Dubai: Every Saturday, 15 construction workers put down their hard hats to study English with a 16-year-old.
Vamika Bajaj, a year 11 Dubai International Academy (DIA) pupil, began tutoring workers in January, and has been giving new meaning to what once seemed like mere scribbles and shapes.
The impact of illiteracy first hit home for the Indian expatriate when she saw her housekeeper Pathari, from Nepal, struggling to make sense of the ubiquitous symbols.
"She would hesitate in taking the elevator [because] she couldn't read and didn't know which button to press… so I decided to teach her English."
Bajaj created worksheets and used her spare time to tutor Pathari on the basics of written and conversational English, and mathematics.
The improvement was so remarkable, she decided to educate other housekeepers in her neighbourhood, too.
That's when she hit her first stumbling block.
"Nearly all of the [house-help] would work 14 hours a day, six days a week, and could not afford to spare any time unless their supervisors permitted them. I was very disheartened to learn that most people were not willing to spare them for just one hour a week, without a wage deduction."
Had people really become so selfish? Bajaj said it was not all black and white.
"I found that most residents did not have any incentive to teach housekeepers English, as they were not facing any communication problems. Also, working couples with children could not spare their housekeepers until they returned late in the evening, as their children would be left unattended."
Opportunity
Discouraged, but not defeated, Bajaj looked for other ways to extend her help.
She found the perfect opportunity when she saw a neighbour facing difficulties in communicating with a maintenance worker in her building.
"These were a group of individuals that could benefit from learning English. After a week of negotiations, I found a construction company that was willing to support the implementation of my programme at one of their project sites in Satwa."
Months later, Bajaj has settled into a familiar routine with her enthusiastic students.
"They have begun to link words together, correct each other and interact in English, which is very rewarding."
Despite waking up at 3.30am and working hard throughout the day, the workers are diligent in keeping up with their homework and asking questions, she said.
Now, Bajaj hopes to multiply the benefits of her efforts by getting more people involved.
"It's just pure mathematics — I am one person, impacting 15. If just another person volunteered to teach, it would help make 30 people literate — and it goes on."
