Dalit and Tribal workers who are members of unions and cooperatives organised by the Tamil Nadu Labour Union (TNLU) have high hopes for the futures of their children. They want their children to have the opportunity to choose their own future and not be trapped into caste-based occupations and poverty as they have been. However, Dalit and Tribal children often face caste based discrimination at school and poverty at home.
Continued funding from NZEI Te Riu Roa for an ongoing UnionAID project with the Tamil Nadu Labour Union has been vital in delivering positive outcomes for the Dalit and Tribal children and their families, through the set up and running of 16 Education Centres in Tamil Nadu.
In 2023-24 a remarkable 1,620 children attended the centres and 74 went on to Higher Education – the centres are having a profund impact on the children’s lives and future prospects.
Ajitha, who attends one of the Education Centres shared her story below.
“The Sweetest and happiest evenings in my life” – Miss Ajitha
I am Ajitha, studying in 10th standard at the government-run school in Perungudi. Last year, my family moved from a nearby village to a rented house in the village of Perungudi.
I have two younger sisters who are studying in 5th and 8th standard at the same school as me.
My parents are daily wage earners. My mother works in a restaurant doing vessel cleaning, food serving, and floor cleaning, earning Rs. 400 a day. If for any reason she cannot go to the restaurant, we lose her daily wage of Rs. 400.
My father is an agricultural worker who occasionally goes for agriculture-related work, earning Rs. 600. He gives this money to my mother to take care of us three. He loves us deeply. However, his mental stability is not normal; during such times, he goes to work, walks around the village, and talks to himself. We cannot question him during these episodes.
Unfortunately, the public often mocks him as a ‘loose man’, and when we go out, they refer to us as ‘the children of that loose man’. Because of this, we rarely leave the house after school.
Recently we have been mentally distressed and unable to connect with our neighbours, focus on homework at home, or attend school regularly. At school, we do not interact or speak with others and feel very lonely and unhappy about my father’s condition. We find it hard to explain his mental state to others.
In this difficult situation, a school friend who lives on my street invited me to join an evening education children’s centre run by TNLU. I enrolled and found joy in playing with the toys at the centre. The tutors at the centre are very kind and give special attention to us three. We are happy to be interacting with other children and participating in various events, sports, speeches, singing, and extracurricular activities both at the regular school and at the children’s centre. I have gained skills in communication and have been awarded certificates and prizes.
The children at our centre are thrilled to participate in quizzes, sports, and various competitions. My sisters and I are also happy and feel that the children’s education centre is the sweetest and happiest place for us.
We express our gratitude to the Tamil Nadu Labour Union for establishing the children’s centre, which brings happiness to me, my sisters, and all the children in our area. I also thank my tuition master for taking special care of children like us.
