TEAM MEMBERS

Ensuring Quality Primary Education

STEPPING STONES

Poor teaching standards

• Very high student to teacher ratio.

• High teacher absenteeism and casual attitude towards students

• Teachers get rather low and fixed pay

• Teaching thought of as an “easy” profession

Lack of training

• Teachers unfamiliar with classroom etiquette

• Not trained to handle small children

• Trend of Corporal Punishments

• Unable to transfer their knowledge to students

PROBLEM I – Poor Quality Primary Teaching

Literacy rate in India has gradually increased over the years. But has the quality of education REALLY

improved? Child remains largely uneducated but gets promoted to secondary school

Thus, child can’t cope with higher studies and loses interest in learning

Unable to compete or be at par with public/private schools in education

High drop out ratio from primary to secondary education

Child engages in child labour to aid the household income or anti-social activities

Girl child is married off in many cases

AFTER EFFECTS

Current Scenario

Awareness about merits of education and enrolment of children in primary government schools

• PROBLEM : Poor quality education in these schools leads to high drop out ratio and poor education standards

Imparting basic knowledge

• PROBLEM – Students don’t get a certificate of education which is a necessity for continuing further education

Many NGOs in India are tirelessly working to ensure education for children. But a closer analysis shows their efforts don’t bear the fruits that they aim for.

PROBLEM I – Poor Quality Primary Teaching

What NGOs Focus On

Many students from villages and urban slums find it difficult to get jobs in cities in today’s cut throat competition

Several students studying in colleges find it difficult to bear expenses to continue further education thus are forced to drop out

This leads to waste of education and educated human resource

PROBLEM II : Difficulty in Finding Jobs

PROBLEM 1

PROBLEM 2

SOLUTION

Partially educated people in villages and urban slums may be weak in secondary education but are proficient in primary education

They can be given some impetus to help young children gain proper quality primary education

They know the local language, are aware of situations and tensions in the area, thus will be more sensitive to the child

They will be able to connect well with the children and will be more approachable

They will be able to earn as well as contribute to the family income

Valuable work experience to such teachers for further work

Large scope for increasing education levels in marginalized sections of society

OPPORTUNITY

PROJECT SAAKSHARTA

SOLUTION

1

• Providing quality complementary education to students enrolled in primary government schools to ensure that they are at par with public school standards

2 • Providing help with documentation to those facing difficulty in get enrolled in government schools

3

• Getting primary school students get enrolled in private/public schools through Economically Weak Students (EWS) quota for secondary education

4 • Generating cash flow in the lower income groups of the society

5

• Creating employment opportunities, changing the attitude towards teaching as a profession, creating a positive atmosphere of exchange of knowledge in villages and urban slums

SOLUTION : OUR OBJECTIVE

To provide quality education AND generate cash flow cycle in lower income groups To make the whole setup sustainable

• 70% go to government schools

• 30% drop-outs

• Dissatisfied with quality of education

• Teachers didn’t teach

• Unable to get admission in private schools

CURRENT STATUS

• Supported their children education

• Willing to spend money up to Rs 300/month

• Even willing to learn basic English themselves

PARENTAL SUPPORT

• 90% - Want to study English , Maths and Hindi

• 60% - Want to learn basic computer skills

• 50% - Want to start studying from scratch NEEDS

• Few in number

• Looking for jobs

• Completing studies from open universities

COLLEGE GOING

STUDENTS

• Efficient in basic primary level education

• Proficient in elementary Maths and Hindi

• English not up to the mark

LEVEL OF EDUCATION

• Willing to teach primary students

• Open to taking up teaching as a permanent profession in future

SHIKSHA ABHIYAAN

PRIMARY STUDENTS (Sample Size - 800) PARTIALLY EDUCATED YOUTH (Sample Size - 40)

SURVEY OF TARGET GROUPS

GOVERNMENT

IMPLEMENTATION (Pilot Project)

Targeting Urban Slums and Villages

Researching the Target Community

Course Assessment and Definition

Start Classes Regular Assessment

of Students and Teachers

TEACHERS

• Partially educated members of the target community

• They can be trained and assessed by project members

STATIONERY

• Collection drives of waste stationery in schools and colleges. These can be recycled and reused.

• Blackboards, chalk etc. to be purchased

CLASSROOMS

• Local community halls etc. that can accommodate students can be procured via governmental permission

RESOURCES REQUIRED (Pilot Project)

SUSTAINABILTY

• Fees charged from each student – say Rs100

• Considering number of students enrolled in one batch to be 40

• Income to the teachers – Rs 3200 (80%)

• Resources Required – Rs 800 (20%)

SCALABILITY

• This model can be implemented systematically in all urban slums and villages if we set a good example in even one community.

• Collaborate with schools so that economically weak students get enrolled for secondary level education

FEASIBILITY

Social

• Creating a positive atmosphere of education

• Providing quality education with complementary primary school certificate

• Promote teaching as a profession

Economic

• Generating cash flow cycle using unique education model

• Employing youth in education sector

• Youth contributing to the family income

YARDSTICK FOR SUCCESS

• Decrease in drop out ratio from primary to secondary education

• Number of students continuing with Saaksharta

• Enrolment of Saaksharta students into private/public schools

MONITORING MECHANISM

• Periodic assessment of students and teachers

• Special classes taken by Saaksharta members

• Updating with course curriculum in keeping with the prescribed changes, if any.

IMPACT OF THE PROJECT

• Parents may not be able to afford to pay school fees as well as tuition fees Mitigation- Take a nominal security fee from students for attending, funded tuition.

• Teachers demanding more pay with passage of time Mitigation- Performance based incentives for teachers.

• Obtaining permission from governmental bodies for usage of public venues or properties as class rooms for the project. Mitigation- Project supported by government, so political problems can be taken care of.

• Lack of documents required for enrolment in private schools Mitigation- Special provision for Saaksharta students

• Handling corruption at every step of the implementation process Mitigation- Direct supervision by government, performance-based incentives to managers.

• Convincing parents, especially for the girl child, to be part of the project Mitigation- Carry out workshops for parents on importance of education.

• Adjusting timings of classes according to teachers (college going students) and students (Attending schools) Mitigation- Multiple batches, teachers.

SOCIAL LEGAL

ECONOMIC POLITICAL

CHALLENGES TO BE TACKLED

THANK YOU!

“Padhega India, Toh Badhega India!”

APPENDIX

•Personally conducted surveys and interactions with target groups •http://schooldropoutprevention.com/country-data-activities/india/ •en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_India‎ •http://such.forumotion.com/t10378-school-drop-out-rates-in-india