Obama wants to meet workers’ children at Humayun’s Tomb

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Obama wants to meet workers’ children at Humayun’s Tomb

New Delhi: 20 students from ASI’s makeshift schools at monuments likely to get passes to meet US President

Not many might know of the makeshift day schools at the city’s heritage sites where young kids of migrant workers learn alphabets and basic mathematics. US President Barack Obama not only knows about them, but is also looking forward to meet the children during his visit to the Capital later this week.

The US Embassy recently requested the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to arrange a meeting with a group of slum children and wards of conservation workers studying in the makeshift schools during Obama’s visit to the Humayun’s Tomb on November 7. The ASI is now in the process of selecting around 20 children aged between five and eight years and five of their teachers for the interaction.

These makeshift schools started about a year ago at a few heritage sites that had a large number of migrant conservation workers camping on the sites. Most are from remote areas in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and are unskilled or semi-skilled workers working for contractors. Currently, these makeshift schools are run at Red Fort, Purana Quila, Qutab Minar, Tughlaqabad, Safdarjung’s Tomb and Qila Rai Pithora.

The schools initially enrolled only workers’ children, but soon some from nearby slums too joined the classes.

“Over the months, the number of students has increased considerably. These children are provided stationery, blankets and other basic necessities. We even offer scholarships to the outstanding students,” said an ASI official.

“The tutors here are volunteers, wives of ASI officials or some ASI officials themselves. Volunteers from the United Peace Foundation too frequently come in to teach the children,” the official said.

Sources in the Culture Ministry said 20 children and five tutors will get special passes to meet Obama during his 40-minute visit to the Humayun’s Tomb. However, officials said that with Diwali round the corner, a large number of the migrant workers have returned home and to hold some of the children back might be a difficulty, especially since most of the kids and even their parents are unaware of the significance of the meeting.

Though no special preparations are being made at the Humayun’s Tomb, sources said either ASI Director General Gautam Sengupta or Culture Secretary Jawhar Sircar are expected to receive Obama at the World Heritage Site.