Ananda of Asha Kolkata did a site visit in Sept 2003 - below are answers to most of the questions that I had requested him to ask JNMIH. ================================================================================= Hi Minali, Here is the brief Visit Report of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Institute for Handicapped Address: Boomtar, Namchi, South Sikkim TeleFax Number: 03595 263669 Visited On: 9th August 2003 We reached NJP in the morning by train and took a rickshaw to the Taxi stand to avail the Jeep service up to Namchi, Sikkim. It is three and half-hours journey. We took our lunch at Namchi Bazaar and then we went to JNMIH, which is 2km from Namchi Bazaar. We met Jeevan Rai an experienced, trained visually challenged teacher of JNMIH. We got the following information. - what curriculum does the school follow? Ans: Conventional Braille - what is the admission/selection criteria for students? Ans: Visually Challenged Children. - what is the acceptance rate? how many students are admitted on an average each year? Ans: 5/6 or 2/3 - what is the capacity of the school? How many students is it equipped to accommodate? Ans: 50-60 students. - Specifically which areas do teachers need training in? specific subjects? Ans: Physics, Mathematics, Computer - disabilities issues? Ans: In the last visit report Biju gave an instance of one child who's eyes were constantly watering, but this time we did not get such instance. But medical attention is always required for the children .....so the medical issues are always crucial and of course when it is for the physically challenged children ..... - have they advertised for new teachers? Ans: No. - how many teachers are esp trained to handle children with disabilities? Ans: They have 4 trained teachers, One trained music teacher and one mobility instructor. - Receipt for Braille paper that was purchased - we really need a copy of this - I have the copy of the passbook entry to show that the amount of Rs. 50,000 was received by NAVC, Sikkim. Ans: We have repeatedly told them to send the receipt as soon as possible. - Break up of the menu of what children are fed everyday Ans: not available - how many meals do they get per day Ans. 2(two) meals - average cost of each meal? Ans: 40 Rs. Per day. (Approx) - what basis are the meal menus decided upon? Nutrition? cost? veges available in the marker on a given day? Ans: Cost & veges available in the marker on a given day. - How close is the nearest medical facility? Ans: Within 2 k.m. - How close is the nearest doctor? Ans: Within 2 k.m. - Can someone in the area conduct medical camps every 6 months? Approximate cost? Ans: Requires a proper survey. They are getting medical care properly. Also two children operated to try getting back their vision. (Operation was not successful unfortunately). - certification for being handicapped - how much does this cost? Ans: Free. - can any doctor give it? Ans: Government Doctor can give it with proper supporting test reports. - feedback from teachers that the salary is low - what is the average salary in and around Namchi for teachers of these subjects and qualifications. Ans: (min. 7000-8000/- Rs. salary to be given). Jeevan Rai is a trained teacher and he gets 5000/- Rs. Per month. He teaches English, Gen. Sc. and Social Sc. for Class 1, 3, 4 and 5. There are 9 teachers. They say they are less paid, and they cannot manage on this pay. - Account keeping **needs** to be improved - do they have an accountant already? How much will it cost to hire a full-time accountant? Ans: Yes, They have an accountant at school. (As Mr. Jeevan Rai said) - Having a ground coordinator on-site - we will work with the school - do they have someone to work with full-time in this capacity? Ans: Not yet. - how much will this person cost? Ans: 5000/- per month (Approx) - figure out the status of the FCRA that was applied for a year and a half ago Ans: Not yet finalized. - can you interview some children and ask them some basic questions and see what they feel about the school Ans: Children are very happy and proud to be in the school. - Photographs - can you pls take as many as possible - of the children, the staff, the school, the facilities, and the hostel etc. - whatever is possible? Ans: Yes I have taken still Photographs and uploaded. I am sorry I do not have a video camera otherwise I would be glad to take video of those Visually Challenged children playing, singing playing guitars understanding the stuff notation and independently moving around the school campus. Its Just amazing. Requires more number of visits and proper surveys to find out some more details of the project. Overall it is honest project. The way they are running the institute is impressive and their efforts are genuine. They need a proper spacious workshop for candle making and making plastic bags. Dining space and kitchen needs to be more clean to ensure hygienic environment. I believe it is always good to visit a project without prior information and repeated such sudden visits gives a proper picture of a project. I visited this project same way. I found the school closed for the week and so could not be able to talk to the other teachers. In JNMIH they bought "Art Paper" to use in the Braille Printer. Every sheet is cut into 4(four) pieces and that is the size exactly fits into the WEBEL Braille Printer. But the WEBEL printer cannot print on both side of the Paper. Thus one side of the paper is being wasted. Regarding the Duxbury Software and the Basic Index Braille Printer (High configuration both side printer) I have collected some information. I have seen the setup running at Action Aid India, Guwahati, involving Duxbury Software and the Basic Index Braille Printer (High configuration both side printer). But it needs actual Braille continuous stationary. Also I learned how to run the software to convert ordinary text into Braille and print it. And I had a long discussion with the Regional Manager Mr. P. K. Pincha who himself is a visually challenged person and could properly explain the benefits of using such kind of setup. I had seen the setup at "Blind Boys", Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission, and had a brief discussion regarding the same with the Principal of Blind Boys. I came to know that Mr. Jeevan Rai of JNMIH is trained from "Blind Boys", Narendrapur Ramkrishna Mission. After Durga Puja i.e. Second week of October I shall have a detailed discussion with WEBEL and Blind Boys to get more Information. Next day we returned to Siliguri and from there to Guwahati and visited Action Aid, Guwahati. There was a Bandh declared at Guwahati for indefinite period and my return train cancelled. I had to come back to Kolkata by air. Overall the trip was exciting. Thanks to you and to Asha Colorado, With Warm Regards Ananda Asha Kolkata