{"id":28957,"date":"2017-03-28T12:43:29","date_gmt":"2017-03-28T10:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/?p=28957"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:49:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:49:44","slug":"indian-grandmothers-are-going-to-school-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/indian-grandmothers-are-going-to-school-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian grandmothers are going to school for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an Indian village, called Fangane, far away from Mumbai city, there exists a school that restricts\u00a0children from entering and where the youngest student must be over the age of 60.\u00a0<\/strong>This grandmothers’s school is called Aajibaichi Shala.<\/p>\n


\n\"Grandmothers's<\/p>\n

A special school for elderly women in India<\/h2>\n

Launched for International Women\u2019s Day in 2016, this school is located in a\u00a0village\u00a0where many elderly women\u00a0have never had the opportunity to\u00a0go to school.<\/p>\n

They are now\u00a0hitting the books, going to school every day except Thursday to learn how to read and write.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are now 30 students between the ages of 60 and 90 attending this special school, including Ansuya Deshmukh, who was married off at age 10.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, she has learned how to sign her name, recite the alphabet, and count to 21.<\/p>\n

\"Grandmothers's<\/p>\n

Aajibaichi Shaala: not your ordinary school in India<\/h2>\n

The students at \u201cgrandmothers\u2019 school\u201d in the village of Fangane are elderly women who are getting the chance to learn to read.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love going to school,\u201d<\/em> said Kamal Keshavtupange, 60. At Aajibaichi, afternoon classes in the one-room school are held six days a week for two hours. The lessons are timed so the women can finish their work in the fields, before attending class.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy knees hurt, so I can\u2019t sit on the floor for long. That\u2019s the only problem. But I still go every day,\u201d<\/em> said Kamal.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst I finish all my house work, then I go to school. It\u2019s good we have this in our village,\u201d<\/em> said 70-year-old Drupada Pandurangkedar.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n