14 August program - One-upmanship spoiling the show

Struggle for One-upmanship:

Based on the advise and arrangements of Dr.K.V.Ramanachary for the last two Sundays, and one Monday before them, Cultural programs were being conducted in the village. Since this advise happened in the presence of a Sakshar Bharat official he is coordinating and organizing the program. It appears to me that this was being done by him just for the sake of One-upmanship. As I had been conducting the Sunday's programs regularly and so effectively that it was bearing good results.

14 August program - A flop show:

Yesterday, 14 August, I called the official around noon to explain why this cultural program might not work and why the turn out of the villagers would be very poor. Moreover, Sarpanch also expressed his disinterest in the programs as it was becoming a financial burden for him.  But, still program was conducted and as expected there were hardly any literates found around. It was a flop. The photo in this blog shows a small number of people sitting (on the ground) but even that number had a majority as volunteers but not learners. 

My Sunday program tradition:

The very purpose of me setting the Sunday program tradition was being defeated. Because the purpose of each Sunday's program was to:

1. Show them some motivational short films etc

2. Train them on the subject

3. Conduct competitions or generate competitive spirit

4. Encourage or motivate them either by me or Sakshar Bharat or some chief guests etc

All this in just one hour, 8 pm to 9 pm, period. Because the learners are coolies and they would return from their work around 6.30 pm. They then cook for themselves and for their families. Though they all promised me to come by 7.30, but they would start coming in from 7.45 and by 8 all the learners assemble. 

Now, with the Cultural program, the villagers lost interest as once or twice it was okay but not always. Even the previous Sunday (7 August) by the time it was 8.45 all the learners started leaving. And when the chief guest Mrs.Pamela, IAS, spoke on the dais there were only the volunteers but not the learners. I had told at that time only to Sakshar Bharat person that it wont work this way. 

Sunday's program must be of just one hour's duration which should include some entertaining stuff and focus on teaching them their subject too. 

Too many cooks spoil the dish:

My voice was falling on deaf ears. People, for the sake of One-upmanship, are spoiling the most effective Sunday's tradition and making the learner's lose their interest. For me three weeks of my precious Sundays were lost as I wanted to have some e-learning for them and also explain the question paper with the help of a projector and encourage them to take the exam. Apparently, the morale of all the volunteers and learners also went down and even the village coordinators claim that they did not focus on the literacy program for the entire last week.  
Officials fail to discharge their minimum duties in the first place: 
The people who are trying to take control just for the sake of show off must at least recognize their minimum duty. None of them till date has correct facts and figures about the progress of the literacy program. I had to apply leave and plan to work at the ground level for the real status. 
At least, if the officials are so concerned, they should strive hard to arrange salaries for their village coordinators, the main people driving the project primary on the ground, who have not been paid their salaries since last Oct. :( Even for this I had written to the Collector that from here on I would be paying their salaries, at least for the next three months, as I intend to extend the 100% literacy program for three more months.