Vijay
Shikshan Sanstha
In every way he is a normal child…. naughty, mischievous
and full of life… But if you call him to give him a sweet
he will not hear you…
In 1958,
a young girl stepped timidly in side a door beckoned by a
welcoming smile and the warm environs of a comfortable home.
That child was hearing- impaired. The daughter of a
housewife, she left abandoned at home for lack of any other
option available to the poor family.
But Mrs.
Mainatai Ramchandra Gokhale saw otherwise. In the child she
saw a future. A future where the child would be a source of
pride for her parents and not a source of burden as she was
then.
Single-
handedly and with out any educational equipment, Mainatai
took upon herself to try and educate this hearing challenged
child. That was the beginning. Word spread and soon
Mainatai’s home was the temple of the hearing-impaired. A
vision had grown and become a triumph….till at last it saw
its culmination in an institution.
Vijay Shikshan Sanstha
The
objective of Vijay Shikshan Sanstha is to educate the
hearing-impaired, and help them become self-reliant and thus
earn a dignified place in society.
Although
the school did have its teething problems, with the help of
philanthropists and a whole number of like-minded
volunteers, the institute grew to include more and more
children under its aegis. The first school established was
Sadhana Vidhyalaya at Naigaon. Soon Pragati Vidhyalaya at
Dadar followed. At present there are 194 students in the two
schools with the medium of instruction: Marathi and Hindi.
A normal
child easily masters a language through listening and
relating words to various activities going on around him. A
different approach is needed for the hearing impaired. For
them, language is gradually introduced through story telling
and through actually observing and doing things. The child
is encouraged to talk. Training in the proper use of other
facilities as well as in hearing itself is also very
helpful. The main objective and communicate with others.
Once a child gets this basic training he will commence hs
primary education. Both the school are well equipped with
hearing aids the children. Audiographs, auditory tests, and
speech training are an intrinsic part of the child’s
awarness of different sounds- voice pronunciation, voice
modulation and voice rhythm. To contribute like dance,
drama, rhythmic movements, listening to instrumental music
and the reading aloud of poems. We have unique libraries in
our schools, which provide story books. We also have another
section, which stores a fair amount of toys.
Dedicated Staff
Only trained teachers graduated in the relevant fields are
appointed. Normally the district social welfare division
appoints teachers who are well versed in operating the
special syllabus developed for the hearing impaired. The
teachers regularly attend various seminars, workshops and
refresher courses to help achieve better results for the
children. We are also proud to mention here that as well as
teaching staff, our administrative staff also participates
actively in developing our institution in every possible
way.
A
Sound
Future
School
education is offered upto
the 7th standard and guidance is given for the
Xth standard. All subjects from 1st to 7th
standard are taught by using special techniques developed
for the hearing impaired.
To become
financially independent it is necessary for the child to
acquire professional qualifications over and above the
conventional Xth standard. It is therefore important to
select the Xth standard subjects very carefully.
Recognising
this, the government has allowed replacement of language
(except one) with vocational subjects. Accordingly, typing,
screen-printing, sewing, embroidery and drawing are taught
in the schools run by our sanstha. In addition, information
is provided about other professional-oriented topics like
beauty care, home science and photography.
Parental Guidance
Most of the parents do not know much about the child’s
handicap, and are generally quits confused. The
headmistress, other teachers and the social worker talk with
these parents, explain the situation to them clearly and
calmly and prepare them to deal with the problem
realistically. Dialogue with the parents is established
through frequent parent-teacher meetings. Efforts are made
to understand and resolve the problems faced by parents.
Diet supplement and
medical check up
Most of
the students in our schools are from economically,
educationally and socially backward classes. To help these
students the sanstha has, with its own funds, started a diet
supplement scheme through which these children get milk,
biscuits and pulses, bhaji (vegetables) every day. Medical
examinations are also carried out periodically, and if a
child required treatment, parents are advises accordingly.
In addition, a detailed ENT examination is carried out by an
ENT specialist. Treatment is providing when required.
Cultural Activities and Competitions
The sanstha is always in the forefront with its efforts to
build up an awareness of our rich cultural heritage. It
celebrates the religious and the national festivals through
multifarious activities like dance, drama, drawings, rangoli,
handicrafts, etc. the children are encouraged to participate
in various competitions in and around Mumbai. The sanstha
also holds competitions in educational speech, drawing,
models making etc.
These
competitions not only enable the children to develop their
own talents but they also give them the confidence to mix in
society and be part of a normal family.
Publications
and Video films
The sanstha has published some books, which are useful to
teachers and the parents. “Sulabh Vachan”(simplified
reading) has been created by Smt. Mainatai Gokhale herself.
It introduces the child to the common words and sentence
used in every day life. A pictorial dictionary is also
available in Marathi, Hindi and English. This is accompanied
by two workbooks and a third booklet on speech training.
Samvaad, an attractive multi-colored book is especially
prepared for young, hearing-impaired children, and contains
some interesting exercise. With the object of making parents
aware of the importance of teaching their hearing impaired
child, we have developed an educational video film entitled
“Kelyane Hote Aahe Re” which has been show several times
on doordarshan.
We
need your help
You can help by giving financial assistance for the
following
·
Proper personal hearing aids and communal
hearing aids
·
Uniforms, books, notebooks, instruments boxes,
etc.
·
Speech trainers.
·
Educational tools and toys.
·
Computers, educational software and CD’s
·
Adopt- a-child {accepting responsibility for a
child’ education}
·
Instruments and raw materials used for
vocational training like screen-printing, tailoring and
leatherwork.
We now
turn to you for assistance for our worthwhile organisation.
We are achieving good results, and we need your help to make
things better.
Please
give your donation on the name of “Vijay Shikshan Sanstha”.
Vijay Shikshan Sanstha has an income Tax 80-G Certificate.
They
manage 2 Schools:
Pragati Vidyalaya
713, Bhatewadi
College Gully
D. S. Balarekar Marg.
Mumbai 400028
Karmayogi: Ms. Saritha, Principal
Mr. Gajanand Phadke, Trustee
Website: www.vijayshikshansanstha.com
Tel. 24376625,
24224348
Sadhana
Vidyalaya
Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya Bldg.
172 Naigaum Cross Road
Dadar
Mumbai 400014
Karmayogi: Ms. Geeta Shelar, Principal
Tel: 24134488
website: www.vijayshikshansanstha.com
Present
Board of Trustees
Smt. Mainatai R Gokhale
Shri. Prabhakar S. Kavale
Shri. Arvind H Bharucha
Shri. Umakant P Shirke
Shri.Achyut G Phadke
