Education is a powerful catalyst for societal development. It not only becomes a tool of individual development, but also to engage with the environment around in a more informed way. Education in India has been a long journey, overcoming many hurdles. While urban areas show more progress in education achievements, rural areas seem to be lagging behind. Many focused attempts have been made especially for the rural areas to improve education status. The public education system has remained the biggest avenue for getting education in a country like India. Free and affordable education facilitates education for all. The RTE Act has proved to be a major milestone in education and has helped approaching education in a more structured and accountable manner.
We at Arthik Anusandhan Kendra (AAK) has been working with the needy sections of society for the last 50 years to meet these basic needs of life. Taking up the issues of both rural and urban areas, we aim to establish a self-reliant society where everyone has the right to livelihood and life with dignity. In the field of education, children from marginalized communities were especially engaged so that their level of education could be improved. Study and school should be important issues for these children and communities, and they should be able to understand the importance of education.
This effort focuses on progressive development of education by involving all stakeholders. Some of the special aspects where we give special attention are – bringing back school dropouts, training of school management committee and their participation – Especially orientation of women, making school development plan more effective, training teachers on TLM, organizing formation of child groups and bringing forward the leadership of girls and children from marginalized communities, making the learning environment in schools more interesting by some interesting activities in the school etc.
Focusing on education, we at AAK have recognized Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCD) as part of pre-primary education, an important aspect. The early years of a child’s life build the basis for lifelong growth, and children who fall behind in these early years often never catch up with their peers, leaving them more likely to drop out of school and fail to reach their full potential and hence Pre-primary education is critical for establishing a solid foundation for a child. UNESCO data shows that 1 out of 4 children aged 5 have never had any form of pre-primary education. According to UNICEF, though the participation levels of children in pre-primary schooling has improved, however approximately 20 million children were still not attending any pre-school programmes, and of these, more than a third (or 35 per cent) of children are from the poorest families.
We engage with various stakeholders such as Panchayat Raj representatives, active members of the community, block and district level government representatives, media representatives, thinkers and representatives of the education world, representatives of civil society etc. Efforts are taken forward with the help of all these. At present, work is being done in 90 schools of 90 villages in 8 blocks of 4 districts of Uttar Pradesh. The efforts being made as per the stakeholders are as follows:
School Management Committee (SMC) – SMC members are trained on their roles and responsibilities. We give special focus to women members and orient them so that they can play an active role. Through these trainings, members not only gain information about their role but also increase their confidence.
Panchayat Raj Representatives – These representatives play an important role in the proper functioning of schools and other village level institutions. Representatives are an important link between communities and institutions. Meetings, discussions and training are held with the representatives. They are encouraged and involved in school related activities. Their role in fulfilling the needs of the school on time is also highlighted.
Teachers’ training – Teachers are one of the most important links in the education system. We continuously engage with the teachers. Provide training on best learning practices. We specially focus on Teaching Learning Methods (TLM) and engage with teachers to strengthen their understanding on TLM.
School Development Plan (SDP) – To make the School Development Plan effective, arrangements are made for the training of SMC members. We explain the various aspects of SDP to the SMC and help them to make informed SDPs.
Bal Samuh – Bal Samuh is a great medium for children to bring forward their views and increase their confidence. Training and meetings are conducted for the proper formation of Bal Samuh. Meetings are conducted in these groups to facilitate the participation and leadership of children from marginalized communities.
Linkage with block and district level departments – We try maintaining constant communication with block and district level departments to give suggestions and get guidance from the departments to make the education system more effective. These interactions not only exchange information but also provide information to the departments for appropriate actions as per the need.