SabaqUpdates from the field often mean having yet another problem to solve. Turns out, not all problems are as bad as they are chalked out to be.
What are they, you might ask? There’s one, in particular, that’s throwing our facilitators in a tizzy. Simply put, the students will not leave. High on the excitement and keen to learn more, students in the first session often are seen not leaving or doing so begrudgingly.
‘How are we supposed to tell a child to go when all he wants to do is learn?’ -Facilitator , SABAQ
And it’s not just them who want to take over classrooms. While students are checked against the enrollment lists, little ones are known to have sneakily slipped by. When asked what her little brother was doing in class, knowing full well that younger siblings were not allowed, Maya indignantly replied, ‘I didn’t even know he followed me until he was spotted! He can’t stop talking about how much he wants to learn and got a little impatient I think!’
To sort this one out, SABAQ Centers remain open after regular classes are done where Facilitators can revise the day’s lesson with weaker students, or teach new subjects and even carry out different activities making them a community center of sorts.
And sometimes, it’s not just students you find lurking. Members of our Village Education Committees are often found sitting outside during a class to ensure that attendance is up to par and that Facilitators are following all the procedures set. Despite set schedules for observations, members put in extra time, to make sure that SABAQ Centers are running in top form. And despite a few grumbles here and there about the VEC running a tight ship, it’s also enabled a more a seamlessly run SABAQ Center.
Despite what may come, we’re taking it all in stride and so far, it’s working.