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Children squat on tattered rugs on the badly dented cement floor. Water leaks through the ceiling whenever it rains. But their energetic body language, especially of the girls, more than makes up for the dilapidated walls of Class VIII at the upper primary government school in Vazidpur village, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh.
If you go by the teachers and some field workers, it is the iron and folic acid supplements that the students are getting regularly for the past few years that has helped shed their lethargy.
The teachers, led by their headmaster Srikrishan Sharma, try to ensure that all the students get iron tablets after their daily mid-day meals every Monday. For better compliance, they now carry out this exercise the next day as well to ensure all children are included. Sharma says they also offer incentives like a pen or some surprise gift for students who regularly attend school.
And there is no way the teachers can forget this Monday ritual as students are not shy of demanding their nutrients. “Every Monday we look forward to these supplements and we remind our teachers in case there is a delay,” says a chirpy Madhu. In fact, students parrot non-stop the benefits of iron and folic acid supplements and the consequences of anaemia. This includes the underweight Amrin of Class VI, who wants to become a doctor.
A recent survey by the Population Council of India of 10 to 14-year-olds in Uttar Pradesh showed that every two girls out of three and one out of three boys suffer from anaemia. According to the National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 compliance of iron and folic acid supplements among adolescents remained as low as 30 to 35 per cent.
The Weekly Iron Folic acid Supplementation programme in this school in Baraut block in UP began on a regular basis only in 2016. Though the school’s average of 49 per cent compliance compared to the overall State data may look good, it could have been much better given the proactive role the teachers and students play.
This is because 25 of 82 students in this school are absent for almost six months in a year. Either they themselves work in brick kilns or their parents take them to earn money for sustenance.
As many as 48 out of 82 students in this schools are girls. They definitely appear more active and being in the majority, dominate the classroom with their infectious zest and enthusiasm.
The writer is a senior journalist
based in Delhi
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