VOA标准英语2013--Makeshift Schools Help Mumbai Slum Children Beat the Odds

Makeshift Schools Help Mumbai Slum Children Beat the Odds¹

Behind the greenery at this Mumbai public park, a mother of two is spending her morning teaching the basics of English spelling. Aparna Kanda understands how crucial these few hours are for these young learners, many of whom often have to study by streetlamp.

“Here are a group of children who are on the verge² of dropping out of school because they do not have that support at home, because both parents are working hard to meet ends [make ends meet]. And these guys just go home and feel very dejected usually because they are not doing too well in school,” said Kanda.

Foundation flourishes

In just one year, a group of 15 volunteers has transformed this public park in Mumbai into a makeshift school, where some 250 children from local neighborhoods and slums come to enhance their learning.

Two Mumbai residents started Angels Xpress Foundation in 2012 after finding that many of city’s more than 4 million school children still lack basic English and mathematics skills.

In fact, despite high enrollment³ levels of primary school children, a recent nationwide study found that only half of those enrolled⁴ in the fifth grade could solve simple subtraction⁵ problems. The report notes a decline in students’ reading and math levels, despite India’s 2010 Right to Education Act, which mandates⁶ free and compulsory⁷ education to all children between the ages of six and 14.

With these statistics in mind, Angels Xpress Co-founder Beena Advani decided⁸ to concentrate on Mumbai’s slums, where she said many parents are unable to provide proper educational support to their children.

“I am sure they live in a very strenuous⁹ and stressful situation themselves, so they may not have the time or the knowledge to pass on the value that we are giving them, because they [the children], most of them are first-generation learners,” said Advani.

Thriving children

Recent high school graduate Sakshi Shivdasani, a volunteer on this particular morning, said working with these children has opened her eyes not only to their potential, but also to the struggle of the roughly 10 million who live in Mumbai’s slums.

“None of them actually get half the things we do, they get up early to bathe because they won’t get water supply later. It actually helps me understand what half of the people are going through,” said Shivdasani.

Children like 11-year old Sneha Yadav come to this park, one of two street schools, every morning at 7 a.m. for three hours of learning before heading to school. Volunteers also provide food, books and clothing.

“The school is so good that whoever comes will never want to leave,” said student Sneha Yadhav.

Angels Xpress hopes to increase the number of its schools in India’s financial hub in order to reach at least 1,000 slum children a year. 

1 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

2 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

3 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

4 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 subtraction   

n.减法，减去

参考例句：

• We do addition and subtraction in arithmetic.在算术里,我们作加减运算。
• They made a subtraction of 50 dollars from my salary.他们从我的薪水里扣除了五十美元。

6 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

7 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 strenuous   

adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的

参考例句：

• He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
• You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。