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Keywords
Rural, Adivasi, Learning center, Resource Center
Geographical Location
Sittilingi, Dharmapuri District, Tamilnadu
Languages
Tamil, Hindi, English
Philosophy/Beliefs
We believe that children from disadvantaged sections in the rural areas need an education that would help them to gain self respect and help live with dignity. For this they need to acquire skills relevant to the community and the local economy. Children have a natural curiosity and capacity to learn that needs to be nurtured, giving them space and the right environment. We believe that children need the company of sympathetic adults who can encourage/ motivate them to acquire skills and knowledge.
Objective
"THULIR" is an Education Resource Centre at Sittilingi [a tribal village in Dharmapuri district of Tamilnadu, India], for children. It is a Tamil word meaning "a tender shoot", also "to sprout". We have set up Thulir
- for children to be in the presence of adults who motivate them and provide support for learning
- for children to access basic learning resources that are not available to them in their homes or schools [art materials, books, lab facility, computers etc.]
- for children to attend supplementary classes , or to self study/ prepare for exams etc. away from crammed and noisy homes
- for children to interact with visiting professionals from various walks of life to get exposure
- where young adults would be trained to create similar spaces for children in their own villages
- as the children grow into young adults, the centre can conduct vocational training courses, and network with other centres where interested students can obtain such training
Children come to Thulir at different times of the day. Some children come only during the evenings after school, while there are some who come to the center during the day to prepare for their exams, learn new skills, interact with resource persons etc. Some of the activities offered are
- Arts and Craft - Many children here do not get opportunities to handle art and craft materials and get a chance to express themselves. Therefore this is an important activity that we give a lot of emphasis to, as we believe this would help children to gain self-confidence and help unfold their creativity. We do claywork, paper folding, painting, mask making, flower art.
- Studying the Environment - At Thulir, the attempt is to use the environment around as a focal point to do exercises in learning various skills and subjects. For example, the children make a nature calendar where all the plants that flower at a given month/ season are observed and recorded. The gardening activity is another important occasion for learning. Besides, dealing with subjects that are familiar, helps boost confidence of the learners and offers opportunities in improving writing and reading skills.
- Games/Sports - Thulir has a modest size open ground for games and children play football, koko, dodge ball and various Improvised local games.
- Language and Math Skills – Developing language and math skills for our children is a very important aspect of the activities at the center. Storytelling, reading, poetry sessions, puzzles and riddle sessions are different ways in which language and math skills are developed.
- Exposure Visits - Sittilingi being a remote valley, many of the tribal children grow up without going out of the valley for years. Consequently their knowledge of the outside world is limited to images from the TV and the movies that they watch. Their lack awareness induces a low self-esteem and lack of confidence in interacting with outsiders. One of Thulir's major activity is to provide them with the knowledge and also create opportunities for them to interact with visitors and resource persons from outside Sittilingi as well organize exposure visits to other groups.
Anuradha, Krishna
Thulir,
Sittilingi Village,
Theerthamalai PO
Dharmapuri District
Tamil Nadu 636906
Phone:04346-258611
Website Links
Thulir Website
Article in Chiguru July 2005