65-yr-old tribal woman appears for Ignou exam, leads edu drive in G’chiroli
Sarfaraz Ahmed | TNN | Dec 29, 2018, 04:08 IST
Nagpur: There is no age for learning. In a perfect example of the adage, 65-year-old Kamala Dhakde appeared for Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (Ignou) Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP) exam at Kurkheda village in the Naxalite-hit Gadchiroli district recently.
A native of Visora village in Gadchiroli district, Kamala is the oldest to have registered for the course from the district. She had attended formal class over five decades ago.
Her enrolment inspired four other women, who were reluctant mainly because of their advanced age, to start studying. The BPP batch had 33 students, including six women in the age group 40-65 years, for the six-month course followed by examination this month.
Growing up in the tribal-dominated village under Wadsa taluka, Kamala’s studies were discontinued when she was in Std IV due to poor financial condition at home. Both her parents were farm labourers and had married her off in her early teens.
Marriage too didn’t change Kamala’s fortune as she joined her husband in running the family as farm labourers.
But, Kamala never gave up basic reading and writing skills she had acquired during her school days. “She had been helping villagers in writing letters and reading out them over the years,” said Gauri Uikey, Ignou co-ordinator at Kurkheda centre.
Uikey has visited over 150 villages in the district to encourage dropouts, youths, as well as adults to enrol for a variety of programmes offered by Ignou.
Uikey said Kamalbai’s daughter Sheela, now married, completed her Bachelor of Arts and was a regular at awareness camps organized by the istitution. “It was through Sheela that her mother came to know about our BPP, which helps people like her having no formal education to take up higher studies after clearing the entry-level exam BPP,” Uikey said.
She said Kamalbai is also good in accounts and has been helping self-help groups in carrying out their work in different villages.
“She loves social work. All her life, she was busy earning daily bread and butter and hence, couldn’t devote time for studies. But her spirits are high. At different awareness camps, she used to ask about courses and how one can enrol. Generally, middle-age people feel shy in enquiring about education but she had no hesitation,” Uikey added.
Regional director P Sivaswaroop said Kamlabai plans to pursue Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) after her BPP result is declared. “Her association with Ignou would strengthen our efforts to spread education to the remotest corner of this tribal belt,” he said.
A native of Visora village in Gadchiroli district, Kamala is the oldest to have registered for the course from the district. She had attended formal class over five decades ago.
Her enrolment inspired four other women, who were reluctant mainly because of their advanced age, to start studying. The BPP batch had 33 students, including six women in the age group 40-65 years, for the six-month course followed by examination this month.
Growing up in the tribal-dominated village under Wadsa taluka, Kamala’s studies were discontinued when she was in Std IV due to poor financial condition at home. Both her parents were farm labourers and had married her off in her early teens.
Marriage too didn’t change Kamala’s fortune as she joined her husband in running the family as farm labourers.
But, Kamala never gave up basic reading and writing skills she had acquired during her school days. “She had been helping villagers in writing letters and reading out them over the years,” said Gauri Uikey, Ignou co-ordinator at Kurkheda centre.
Uikey has visited over 150 villages in the district to encourage dropouts, youths, as well as adults to enrol for a variety of programmes offered by Ignou.
Uikey said Kamalbai’s daughter Sheela, now married, completed her Bachelor of Arts and was a regular at awareness camps organized by the istitution. “It was through Sheela that her mother came to know about our BPP, which helps people like her having no formal education to take up higher studies after clearing the entry-level exam BPP,” Uikey said.
She said Kamalbai is also good in accounts and has been helping self-help groups in carrying out their work in different villages.
“She loves social work. All her life, she was busy earning daily bread and butter and hence, couldn’t devote time for studies. But her spirits are high. At different awareness camps, she used to ask about courses and how one can enrol. Generally, middle-age people feel shy in enquiring about education but she had no hesitation,” Uikey added.
Regional director P Sivaswaroop said Kamlabai plans to pursue Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) after her BPP result is declared. “Her association with Ignou would strengthen our efforts to spread education to the remotest corner of this tribal belt,” he said.
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