At a tiny village named Phangane in the Thane district of Maharashtra, something extraordinary has taken place. The Aaijibaichishala, first school for grandmothers was initiated here in 2016. It is a school for older women who never had the opportunity to learn reading or writing. In Marathi, the word ‘Aai’ means mother, ‘Baiji’ means something that belongs to a sister, ‘shala’ is a word denoted from Pathshala, meaning school. The classes are conducted for two hours a day in the house of a farmer. Yogendra Bangar and the Motiram Dalal Charitable Trust initiated this school.
The school started when a teacher heard a grandmother say she wanted to read holy books on her own. This innocent desire made the teacher and others want to begin a school specifically for older women. Few women initially attended to learn, but the school expanded as more grandmothers became interested.
The women at school learn all sorts of things such as the alphabet, arithmetic, nursery rhymes, and painting. Simple lessons that make them feel confident. The school shows everyone that regardless of your age, it is never too late to learn something new.
The school is also where grandmothers gather and become friends. They encourage one another and love coming to class. Most of them are happy and proud that they can now read signs, write letters, or comprehend religious texts on their own.
Although this is not the first initiative ever taken for literacy of elderly people in India. In 2022 NCERT came with a project Ujas, with an aim to develop source material and team to educate the basic things to the elderly people so as to remove their dependency on others for any simple literary work. But the Aaijibaichishala has stood out as an incredible effort that transformed into a school.
This school in Phangane is not only educating in reading and writing, but also bringing new hope and happiness to numerous elderly women. It reminds us that education can be achieved at any age and never too late to pursue your dreams. Other communities might soon establish such schools to educate older adults.