Making Final Preparations in Kumbalam

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005, Kumbalam

I went to the cyber café and found it closed this morning. I needed to be online, so I caught another bus to Kollam. I still didn’t get what I wanted, since the connection there slowed down to where pages weren’t loading. It’s frustrating! I need to plan for my travels, because trains and hotels can be booked up during the days just before Christmas in Goa where I am going.

While in town, I bought a few more things I needed before leaving. Now, all I need to buy while still here are some pastries for the going-away party we will have at the hostel next Thursday night and for the teachers to have at their in-service session on the 10th.

It was 2 p.m. before I got back to school. I missed lunch, so I bought some snacks (a samosa, some spicy doughnut-looking pastries, and a sweet) and ate them while walking home. It was a HOT walk, and I was very thirsty from the snacks and the heat.

Joseph has been out tonight, and Prameela has been in a bad mood. I get so tired of all the yelling that occurs when she is alone with the kids. I don’t think Joseph is aware of it, although I mentioned it in my report to him. I’ve decided to stay here this weekend, so I hope he will be around so she want me yelling so much!

I had an e-mail from another volunteer who said he would be arriving today. He didn’t make it, however. He was in Varkala, so I imagine he decided it was too nice a place to leave. It would be fun to have another volunteer here for the last few days I have. He has to leave India and return again to get his visa renewed, so he just plans to stop for a few days. Then he will fly to Sri Lanka for a visit and return to here for the next term beginning after Christmas. Joseph says he thinks he is American and about 25 years old.

Reasons I’m Glad I Came and Stayed:

1. I feel like I have actually lived in India.
2. I really like most of the kids including those at the hostel and the others at the school.
3. I feel my presence and the work I have done is appreciated.
4. I’ve learned so much about Indian society I would never have known otherwise.

Reasons I’m Glad I’m Leaving:

1. I’m so tired of all the yelling at the hostel.
2. I’m tired of feeling trapped and isolated all the time.
3. I’m frustrated with how difficult it is to make change occur in India.
4. I’m bored now that most of my work is finished.
5. I look forward to having good rice again; the rice here in Kerala is boiled twice (in the hull and again for cooking before eating) and is too puffy with no flavor!

Friday, Dec. 2, 2005, Kumbalam

Joseph told me my time here has made a big difference. He’s happy to have the scope and sequence charts and is proud to show them to everyone. But he seems happier that I have helped him clarify his vision for the school and put it in words for communicating to the parts and the government. He also told me he thinks he has recruited his first teacher through my Spy Program.

Young teachers all hope for a government job due to higher pay, a pension system, and the fact they cannot be fired (meaning they can take off work anytime they want). Therefore, they are not permanent employees or very dedicated ones. But a government test is required for getting a government job, and they won’t let anyone over the age of 34 take the test. Another problem with getting teachers and losing those who are already here is that they don’t like the commute from the city to this small out-of-the-way village. My Spy Program calls for Joseph to find a way to determine who are the GOOD teachers over 34 years old in the nearby schools. I suggested that if he can find them, he can recruit them by paying 500-1000 rupees ($11.50-23.00) more per month over the pay at their present schools. That’s a significant amount, since most teachers of that age and experience are still only making 2500-3000 rupees per month at private school. Commuting won’t be a problem for them, since they are already in the area. My suggestion made him remember a teacher he knows who is on maternity leave from a nearby school. He saw her at her home. She said she would be willing to change jobs if he can increase her salary above heer present 2500 ruppes per month. So he probably has her. If he can find 4-5 others like her, he’ll have one of his major problems (teachers coming and going too often and even in the middle of the school year when they get an offer of a government job) solved, because no one else will have the money to compete with the level of salaries he will be able to pay.

Since St. Joseph’s is a non-profit organization (registered both here and in the US), I’m going to suggest to him that he consider establishing endowed chair salary supplements to help in the above endeavor. If he could find people willing to donate $10,000 U.S., he could create named endowed chair salary supplements (The Sunjay Gupta Endowed Chair of English Teaching, The Rajish Chadra Endowed Chair of Science Teaching, The Bill and Brenda Gates Endowed Chair of Computer Teaching, etc.) for positions that would guarantee 1000 rupees per month above the normal salary (at an anualized rate of return of 3%). That would remove the budget pressure on him in terms of paying the extra money to get the good teachers. The school could pay the 2500 that is normal, and the chairs would supplement that with 1000 rupees per month. There will never be more than 25 faculty positions here at this school. (There are 12 now.) Surely, he could find 20 or so successful Indians and others in the U.S. who would be willing to donate that much money to have their name attached to a position at this school.