The Total Literacy Campaign not only ![]()
raised the aspirations of the community for the education of their children but it also prepared them for persuading their children to take up education programmes from its own resources supported the furnishing and uniform of a primary school for the children at Dhaulatappar in Dehra Dun district and another school at Mohand in Saharanpur District.
In shape the construction of the classrooms is very similar to that of the children's own 'deras' (hutments). Parents of the children are free to come and sit at the back of the classrooms to not only see the progress of the children but also to give them psychological support as these children have never stayed away from their parents.
Their uniform reflects the traditional clothes that they wear, like salwar - shirt and traditional 'krishna' caps for the boys and salwar-kameez and traditional 'chadarus' for the girls.
Because they practise transhumance during summers, when they go up with their parents to the highland pastures, their holidays extend from May to August. However, the working days of the school are equal to, if not more, than those in other formal schools. The teachers are resident and this greatly facilitates this process.
Not more than 25 children may attend one class and this makes it possible for the teacher to maintain constant eye contact and, therefore, to be able to give personal attention to each student. The teacher-student ratio is to always be 1:25 for this purpose.
The contents of the books used are carefully designed to keep the students' own cultural traits intact as well as to keep them, as far as possible, within a familiar environment in order to improve and extend their concentration levels and periods.
The environment of the school is fresh, open and natural because of its location next to the forest. Attention is paid to the children's mental and physical health, both.
