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Greatham
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Visit to India
In February Mrs Merifield had the opportunity to visit our Connecting Classrooms partner schools in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. This trip was funded by the British Council and there was one representative from each of the Hartlepool cluster schools: Greatham, Grange, St Bega’s and Manor College. The welcome at every Indian school was amazing and at times almost overwhelming! There was always a traditional ceremony of greeting, where we were presented with shawls, garlands and gifts, followed by a cultural display (mainly of dancing). They were genuinely delighted by our visit and had been planning it for weeks. Nothing was too much trouble and we really were treated like royalty! It was quite humbling that these people, who had so little, wanted to give so much. One school even repainted their buildings in honour of our visit! Two of the seven schools we visited were down a dusty dirt track and the children there were the first generation to ever attend school. Incredibly, the whole village turned out to greet us! To encourage the parents to send their children to school, they are given two meals a day (and in some cases, food to take home), a uniform and are also taught skills such as making garlands and jewellery so that they can help earn some money for the family. The food is very basic and unappetizing but there is never a word of complaint. The children are just delighted to have some food! Their beautiful, smiling faces are a joy to behold! It was very interesting to compare education in India with our school system. Their classrooms are simple with very little furniture and no glass in the windows. In some cases there are no tables and chairs and the children sit on the floor, sometimes on a rug. They use blackboards and chalk and sometimes the cane! It is not unusual to spot cows, goats or dogs wandering across the school yard! One day we also visited a private school, where all the teaching, from nursery upwards, is carried out in English. The standard of English there was extremely impressive and it was obvious how greatly education is valued in India. On my return, I shared my wonderful experiences with the whole school at a special worship. We looked at photos, watched video clips of the children dancing and, with the help of some of the older girls, re-enacted the traditional Indian welcome ceremony. There is also an extensive display in the corridor outside Class 4 if anyone is interested in looking at the photos and items that I brought home. All in all, it was a fantastic trip! In fact, I can honestly say that it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
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