From a distance, the walls of this room that are painted in bright hues welcome at us and as we enter this place, smiles that light up the children’s face greet us. We are at the Ambedkar Pathshala that is located in the CMC Colony on Variety Hall road in our city. This one, is an after school centre that is founded, managed and run by a few kids of this colony, who have braved the odds to complete their basic education. Today, the five founders of the Ambedkar Pathshala are role models who motivate the children of this small colony to think, dream and achieve big in life.
Several permanent and non-permanent staff of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) have made the CMC Colony their home. The parents of these families struggle to make ends meet. The kids of this colony are enrolled in Government run schools and for a majority of kids of the CMC Colony taking advantage of a tuition centre is nothing short of a luxury as their parents cannot afford the same. This has been the case for several decades.
A few children of the CMC Colony, who went through the same struggle saw light at the end of the tunnel. Dandapani, Rajsekar and Pugalenthi’s parents could not afford to send them to a coaching centre. The three, who dwell in this colony, completed their school education and these graduates are currently employed. With funds from their savings, the three formed the Ambedkar Pathshala this July. Satish, Dinesh and Sudarshan are the first faculty of this after school centre who continue to render their services.
Ever since the Ambedkar Pathshala opened its doors to the kids of this colony, there were just a handful of children who took advantage of this coaching centre. However, currently, there are 40 children who are a regular here and in order to cater to the growing number of children, the founders have employed two staff who coach the students.
Ambedkar Pathshala hosts extra coaching for students from class one to 12 from Monday to Friday between 6 pm and 8 pm. During the weekends, the volunteers of this centre host good grooming sessions and trains the students in extra-curricular activities like elocution, essay writing among others. All this is offered free of cost.
“We have fought and won several battles and achieved something in life. We do not want the children of future generations to go through what we have gone through. Thus, through our Ambedkar Pathshala we are hoping to make a difference.” Satish says.
Within just few months of starting this after school centre, the founders have managed to make a difference. We are told that Ananda Krishna, Barani, Raja, Kumaran and Deleep of this centre have had an opportunity to come face-to-face with our Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner, Dr. K Vijay Karthikeyan. Satish shares with us that during this rendezvous, the kids who would otherwise shy away from the crowd, were bold enough to request the Corporation Commissioner to provide them with better facilities at their colony. The Corporation Commissioner, who has a reputation of taking swift action, ensured that a part of the CMC colony that lacks lighting fatalities is lit.
Currently, the Ambedkar Pathshala functions from a building that is under the purview of the Housing Board Association. This after school centre is run on funds by its founders and core volunteers. Those who are interested in making a contribution in cash or in kind can contact Satish at 99522-98315.
Several permanent and non-permanent staff of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) have made the CMC Colony their home. The parents of these families struggle to make ends meet. The kids of this colony are enrolled in Government run schools and for a majority of kids of the CMC Colony taking advantage of a tuition centre is nothing short of a luxury as their parents cannot afford the same. This has been the case for several decades.
A few children of the CMC Colony, who went through the same struggle saw light at the end of the tunnel. Dandapani, Rajsekar and Pugalenthi’s parents could not afford to send them to a coaching centre. The three, who dwell in this colony, completed their school education and these graduates are currently employed. With funds from their savings, the three formed the Ambedkar Pathshala this July. Satish, Dinesh and Sudarshan are the first faculty of this after school centre who continue to render their services.
Ever since the Ambedkar Pathshala opened its doors to the kids of this colony, there were just a handful of children who took advantage of this coaching centre. However, currently, there are 40 children who are a regular here and in order to cater to the growing number of children, the founders have employed two staff who coach the students.
Ambedkar Pathshala hosts extra coaching for students from class one to 12 from Monday to Friday between 6 pm and 8 pm. During the weekends, the volunteers of this centre host good grooming sessions and trains the students in extra-curricular activities like elocution, essay writing among others. All this is offered free of cost.
“We have fought and won several battles and achieved something in life. We do not want the children of future generations to go through what we have gone through. Thus, through our Ambedkar Pathshala we are hoping to make a difference.” Satish says.
Within just few months of starting this after school centre, the founders have managed to make a difference. We are told that Ananda Krishna, Barani, Raja, Kumaran and Deleep of this centre have had an opportunity to come face-to-face with our Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner, Dr. K Vijay Karthikeyan. Satish shares with us that during this rendezvous, the kids who would otherwise shy away from the crowd, were bold enough to request the Corporation Commissioner to provide them with better facilities at their colony. The Corporation Commissioner, who has a reputation of taking swift action, ensured that a part of the CMC colony that lacks lighting fatalities is lit.
Currently, the Ambedkar Pathshala functions from a building that is under the purview of the Housing Board Association. This after school centre is run on funds by its founders and core volunteers. Those who are interested in making a contribution in cash or in kind can contact Satish at 99522-98315.