(ANS – Guwahati) – A group of young men preparing to enter the Salesian society have started giving free classes to some 500 children from their neighborhood. The pre-novices surveyed the villages belonging to nine ethnic groups to collect the data of school-going children and school drop-out youth of the area.

“For three months, we went to different villages for data collection of the dropout students and invited the children who are eager to learn English” said the coordinator of the program, Br. Swellsborn G. Momin.

The classes officially began September 25.

The students come from different villages belonging to Muslim, Hindu, Adivasi, Bihari, Boro, Assamese, Santali, Oriya and Nepali communities.

Every day after school, children troop in to Don Bosco Centre Sirajuli in Sonitpur district of Assam for the classes which begin at 3.30 p.m. The 75-minute program begins with a brief assembly consisting of a song and the Lord’s Prayer before they disperse to their respective classes.

The classes are divided into five groups and are held on the corridors, in the courtyard and under the trees.

“The curriculum differs from class to class. For higher classes, we teach grammar and for the lower classes, we familiarize them with the alphabet, as well as teaching rhythm and moral values and hygiene. We also teach them action songs and games during the weekend” says Br Kamaleshwar Basumatary, who teaches study methods to the senior classes.

Recounting the benefits of the program, the Rector, Fr Joe Almeida, says, “It is really a great experience to see several clusters of children and our 18 pre-novices giving classes all over the campus and the building... the exercise benefits both the children and the pre-novices”.

Published 10/10/2013