Education in Jhalawar — Stories from Jhalawar, Rajasthan
These kids were so enthusiastic to show off their artwork. At this government school in Khanpuria, the students do not normally get the opportunity to express themselves artistically. Misha and I tried an exercise with them called “Identity Map”, where you draw symbols or objects that represent who you are and what you like. As the picture clearly shows, they were fighting over our attention and it was nearly impossible to get a cohesive picture with all of them in. They were proud of their creations and eager to show us who they were and what has shaped their identity. — Karina Callegas
Students were asked to draw their own houses. Surprisingly, a lots of identical houses can be found, rectangular-shaped houses with big roofs, doors and two windows. We were told that they used to have a marking standard on their drawings and marks will not be given unless they draw it in a “proper” way. However, creativity are still there. — Eddie Wong
Volunteering in schools was an essential part of our fieldwork experience. Some of us went to Pallavan School, which is an English Medium private school. Although it is not a public school, it focusses on high-quality, low-cost education, and takes in students from all sorts of social backgrounds.
While we were there, we had the opportunity to talk to the newly-elected head girl, Shikha. At age 17, she is in class twelve, completing her final year at the school. The daughter of a successful businessman, she hails from Bakani — 40km away from Jhalawar — making the one and a half hour journey to Pallavan in the early morning.
Shikha told us of her hopes for her own life. Next year she will go to university in Gujarat, to study architecture, and she hopes that one day she will be able to travel the world.
Not just to see all of the amazing places, but to meet the amazing people, like you guys! [We blushed] I really think that many of the problems we have in the world come from a lack of understanding, but if people talk to each other and create dialogues, we can understand each other and help each other to overcome those problems.
You could see the ambition and hope light up her face. She was adamant that she would travel everywhere, but we asked if there were just one place she could visit, where would it be?
Hmm, Paris!
— Story of Shikha written by Aiden Balph
