largest with approximately 25 children. - Gayatri Pandey teaches lower Kg - This class has approximately 15 - 20 children. In this class the children are working on fine tuning their knowledge of the Hindi and English alphabets and Hindi and English numbers. - Sangeetha Kumari teaches the Upper Kg class - The children in this class, for the most part, have been attending the school since it began and are progressing at a normal rate. They are working on mantras and dictation as well as simple math equations. - Asha Pandey teaches a small group of children who are between levels. She has the smallest class as she also supervises the activities in all the classes. The children in her class are preparing to enter either the lower or upper Kg. - Sunita Upadhya teaches the combined 1st & 2nd class. For the most part the children are the oldest in the school and are taught complex dictation, reading for comprehension, more complex math and are introduced to the English language. During the winter season the school hours are 9-12:30 pm. Over the past seven months the school has been running quite smoothly. The competency of the new teachers creates a disciplined atmosphere without the overbearing tactics necessary when a school is out of control. The methods of the teachers is extremely interactive. The teachers are constantly giving one-on- one attention to their students and the children work hard knowing that they are under close observation. I saw the older children taking responsibility for the school upkeep and helping with the new and younger students. The structure of the school is really teaching these children what it means to be in school. They are learning how to behave properly and understand the need to take their studies seriously. These children look to their teachers not only for answers to homework questions; they look to their teachers as a means of personal support and recognition and as a way to build a strong sense of self. Even more The Little Stars School has become a place for these children to be somebody special. Due to the support of the ASHA organization the school has better equipment for teaching and learning. The children sit on nice carpets and mats, there are plenty of pencils, notebooks etc, the teachers sit at desks allowing them to organize materials and to have a clear cut role of authority in the classroom. In addition the children are given a nutritious snack/meal of chickpeas and vegetables at the end of every day ensuring that they are eating at least one proper meal a day. Currently a volunteer names Christoph comes in from Assi and cooks. After he leaves, Asha will locate a permanent cook for the school. I was able to visit the new land which has been purchased over the last few months due to the support of Ashas uncle in Sonoma county. The land is a five minute walk from the schools present location. As money becomes available and student numbers increase, the blueprints include possibilities for a 2nd and 3rd floor. The school has entered into a new neighborhood and the accessibility for the children of the Nagwa - Lanka area has created more opportunities. Concerning the confusion over the building costs I have also included the> proper figures as of March 1998. The cost per square foot, all inclusive (electrical, plumbing, glass), is 350 Rs (~$10 US). It is necessary to begin building as soon as possible in order to relocate the school to its permanent address. For total construction of the building plans is approximately $23,000 US. The cost of partial building (which
> would allow the school to begin running) is as follows:
> 1 Large Hall
> 1 Class Room
> 1 Lounge (which would be used as a temporary classroom)
> 1 Hallway
> 1 Toilet
> 1 Stairway

> At 921.18 square feet totals $9211 US for construction. The figures previously sent were only a rough estimate and unfortunately were quite a bit lower than the current need. Once the school is relocated however the added expense of rent will be eliminated, saving the school money in the long run. Asha and I have looked at the architectural plans and have concluded that this is the minimum building required to relocate the school. She is also asking her uncle to donate money to build the entry way, office and kitchen. During the early stages of construction the toilet in the office will have a temporary outside entrance for childrens use. Asha Pandey asks for as much help as possible understanding however that her request is large. Any contribution from the ASHA organization is accepted with the deepest of gratitude and respect. As the members of ASHA organization you will be pleased to know that your contributions have been felt in these few short months. The Little Stars School is living up to its initial goals; from my observation it has grown into a powerful institution of learning. The teachers and students at The Little Stars School have built a true Non Formal Education institution. From all of them I would like to extend their truly heartfelt.