17learning January/February 2009
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lateness and absences are almost non-
existent. The school's success is thanks
largely to the small but regular amounts
of money individual sponsors here in
Cumbria donate every month.
Every month around �600 is generated
from sponsors in the UK, particularly
local ones.
It makes up the majority of the �750-
800 that is needed to ensure the school is
able to operate. Costs are a lot less than
in the western world; five pounds can
educate a girl for a month.
Joanna, 31, said: "The link between
Cumbria and the school is huge. About
85-90 per cent of the sponsorship that we
get is from Cumbria and it is the
lifeblood of the school. My parents help
keep people updated here at home about
how the school is developing and I know
if they lived in a big city it would be very
difficult to do that. But there is a real
community feeling here and that is very
important to us."
Her mother Rosemary, who lives in
Blackwell, Carlisle, said: "I can open the
post and cheques can fall out and we
don't know where they've come from,
just from people who have heard about
Joanna's work and want to help the
children. The support is incredible."
The ongoing support has helped the
school flourish.
"Every year since we opened we've
added a class and after settling in this
latest class we will have the first year
when we won't add one," Joanna said.
"We want to try and consolidate what
has been achieved so far. We have also
built an accommodation block on the
side of the school for all the teachers to
live in. It is a very rural area so
accommodation can be hard to find. All
our teachers are women and we like
them to be rural people themselves.
There is also no electricity. There is a
connection but the supply is terribly
erratic and unreliable.
"The fact that they have lived in the
countryside and they've grown up in
conditions like that means they can cope.
Rural areas are very different from
cities."
She added: "Education has grown so
much in India over the years but 80 per
cent of the mothers have not been
educated. Education was seen very much
as a thing for boys. At the school we
follow the Indian government's
curriculum. We are not doing anything
that is totally different, but I know at our
school there is a much better
relationship between teachers and
pupils.
"We have one girl who, when she'd
been in our school for about a year, you
were able to give her a newspaper and
she would read it and write without too
much difficulty but I know there are
older girls who go to government schools
in India who can't do that."
Children also get the chance to stay
with the teachers in their block if they
need extra tuition. Parents say their
children excel so well when this happens
that a children's block may now be built
alongside. The school cares for the
children, too, and has sought to build on
the link between nutrition and learning.
Joanna said: "When the school opened
I'd say 99 per cent of the children were
anaemic. We've given them nutrition and
we gave them iron tablets every single
day.
"The teachers said they couldn't
believe the difference in the children.
They were able to concentrate and we
took a small amount of money from
parents so they were able to feel they
were contributing."
To find out more about Free Schools
India, visit www.free-school.org or email
Joanna at jharma@free-school.org.
`About 90 per cent of the
sponsorship we receive is
from people in Cumbria'
Word perfect:
Class 4
practises
reading aloud
to the teacher.
The school fol-
lows the Indian
national cur-
riculum and all
the teachers
are women
Opportunities for:
� TEACHERS (SECONDARY)
� PRIMARY TEACHERS
If you would like to advertise
your education vacancies in
learning and futures,
please contact the
Recruitment Team on
01228
612330
Wetheriggs Lane, Penrith, CA11 8NG
Telephone (01768) 242160
Fax (01768) 242165
Email mbell@ullswater.cumbria.sch.uk
11 - 18, 1460 students
MEDIA ASSISTANT
To work in our Learning Resource Centre
Scale 4: Points 18 - 21: �16,941-�18,882 pro rata
Part time (15 hours per week), term time only.
(Allocation of hours to be negotiated)
Wanted as soon as possible to work with staff and
young people on creative projects using such
media as radio, podcasts, web pages, and to share
general administrative duties.
For a job description and further details of how
to apply please contact Mary Bell at the college.
Closing date for applications:
Friday 30 January 2009.
recruitment

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