CHENNAI: ‘Chup raho’ (keep quiet). ‘Baito’ (sit down). Never mind the strenuous objections to Hindi imposition in the State, the language has naturally flowed inside this Greater Chennai Corporation school classroom. For, to ensure that the students, a majority of whom hail from guest worker families, learn the lessons well, the teachers here are more than willing to meet them half-way by learning Hindi.
Of the 86 students at the GCC middle school in Sadayankuppam near Manali, 76 are children of guest workers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha, who work in nearby industrial units and mills. The primary motivation for parents to send them to the school is the government's free breakfast and midday meal schemes.
Once they enrol the children, the teachers step in to do the rest. Most of the kids can understand and speak conversational Tamil, as they have been living in the city with their parents for the past few years. But reading and writing the language remain a significant challenge for them. To bridge this gap, the teachers use bilingual teaching methods, and display stories and videos in Hindi.
"As many of the students understand Hindi better, we initially teach them the names of animals and everyday objects in Hindi, and translate in English, then into Tamil," explained S Deva Kirubai, the headmaster-in-charge.
Before teaching them, the teachers themselves learn the Hindi words that the children use regularly. “For instance, we connect ‘bandar’ to monkey, and ‘murgi’ to hen. The teachers have also learned Hindi numerals and basic classroom commands like ‘baito’ (sit down), ‘khade ho jao’ (stand up), and ‘chup raho’ (be quiet)," she said.
Explaining her approach while teaching these students, S Sumathi, a permanent secondary grade teacher who handles the primary sections, said, "While we display Tamil stories on the screen, we also play the audio or video in Hindi to make them understand the story easily."
The teachers pointed out that the students were bright and responded well to the subjects like mathematics, English, and science. The dedication of the staff is paying off, as the students who have been studying there for more than three to four years can read and write.
The impact is evident in the confidence of the students. J Adithya, a Class 6 student whose father works in a nearby mill, proudly shares the knowledge gained through the teaching. "I love learning Tamil and mathematics. I've already memorised several Tirukkurals and love explaining short Tamil stories to my teachers," he said.
Recalling her early struggles, J Santhakumari, a Class 8 student who has studied here since kindergarten, said, "Initially, I faced immense hardship in reading and understanding stories in Tamil. But today, I am fluent enough to read, write, and explain the stories in Tamil. Now I even act as a student translator, helping teachers understand the needs and opinions of my juniors who struggle to communicate with the teachers."
According to the Greater Chennai Corporation, the school has 86 students in the current academic year, including 20 in kindergarten, 39 in primary classes, and 27 in Classes 6 to 8. The school is currently managed by four teachers; two of them secondary-grade government teachers and the other two School Management Committee (SMC) volunteers.
"During the door-to-door visit, we encourage the parents to send the children to school by stressing that the State government provides food and notebooks free of cost. However, due to the nature of their parents' jobs, these students hardly come for four to five months," said headmaster-in-charge Deva Kirubai.
The teaching staff are now pressing for the appointment of a bilingual teacher proficient in both Hindi and Tamil, arguing that this would accelerate the students' academic progress.
Infrastructure grievances and safety are two of the main concerns that the staff have been raising. As the construction of a new building is under way, the staff and students are squeezed inside a congested, temporary structure opposite the site.
The staff alleged that the present classrooms are situated close to dense vegetation, which has become a safety hazard for the children. "Snakes move freely around the school campus. Recently, we found one coiled inside a water barrel kept just outside the school," alleged a worker.
Speaking to DT Next, residents also complained about the delayed completion deadline, noting that the old middle school building was demolished years ago. While reconstruction finally began last year, residents claim the progress slowed down following recent administrative changes.
When asked, a senior GCC official said 90 per cent of the construction work is already complete, and the finishing touches are under way. “The zonal officer and Madhavaram MLA ML Vijay Prabhu recently inspected the work and strictly instructed the contractors to expedite the remaining work for an early inauguration," the official said.