Bubbly, 15 is the eldest among her siblings, 4 brothers and 3 sisters. She hails from Aherori block of District Hardoi, located in Uttar Pradesh, one of the most backward states in India in terms of human development indicators. Her father was a police constable. Excessive drinking coupled with probably an undiagnosed depression made him mentally unstable and he committed suicide.
Bubbly’s mother had no plans for sending her to school. She was taking care of her siblings and was also doing embroidery work to meet her family’s need. Though Bubbly’s mother was receiving a pension of Re. 1300 [or $ 26] per month, this amount was meager for a family of nine, so Bubbly’s brother was sent to his uncle’s place to get education. Bubbly’s education was not as important for her family as girls in her village took early marriage, entry into motherhood and routine of household as fait accompli. Education to them was still an elusive dream.
Community worker, Lal Mohammed from Udaan, a residential accelerated learning project of CARE which aims at enabling girls to complete primary education, contacted Bubbly and sought the opinion of her mother on her education.
Udaan is being implemented by CARE in partnership with Sarvodaya Asharam, in the district of Hardoi, since 1998. The project was designed for adolescent girls who could not go to primary schools or dropped out from school owing to diverse reasons, ranging from family’s skewed priorities, abject poverty, apathy of teachers and poor schooling conditions. This accelerated course aims at enabling girls to get mathematic and language skills of grade 5 level in a single year. Besides this, the girls also go through ‘Social Learning Curriculum’ which has been developed by CARE to enhance logical skills and to promote the spirit of questioning, so that girls may negotiate a better place for themselves in the society. The course revolves around three basic aspects i.e. self, family and larger society and in the paradigm of these aspects, girls are exposed through an interactive process to issues pertaining to diversity, gender, health and social institutions. Each year, 100 girls complete their primary schooling through Udaan and then they are enrolled to grade 6 in nearby schools.
When contacted by Lal Mohammed, Bubbly’s mother said that Bubbly was quite old and would get married soon, while her younger sister could spare one year for some basic education. “For Bubbly, it is too late!” she thought.
Bubbly, however, insisted on getting educated, and brought out whatever she had managed to save from her earnings through her embroidery work to pay the small amount necessary to enroll in Udaan. Her mother understood that nothing could keep her daughter away from this opportunity. Both Bubbly and her younger sister, Sheelu were enrolled in Udaan’s 2007 batch.
Bubbly’s leadership skills and wit became prominent as soon as she joined Udaan. She emerged as a natural leader for girls. Teachers also started taking her help in maintaining discipline, managing library books and helping weak students. In academics too, Bubbly fared very well; at the same time she became very popular among other girls.
The Udaan girls need to learn several academic skills in a very short time. A well-defined timetable allows them to achieve the desired academic goals. However, it is understood that though these girls have to invest lot of time and energy into studies, they must also have time for their own hobbies, preoccupations and leisure. During this time, both Bubbly and Sheelu decorate their boarding space, comb their hair in different styles and engage in some singing sessions. The nights for them meant sharing village folklore with other giggling teen-agers.
Teachers find it difficult to believe that Bubbly has little previous experience of schooling. She has been doing well in all the subjects in her class. What Bubbly likes most about Udaan is the spirit of cooperation and friendship among teachers and student. ‘I am happy to be away from feuds and arguments of my relatives, constant crisis around money that we faced at home. In Udaan, people live cordially despite limited resources’, she says. Udaan is not just providing an education to Bubbly but also teaching her a new way to live.
Bubbly has learned through her social learning classes that she has as many rights and responsibilities in her family as any of the male members. As her father was a government servant who died during his service period, one of his educated family members can get a job. Bubbly aspires to serve the police department. Her uncle and mother would like her brother to get a job as he would take up the responsibility of supporting his younger siblings. But Bubbly argues: “Who says girls can’t shoulder family responsibilities? I was also doing it before I was enrolled and will continue to do it”.