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STORY: INDIA / EDUCATION
TRT: 3.57
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: HINDI / NATS
DATELINE: JULY 2010, NALANDA DISTRICT, BIHAR, INDIA
1. Wide shot, Nalanda University in Bihar
2. Med shot, the historic building and ruins
3. Med shot, University building and garden with people in distance
4. Close up, children walking on a brick wall
5. Med shot, architectural details of Nalanda University in Bihar with men walking by
6. Wide shot, the campus with a plant in the foreground
7. Close shot, a small tomb like structure in the campus
8. Med shot, man and boy walking
9. Med shot, man and a woman on the ancient university grounds
10. Close up, people’s feet as they walk by with university grounds in background
11. Wide shot, village near Nalanda University
12. Close up, naked children on dusty road
13. Wide shot, student Kaushalya’s school in Bihar.
14. Med shot, students lining up during assembly.
15. Med shot, teacher and students during assembly.
16. Med shot, students praying
17. Close up, student praying
18. Close up, Kaushalya’s face.
19. Close up, Kaushalya’s hands.
20. Med shot, Kaushalya and friends.
21. Close-up, feet as students exercises
22. Med shot, students exercising during assembly
23. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Kaushalya Kumari, student:
“Unloading coal from the truck is always difficult. I’d cut my hands.”
24. Wide shot, Kaushalya and friends in a classroom, studying on the floor
25. Med shot, Kaushalya and friends studying with their teacher
26. Close up, book and pencil as student writes
27. Wide shot, ‘boy bridge’ centre at another school in Nalanda.
28. Med shot, boys studying in class
29. Close up, student’s face
30. Wide shot, recess time at Kaushalya’s school.
31. Close up, food on plate
32. Med shot, students eating during lunch time
33. Med shot, students in the classroom
34. Close up, drawings and paintings made by the students
35. Close up, student points to learning material
36. Med shot, 3 boys sitting on the floor in the classroom
37. Close up, books on the floor
38. Close up, Kaushalya with blackboard in background
39. Med shot, student writing on blackboard
40. Med shot, Kaushalya in classroom
41. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Suman Kumari, Kaushalya’s teacher:
“If these girls educate themselves, they will be more aware of future opportunities and will teach their parents and neighbours to embrace change so people won’t make fools or take advantage of them.”
42. Med shot, students writing in notebooks
43. Close up, charts used by students
44. Med shot, students writing in their notebooks
45. Med shot, boy pointing at a chart.
46. Close up, chart on the wall
47. Close up, student reading
48. Close up, pages of a book being flipped by a student
49. Close up, profiles of two girls as they read
50. Close up, girls point to letters on a page
51. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Shweta Sandilya, UNICEF Education Specialist:
“This is one of the interventions where we are going to reach or we are reaching to the most excluded communities. Not only in terms of access, enrollment, retention but also in terms of quality of learning happening in the classroom.”
52. Close up, girls fetching water.
53. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Kaushalya Kumari, Student:
“Before this my life was very difficult. I did not have time to even sit and rest. Now I study. I play. I do lots of things.”
54. Close up, Kaushalya at home pumping ground water with her father in the background
55. Med shot, Kaushalya’s father as he looks at her
56. Close up, Kaushalya’s father standing in the doorway
57. SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Jhakkar Manjhi, Kaushalya’s father:
“How can I say that she will be better at home when she is better there. Study and educate yourself.”
58. Med shot, boys in circle in class
59. Med shot, students sitting on the floor and reading
60. Close up, student reading from his notebook
61. Med shot, students writing in their notebooks
The state of Bihar in India is home to one of the first great universities in recorded history. Rising to prominence in the fifth century, Nalanda University attracted scholars from as far as China and Greece. This Buddhist centre of learning included different schools such as science, astronomy, medicine and philosophy.
Many men and women in Bihar take great pride in this educational heritage. But in present day Bihar and as in many parts of India, education is still beyond the reach of millions.
It is estimated that there are about eight million children between six and 14 years old that are out of school in the country. Many of these children are hard labourers or domestic workers and have to endure extreme poverty due to social, economic and gender factors.
Fourteen-year-old Kaushalya Kumari comes from one of the most socially and economically excluded communities. She used to carry and transport heavy baskets of coal to contribute to her family’s meager income.
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Kaushalya Kumari, Student:
“Unloading coal from the truck is always difficult. I’d cut my hands.”
Being forced to work instead of going to school, children like Kaushalya are deprived of their basic right to education. But there’s a program and a method of learning that’s gaining ground.
It’s proving to be successful in bringing child laborers back to school. The government of Bihar is setting up residential bridge centers across the state. With the support of UNICEF, innovative teaching methods are being introduced.
Here, out of school children reach the necessary academic competence so that they can be enrolled in the mainstream school system.
It’s given children like Kaushalya a shot at education and a chance to carve out better lives for themselves.
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Suman Kumari, Kaushalya’s teacher:
“If these girls educate themselves, they will be more aware of future opportunities and will teach their parents and neighbours to embrace change so people won’t make fools or take advantage of them.”
At their own pace, students work their way through a series of cards containing the lessons they need to reach grade five competence. Each subject has its own series of cards. And under the guidance of a teacher, the children learn how to read, write and do basic mathematics. At the end of 11 months, they are then able to join the general school system.
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Shweta Sandilya, UNICEF Education Specialist:
“This is one of the interventions where we are going to reach or we are reaching to the most excluded communities. Not only in terms of access, enrollment, retention but also in terms of quality of learning happening in the classroom.”
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Kaushalya Kumari, Student:
“Before this my life was very difficult. I did not have time to even sit and rest. Now I study. I play. I do lots of things.”
And Kaushalya’s ambitions are growing. She now says she wants to be an engineer when she grows up.
SOUNDBITE (Hindi) Jhakkar Manjhi, Kaushalya’s father:
“How can I say that she will be better at home when she is better there. Study and educate yourself.”
And these children who come from the most socially excluded communities are doing just that. Here where the great traditions of education thrived for many centuries, these children are claiming their right to an education. Their ambitions are growing and their horizons are widening once more.
