Angeline’s Grandpa Isaac used to be a headteacher in a church school Angeline’s Grandpa Isaac used to be a headteacher in a church school. He is going to tell us about schools in the Diocese of Vellore~ Education is very important to people in India, but children only have to go to school until they are aged fourteen. Often children from poor families cannot afford to go on to secondary school as they need to start work. Town schools and village schools are very different in India. Can you work out why? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

The poorest people usually live in the villages. Some of these children will leave school when they are aged ten and start work. Some of them will not go to school on most days of the week even before this, because their parents need them to earn money as soon as possible. These families often cannot afford school uniforms or pencils for their children. The government pays for free dinners for the poorest children. For some of them it might be the only food they get all day. The school at the top is newly built – notice there is no furniture other than the storage lockers. Usually only the teacher will have a desk. The walls are covered with “blackboard paint” and of course the blackboard is at such a low level because the children sit on the floor. The picture at bottom left shows a school which is about sixty years old – the roof is asbestos and the walls are crumbling – the building has been condemned by government inspectors but the village cannot afford to rebuild. The Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, which gifted this pack to you, is raising money to help schools such as these – contact shirley.hall@ely.anglican.org if you want to know more about this. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Both rich and poor people live in the towns. In the better schools there will be equipment and desks. The children will be taught in English and most of them will go on to secondary school and perhaps college or university as well. In the poorer areas the schools may be more like the village schools. They may or may not have desks and equipment. Lessons will be in the Tamil language. Many schools have very few resources compared with English schools. Think about this as you look at the photographs in this powerpoint and talk about the things you would miss most if you were suddenly transported to an Indian village school. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Most schools do not have a hall – assembly and school dinners all take place in the yard. Sometimes classes work outside too! The climate means that the school yard can be used for most of the year for a wide variety of activities, although obviously not during the rainy season! What activities do you do outside? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

The children who live in the villages have to go to secondary schools many miles from their home. This means that they often have to stay in boarding hostels during term time and just go home in the holidays. It is part of the pastors’ work to identify clever hardworking children in the villages.They then have to find sponsor money for them to go to a school hostel if they can! What are the good things and what are the difficult things about going to boarding school? You can see a short film of the class in the top photograph at work in the video section of this pack. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

These notices tell you how the teachers who run the girls boarding hostel at VRV School in Ranipet organise their time. What surprises or interests you? We apologise for the strange angle of the “annually” board – it was behind a cupboard! The instructions on the boards are designed for the adults who run the hostels rather than instructions for the girls to follow, but they allow you to work out something of the children’s programme. Work such as “keep the home neat and tidy” will be carried out by the girls, who rise early in order to clean the premises before breakfast and, finally, school! © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Girls at Palamaneer learn to sew and make clothes. The church also runs some boarding institutions for poor students who want to do practical courses so that they can earn a living. Girls at Palamaneer learn to sew and make clothes. Boys at Katpadi learn to be electricians, mechanics or woodworkers. There is also a new Girls’ College at Chittoor which teaches computing skills. Would you be interested in following vocational courses like these when you are older? What would you choose? © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Competition to get into these two colleges is very fierce! In Ranipet the church has a teacher training institute and a nurses training institute. Competition to get into these two colleges is very fierce! The church helps students with their college fees if it can, because many of them find it difficult to pay for their course. The trainee nurses in the top photograph are sponsored by Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council. If you are interested in fundraising for Vellore contact vellcamb@gmail.com © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

Many famous Indian leaders have gone to this college. This is the Church’s Higher Education College in Vellore – it is called Voorhees. Half of the students pay fees to come here, but the other half are funded by the government and the Church helps them to find scholarships and paid work. Many famous Indian leaders have gone to this college. © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011

What are the most important things we people in the Diocese of Vellore would want you to remember about all these photographs you have just seen? First of all, everyone is welcome! You don’t have to be a Christian to go to our schools or colleges – most of the pupils are Hindus or Muslims, although some are Christians. Secondly, the church looks after the poor. Christians serve God by helping children and families who would not be able to afford an education otherwise. But most of all, we would like you to remember that education is a great privilege! Schooling is very important for everyone. Some of our children don’t get the chance of a good education, so please make the most of your opportunities and work hard! © Dr Shirley Hall & Cambridgeshire Ecumenical Council, 2011