Session 31 summary
Many years ago Geeta was in the Nilgiris where she came to know of the tribal communities. After that she realized that modernization has forced them move into the urban society without taking into consideration their culture. After all these years Geeta realized that we (modern society) have eroded their self-esteem making them believe they are poor.
Katha was started in 1988 when the world was very different from the present times. In those days Tamashawas very child friendly and so it was taken to places to help the children learn. The entire journey had been a war against child poverty, as poverty comes in the way of the quality of learning. So they came up with the ideas about how to teach the children about poverty. When looking at poverty many of us cannot understand poverty as, ‘if one wants to be there, there has to be a narrative imagination to imagine and put yourself in their shoes’ and the caste thing happens both in the urban and rural society. The children had been eager to learn, so poverty had not affected their enthusiasm in learning. In 1988, 400 children had died of diarrhea, something that could have been avoided, so the team taught them about the importance of clean water and ORS. Also, there were 300 million children who could not get free primary education for years as they exceeded the quota for free primary education, so Geeta and her team started the 300 million children challenge.
They got some women to join them who were taught and they started graduating and learning. Geeta states that ‘you give them something, teach them something, how to do it and they would learn to fly’. Like this they have trained a series of students to fly. They tried this with mostly government schools as she believes they have to do well. Since they had been showcasing heterogeneity so many people came and facilitated the young writers.
They have been doing their research by going and talking to the children of Tamil Nadu, how to tell children that to achieve their dreams they have to read and write? They wanted to give every children the education that they desire, not what their parents can afford. So they came up with Story Pedagogy, where inside the classroom one has an active story based learning which happens with TADAA. But those children who are afraid of reading due to some insecurities, feel that failure is easier and they drop out. Teaching campaigns were held to help them with reading, which focused on learning to read through dance, music, games, etc., not the textbooks but what they like. When they get to know about cooperative reading and not competitive reading they get better at it. The classrooms where these children are taught is a room full of pictures which represent the community. The books present are not the ones that they have to read but they are stories, which the children come and pick up. Once that happens the magic starts and reading is the magic which they get. Children don’t want to learn according to the adults so one must be trustworthy for the child. Katha Magic Labs explore the world in a knowing way, leaving the children on their own to question themselves and explore things. One of their belief is that it is not for the child, but for us to know what we are doing wrong. To look at ways that the children want to learn, create that desire in them. It is not the giving but the desire to give which is more valuable.
About the Speaker
Geeta Dharmarajan
Founder & President, Katha
Founder, The 300 Million Citizens’ Challenge
Chennai
Geeta started Katha a “profit for all” social organization and has headed it since 1988. Katha is a unique model that seamlessly connects grassroots work with children living in underserved communities with books and reading for joy. Since 1990, she’s driven Katha’s education model on a single powerful idea: Children can bring real, sustainable change to their communities and families when they have access to quality books and learning. The driving force behind Katha, she created Story Pedagogy that is an Active Story Based Learning for children and women who are from non-literate families. Katha’s work in publishing has won much admiration. Geeta was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012, the fourth highest recognition in India, for her work in literature and education. She was awarded as the Innovator of ‘I Love Reading’ by The Millennium Alliance, set up by USAID and the Government of India.
