This term, students of 10B of Sishya School were sent to the Sava Samajam in Taramani for Social Work. Two teachers, Ms. Abha Jajoo, and Ms. Nalini Priyadarshee accompanied the section.
The syllabus prescribed by the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) includes SUPW and Social Work, compulsory for classes 9, 10, 11, and 12.
The objective of SUPW and Social work is to increase student’s awareness about life. Activities offered under SUPW (Socially Useful and Productive Work) include tyre changing, glass painting, cooking, first aid, and many, many more.
Social Work involves sending a section outside school campus, to orphanages, and other organizations for the differently abled. This allows students to interact with those less fortunate than themselves, and appreciate what difficulties others have to go through. These interactions often end with donations to the organisations in kind by the students.
There are five SUPW and Social Work sessions per term, which totals 15 per year. The Seva Samajam is an organisation, and a school for underprivileged children. Many of these children include those whose parents are in jail, and children who have been abandoned by their parents.
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Photos by Arthi Rangaraj
Sishya students mostly interacted with 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students of the Seva Samajam. Sessions such as origami, mehendi, and nursery rhymes singing were conducted by Sishya students. The boys seemed to love physical activity, and insisted on playing tag, soccer, and even begged to be spun around in circles, apart from demanding a seemingly endless number of piggyback rides.
Interacting with the children at the Seva Samajam was a fruitful experience for all.
Says Vijay R. of class 4, “I like it when big kids come to play with us. They teach us new things, and even carry me upside down.” Or one could even ask some of the Sishya children. Just ask Pranav Nair, 10B. “The visit to the Seva Samajam was very enriching. It has given us an opportunity to interact with those less fortunate than ourselves, and given us a fresh perspective towards human rights and values.”
All said and done, SUPW and Social Work should not be seen simply as another fruitless exercise just to get a good grade. Rather, it should be seen as an eye-opener – a glimpse into the outside world.