Receipts Uploaded

Have a look at the receipts for the recent donations, uploaded at our Google groups.

Education Push Yields Little for India's Poor

A recent NY Times article on the state of Indian government schools. The samples from which they pull some of their generalizations are not varied enough to represent a complete portfolio, but their conclusions are worth taking a look. I am quoting an excerpt here. You can access the full-length article here.


"Sixty years after independence, with 40 percent of its population under 18, India is now confronting the perils of its failure to educate its citizens, notably the poor. More Indian children are in school than ever before, but the quality of public schools like this one has sunk to spectacularly low levels, as government schools have become reserves of children at the very bottom of India’s social ladder.

The children in this school come from the poorest of families — those who cannot afford to send away their young to private schools elsewhere, as do most Indian families with any means.

India has long had a legacy of weak schooling for its young, even as it has promoted high-quality government-financed universities. But if in the past a largely poor and agrarian nation could afford to leave millions of its people illiterate, that is no longer the case. Not only has the roaring economy run into a shortage of skilled labor, but also the nation’s many new roads, phones and television sets have fueled new ambitions for economic advancement among its people — and new expectations for schools to help them achieve it."

Free-Reading

From Slashdot -
Although open teaching materials have been available at the university level for a while now, there have been very few materials for younger learners. That's beginning to change now with the advent of Free-Reading, a free, wiki-based resource for early literacy instruction. The availability of free materials could free up millions of dollars from school budgets for more teachers and training. From the USA Today article: 'Last fall, a Florida textbook adoption committee approved Free-Reading, a remediation program for primary-school children that's believed to be the first free, open-source reading program for K-12 public schools. It's awaiting approval by Eric Smith, the state's incoming education commissioner, who could approve it by mid-December. Florida is one of the top five textbook markets in the USA, so its move could lead to the development of other free materials that might someday challenge the dominance of a handful of big educational publishers.'

Need your comments on the current education policy

Please visit my blog for details:

http://subash75.blogspot.com/2007/07/gamble-game-with-students-career-at.html

Your comments are welcome.

TANKER

The TANKER (an acronym for Tamilnad Kidney Research) Foundation is a registered, non-profit charitable trust, founded on 30th June 1993. TANKER aims to provide health care and financial assistance to those who have kidney problems and do not have the wherewithal to seek medical attention.

Please carry this message forward and let people get benifitted with this opportunity. It can help people who are in need.

Fore more information, visit their website.

Contacts:

i tankerfoundation@tankerfoundation.com
X   044 - 28273407, 28241635

Current industry analysis and long term plan for OUR Growth

Dear Thuligal,

Currently, we are working in reputed companies, irrespective of our job nature. As per the records, today foreign investments are increasing tremendously. Indian BIG 5's are competing with the Global market and tremendous growth has been achived. Foreseeing the Industry growth, it looks good for the next 10 years....

Please share your comments with your current visualization of the Industry, is it on the right track, is there any better approach, issue in the long term plan and so, with respect to the current growth/drawback of the Indian Industry.

Note: Don't get confused with the topic. Will take you to the next level of discussion based on the results. ;-)

How a loss can be transformed to happiness & prosperity??

I realised the above said quesion only when i saw the happy faces of the parents, who were feeling proud of thier kids receiving prizes on stage in Pon Naavarasu Matriculation School, Malayaandikavundanoor, Udumalpet, Coimbatore (district) on 18-March-2007.

As like everybody else in the highly educated society, Dr. P K Ponnusamy,my uncle, could've decided to settle in US and continued his research in Bio-Phyisics.....in exploring the DNA of HIV and things beyond that. Would've lead a peaceful life with thier daughters who are well settled in US and continued to earn more accolades than he is receiving now!

What made him to stay in home place, set up a trust, run a school in a village with a financial deficit?

Well, everyone will think that he started the school with an aim to serve the rural society in the name of his beloved son Naavarasu!! ( http://www.ponnaavarasutrust.org/evolution.htm )
The link will tell you the objectives behind the formation of the trust..and there are many more reasons...which is hard to see from a distance for anyone!

Peculiarly, he does not encourage donation campaigns, do not want much of publicity for the school... which everyother trust and trust run schools looks for. Trusts always encourage donators and their involvement! But he hardly accpets donations.

Why is it so? let's see his perspective!

"Had my son been alive today, i will be spending minimum three lakhs for him...
I'm just putting that money for 300 students! If i could able to do this till my life, then that will do for me!... "

" Payyanai parikoduthaachu....andha soehathhai maraikka yaedhoe ippadi alainchukittu irukkaen"
(I lost my son.....to hide the sorrow, i'm doing all these)

"There is no need for me to do go for donations...it will come on its own even if i say no! my friends and my well wishers are always ready. But i want this trust to grow on its own over a period of time. This school is a platform for making my dreams come true, which i missed to see those through my son!"

I was deeply moved by his thoughts!

He is not interested in the trust to grow as a college or a university!He doesn't want to dilute the esscence and lessen the taste!

The concept is simple...
Educating 100 students every year from a rural area with all the best morals, human values and with visions as that of Pon.Naavarasu is 1000 times better than very professionally running a school which just provides education to its best!

He wants to see hundreds of Pon Naavarasu coming out of the school every year!
And we console ourselves and smile when the parents of those hundred Pon Naavarasu, who are proud of thier children's education and prosperity!!!

During the trust's 10th year celebrations, his voice broke when he was talking about his son on stage...Though his eyes were ponded ... He could able to grow many lotus in the pond! Making it so beautiful that nobody can feel the pond was formed after a thunderstrike on his cherised temple!

After seeing the school kids spirit and involvement, I believe them that they will surely transform the society in future as Pon Naavarasu wished! and at that moment, i realised how a loss can be transformed into happiness & propsperity!!

R P

Guys,

A small update. The cheque which we gave to the Cheshire homes has bounced. So i have paid the entire amount of 10,075 (10,000+ 75 fine) them on cash.

Whats up for this?

Hi Guys,
whats our stand on this?

Cheshire Homes

Cheshire homes, the sanctuary for more than 15 disabled children was very quite when we went to visited. Except for the noise from the Airport road traffic, it was very silent. We went and met the homes manager. She said that the children have gone to watch the Airshow in Yelahanka. We were talking with her for sometime and were asking about who we can sponsor and so on. Finally, we decided to sponsor Shabeen, doing her 10th standard. Naseema gave them a cheque for Rs. 5,000, in favour of The Cheshire Homes India Limited - Bangalore Unit.

By then, the children arrived from the Airshow. We were happy to see them coming. Photos with them.


The girl in Black churidar (standing behind Naseema) is Shabeen






You can find more few more photos here

Visit to Cheshire Homes - 1

We have planned to visit the Cheshire Homes tomorrow at around 3:00 pm. For now, Vaideki, Naseema, Ajith and myself have decided convene there. Our aim of the visit is to give the members a kick start for active participation. In addition to that, we need to get the account number of the Cheshire Homes for sponsoring a girl and to decide which girl we are going to sponsor for.

Sponsoring a girl from Cheshire Homes

The Cheshire homes-Bengalooru supports more than 12 physically challenged girls. On average, a girl needs Rs. 10,000 for her educational, medical and other expences. We have decided to sponsor a girl, by funding them with Rs. 10,000. Views are welcome.