Students travel to India to celebrate achievements of school built following earthquake

Students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have been sharing their teaching skills with underprivileged children in India.  




The DMU group were invited to join a visit to Gujarat by the Rushey Mead Foundation, a charity set up by Leicester’s Rushey Mead Academy to rebuild a school devastated by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.

It took five years of fundraising and building work, but thanks to the Foundation, the Rushey Mead School opened in Nagor, near the town of Bhuj in 2006. It helps underprivileged children get an education who would otherwise not have had the chance.

A special event was held to celebrate the school’s 10th anniversary, which was filmed by the BBC as part of a special report on the project. DMU students helped to run classes, paired reading and group work with pupils.

The ability to speak English is possibly one of the most important skills to young people in India because of the large number of employment opportunities it opens up. A good knowledge of English is required to be accepted into higher education in India and abroad. Earlier this year DMU launched Square Mile India to share the skills and talents of students and staff with communities in Ahmedabad, also in Gujarat, and in particular to support a children's home within the Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad which includes supporting lessons.

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Amy White, Public Engagement officer at DMU, said: “This was our first trip to Nagor, in partnership with #DMUglobal and The Rushey Mead Foundation, where our students had to think on their feet and really use their initiative and creativity.

“We are now looking into our future engagement with the school, with a heavy focus on English Language teaching.”

Students, many of whom study Education and were all excellent volunteers with DMU Square Mile this year, also had the chance to experience school life in Nagor, join in sports and creative activities and investigate options for DMU Square Mile India to support future projects.

Sam Wright, studying for Masters in International Business and Management, said “This trip was life-changing, eye-opening and an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t have got anywhere else other than DMU. I had never been to India before and cannot wait to go back as everyone was so happy and welcoming. "