Asha’s projects not only catalyze change in children’s lives through education but also by providing a sense of home and community. We had the privilege to interview Arun, a program coordinator at Madurai SEED. Madurai SEED is an Asha supported organization that creates education centers for economically disadvantaged children in the greater Madurai area who lack basic necessities and lack support from parents who mostly don’t have a formal education. Not only does Arun help to run this program, but he also went through it himself. We had a chance to learn how SEED made him the man he is today and how it gave him opportunities he otherwise would never have had access to.
Arun grew up in the slum area of Madurai and was born into a poor family. His father worked as a construction laborer, and both of his parents were not formally educated. Growing up, his family faced financial difficulties, and they could not even pay the minimal school fees. Students like him were publicly humiliated in the school – the teacher would ask them to stand up in class and demand to know when the fees would be paid. He joined SEED when he was eleven after finishing elementary school. SEED took care of his school fees and provided an important support system, offering not only an education but also guidance on social life and skills. It was a huge support for him during his childhood. He says simply, “SEED raised me. More than the school and even my family, SEED raised me.”
A picture of students studying taken at SEED
SEED was established in 1999 and initially focused on helping children who otherwise would have gone into laborer jobs. Over time, more children started pursuing higher education, and awareness about the importance of college education grew in the community. Arun recalls that within his community, there was an idea that if a child went to SEED, they would have a good life where they would stay out of violence or addiction, which are ever present for these at risk children. Currently, SEED has 20 volunteers that go to college in the day and come back to teach in the evenings. The organization serves close to 300 kids. Asha Boston pays for the staff’s fellowships and gives an honorarium to the college student volunteers.
As a student at SEED, Arun enjoyed learning and was actively involved in activities like debate, which encouraged him to develop critical thinking. He saw everything with a sense of wonder. He also met many other people at SEED who he learned valuable life philosophies from such as finding satisfaction in the simple things in life. The stories of other SEED students and their experiences inspired him. Of his batch of 12 students, many of them went on to college and graduate school, got married, and had kids. In fact, Arun himself went on to get a post-graduate degree in English literature! His fellow classmates have taken jobs as teachers, social workers, and working in hospitals. To this day, there has been a tradition that kids who graduate from SEED would come back to volunteer while they are going through college.
After finishing his graduate degree, Arun worked in Chennai for a year and a half but ultimately returned to work at SEED. He wanted to be closer to his family as his mother was ill, but he was also motivated to give back to SEED and work closely with the current director who is growing the program. As he puts it, “I wanted to come back to SEED.” His day to day role involves managing correspondences and planning events to keep SEED running.
A picture of Arun with a children’s magazine published by SEED.
We asked Arun what he believes about the current challenges in Indian education, and there were several he thinks we should all be aware of. First, COVID has changed how children engage with their education. Students are distracted by technology and are less committed to their education. Although they attend school, they often lack dedication, and the schools’ emphasis on rote memorization hinders their learning. This reflects a broader cultural trend that doesn’t value education as much as it did. In the past, good academic performance was seen as a path to college and a better job, but now the expectations have dropped. Even in private schools, the situation isn’t much better. Students can pass exams without knowing much, and schools focus on optimizing their pass rates as opposed to the quality of education. Arun believes that education needs to go beyond mere memorization, and students should focus on becoming experts in particular subjects rather than consuming digital distractions. He stresses the importance of cultivating skills and knowledge that can be used to create something meaningful, rather than just seeking immediate gratification.
Arun sees himself becoming a teacher at a government school and is preparing for his qualification exams. He wants to bring back the magic of learning that he had as a child and believes these current students lack with their digitally absorbed lives. He knows the importance of education firsthand with how many doors it opened for him and wants to carry on the spirit of SEED through his own career. Organizations like SEED continue to make a difference in children’s lives both through education but also a stable community and place to form an identity, and we are confident that Arun will be able to continue this mission in his future journey.