Budding techies of IET Lucknow light lamp of learning for slum kids
Students of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Lucknow, have engineered a plan to give slum kids a better tomorrow and have been working very hard on it for the last two years.
Students of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Lucknow, have engineered a plan to give slum kids a better tomorrow and have been working very hard on it for the last two years.
Every evening, nearly 100 engineering students of this college go out to the slum areas nearby and identify children in the age group of three to five years.
Prabal Singh Tomar, a B Tech third year student, says, “After convincing the parents, we bring the children to our college classrooms, teach them alphabets, number counting, poetry recitation and a few basic manners for about two hours. This way, we prepare them for nursery admission.”
They have helped in getting the slum children enrolled in private schools under the Right to Education Act.
Priyanshu Jaiswal, an engineering student, says, “We are fortunate that we had formal education. But all are not so lucky. We took it on ourselves to help slum children go to school so that they may lead a respectable life.”
After their regular classes, the engineering students move out in four groups of 25 each to the slum areas around the college every evening.
“Each day, we aim to handpick 80-100 children and bring them to our college campus,” says Saurabh Singh, another B Tech third year student.
Rasmpal, a parent, says, “These boys of IET are no less than angels.”
Besides conducting parent teacher meetings and regular tests to make sure that children are learning, the engineering students prune their personal expenses and use the money saved to buy stationery items for the underprivileged children.
Institute director AS Vidyarthi says, “The students pool in their resources to make sure that the children have books, notebooks and other stationery. The students also organise co-curricular activities, including arts and craft work and physical training sessions, for the children.”
Brought into the mainstream, the children also participate in Encore, the annual cultural festival of IET Lucknow.
Plus, the budding engineers celebrate Republic Day, Independence Day, Holi and Diwali with the children to put a smile on their faces.
Prabal says, “The inspiration to work for the slum children came when we saw them roaming on the streets in front of our college, either to beg for alms or seek work as child labourers. It seemed that the children were resigned to their fate. Only education can free these children from their world of hopelessness and show them light.”
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