Issue 7.0 - Azim Premji Foundation

Transcription

Knowinspirediscoverle arn
November 2013 - Issue 5 - KINDLE |
Azim Premji Foundaon Magazine
Volume 3 Issue 5 November 2013
Child Nutrition
in India
Where is
the child?
Child Friendly
School Initiative
Children’s Day
Special
Azim Premji
Foundation
1
| KINDLE - Issue 5 - November 2013
CONTENTS NOV 2013
Children’s Day Special
04
Child Nutrition in India- Dr. Shreelata Rao Seshadri & Kalyani Subbaiah
08
Where is the child?- Nazrul Haque
10
13 How to deal with children
- Ananas Kumar
14 Why children fail? How children learn?
- Amarjeet Sinha
16 Child Friendly School Initiative
- Yadgir District Institute, Azim Premji Foundation
18 Children and their understanding of the world
- Randeep Kaur
20 Silenced and Marginalised:
Voices from an ordinary sarkari school of Delhi
23
Reflections
Towards Children’s Learning:
The Transformative Potential of Teacher Education
27
- Farah Farooqi
- Rajashree Srinivasan
Research
Andhra Pradesh School Choice Project:
Characteristics of Teachers in Government
and Private Schools- Srinivasulu Barigela
District Profile
31
Yadgir, Karnataka- Knowledge Resource Centre, Azim Premji Foundation
We
hope you enjoy this issue of Kindle. Do write to us
with your feedback and comments.
We also invite you to contribute articles, as well as
suggestions on themes or topics you would like us to carry
in forthcoming issues.
Please write in at: [email protected]
2
Content
Design
-Medha Sundar
-Archana Unny
EDITORial
Dear Reader,
Kindle is evolving from being a newsletter to a Magazine from the Azim Premji Foundation, a medium to reach you,
interact with you, and to share some thoughts, ideas and work in education and related development areas.
Kindle carries articles on aspects of education and development in our country. This ranges from opinions of key
people in this space, profiles of the locations we work in, highlights from research reports, and stories about people we
come across who are doing amazing work in government schools and education departments. We are continuously
looking to be relevant to our readers so please do write to us and let us have your thoughts, suggestions and advice on
making this more useful and relevant to you.
This issue is themed around children, to commemorate Children’s Day in the month. Our work is geared towards their
all-round and meaningful development, and ultimate happiness. The first article on child nutrition in India details the
various aspects of malnutrition, and what can be done to remedy the situation. The next piece sheds light on how the
National Curriculum Framework has put the child at the centre of learning. The following articles look at how children
learn – a piece in Hindi that discusses what aspects are important to a child’s learning environment and process, and
another that outlines principles of dealing with children in a teaching-learning process that helps children develop
holistically. We feature an opinion piece that describes how children’s failure is not due to their weakness but that of
the school and environment, and with key interventions that address how children learn, dramatic changes in learning
are possible. The following article shares some thoughts on a child’s peculiar understanding of the world around and
what kind of learning environment can really nurture the child and help him grow. The section is summed up with
an extract from a moving talk on a group of marginalised children who have to endure not only their difficult lives to
obtain education, but also suffer discrimination due to stereotypes.
Teacher education has the crucial potential of positively impacting children’s learning towards ensuring a humane and
meaningful childhood; these are reflections the next article submits.
We profile the district of Yadgir in Karnataka – a district where we have a field institute and have been working for
some time. This issue also carries an introduction to the Child Friendly School Initiative – a key component of the
Foundation’s work in Yadgir.
A research note on characteristics of teachers in government and private schools from the School Choice Study work in
Andhra Pradesh compares characteristics and engagements of teachers from the two types, and how these contribute
to the learning outcomes of children.
We hope you enjoy the spread of articles. We invite you to contribute to our forthcoming issues; we will be happy to
publish stories, research reports, and opinion pieces from you. Do write to us at: [email protected]
Happy reading,
Ravi Sreedharan
3
Child
Nutrition
Figure 1: Percentage of Children <5 who are
Underweight
in
india
- Dr. Shreelata Rao Seshadri & Kalyani Subbaiah
Source: National Family Health Survey – 3 (2005-06)
I
n their most recent book, Dreze and Sen have highlighted
India’s ‘nutritional failure’. Acknowledging that
nutrition indicators in India have improved significantly
since Independence, with far fewer instances of the most
severe forms of malnutrition (marasmus and kwashiorkor,
for example), they still point out that India continues to
perform much worse than many parts of the world in terms
of nutritional outcomes1. It is now well known that at
43%, there are more underweight children in India than in
sub-Saharan Africa (20%) or the least developed countries
(25%)2. Data indicates that India is unlikely to reach the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for food security
and for reducing childhood malnutrition.3 Data from the
National Family Health Survey – 3 (2005-06) indicates
that there are regional and inter-state differences in the
prevalence of malnutrition, ranging from <15 in Kerala
to greater than 40% in several states among children less
than 5 years of age.
The NFHS-3 also reveals the stark reality of undernutrition:
it is far more likely to affect the poor, the marginalized
and those living in rural areas. For example, prevalence
of underweight is almost three times higher among the
lowest wealth quintile (57%) as compared to the highest
wealth quintile (20%), is significantly higher among
Scheduled Tribe (55%) and Scheduled Caste (48%) groups
as compared to other categories (34%), and about 50%
higher in rural areas (46%) as compared to urban areas
(33%).
1 Dreze J and A Sen. An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions.
Allen Lane; 2013.
2 Ibid., pp 157.
3 Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in India.
http://www.unicef.org/india/about_unicef_3696.htm
4 Osei AK et al. Community-level Fortification of School Lunch Meals
improved Vitamin A, Folate and Iron Status of Scool Children in
Himalayan Villages of India. Journal of Nutrition, Community and
International Nutrition; American Society of Nutrition, 2010.
5 Bundy D. Rethinking School Health: A Key Component of Education
4
Severe forms of malnutrition are more likely to receive
attention; however, a far more common phenomenon
is undernutrition, which goes largely unrecognized,
and therefore unaddressed. Among school children,
undernutrition can have wide-ranging impacts, including
anemia, poor physical, motor and cognitive development,
and compromised immunity, all of which affect academic
performance.4 Bundy (2011)5 argues that there is an
especially strong rationale for ensuring good health
and avoiding hunger in school age: while illnesses such
as malaria or worm infection affect attendance and
contribute to absenteeism, hunger and anemia have a
significant impact on cognition and learning. He estimates
that deworming and iron supplementation would cost
less than a dollar a year per child, and could easily be
implemented in the context of the school system.
Apart from this, there is evidence to show that poor
nutrition contributes substantially to mortality of
children less than five years of age.6 More than half (54%)
of all deaths <5 years of age in India can be ascribed to
undernutrition. Because of its extensive prevalence, mild
to moderate malnutrition contributes to more deaths
(43%) as compared to severe malnutrition (11%).
Figure 2: Contribution of Poor Nutrition to <5
Mortality
Source: IIPS- International Institute of Population Sciences,
Mumbai, 2009
The government has, over the years, attempted to respond
to this nutritional crisis by instituting a range of largescale programs aimed at improving nutritional outcomes
for women and children. The Integrated Child Nutrition
Scheme (ICDS), launched in 1975, is implemented
across the country with the objective of addressing the
nutritional needs of children below the age of six, promote
early childhood development, and equip mothers with
for All. World Bank, Washington DC; 2011.
6 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
Nutrition in India. IIPS; 2009.
information and awareness to help them support their
children’s health and nutritional well-being. Many state
governments are now beginning to institute programs to
treat cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) identified
either at government-run Anganwadis which deliver
ICDS services, or elsewhere. Under this programme,
identified children are provided special supplementary
food and monitored closely until they achieve normal
weight. To address the needs of children of school-going
age, under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM),
the government has launched a School Health Programme.
This programme inter alia conducts nutritional and anemia
screening, provides for Vitamin A supplementation and
regular deworming, and organizes health promotion
activities. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS) is another
important programme implemented at all schools nationwide since 2001 after a Supreme Court ruling. This
programme provides all school-going children with a hot
cooked meal, meant to supplement the total daily food
availability for the child. Finally, the Targeted Public
Distribution System makes about 35 kilograms of cereals
(rice and wheat) available to each poor household, along
with a few other items such as oil and sugar.
Earlier this year, the government passed a landmark
piece of legislation to proactively address the issue of
nutritional deprivation with the Food Security Bill. This
Bill ensures subsidized access to food grains for poor
families, particularly for (i) pregnant women and lactating
mothers, who are entitled to a nutritious “take home ration” of
600 calories and a maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000 for six
months; and (ii) children 6 months to 14 years of age, who are
to receive free hot meals or “take home rations”7. It would be
fair to ask, with the array of programmes already being
implemented to enhance access to food at the household
level, why was it necessary to enact further legislation to
the same end? The answer lies in the fact that nutritional
outcomes continue to be a matter of concern, particularly
for children and women of reproductive age. The reasons
for this continuing problem point directly to failures in
the implementation of these programmes, including
under-funding, administrative inefficiency, poor quality
7 National Food Security Act 2013; http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadDa
ta/2013/E_29_2013_429.pdf.
5
of infrastructure and services, and lack of capacity.8, 9,
10 11
,
Indicators of Undernutrition
The three key indices of undernutrition used to
measure physical growth are:
• Stunting or low height-for-age, representing
chronic undernutrition;
• Underweight or low weight-for-age
representing a combination of long-term
and immediate-term undernutrition; and
• Wasting or low weight-for-height
representing acute undernutrition.
What does the evidence show regarding the causes
of such pervasive malnutrition in India?
It is now widely accepted that there are a few important
determinants of nutritional outcomes, which include
food intake, care for children and women and environmental
health and health services.12 In an analysis of the impact
of these three variables on nutritional outcomes, it
was found that stunting rates for children who have
adequate levels of all these three factors is about half
of those who had none of them in adequate measure
(23%versus 52%). Data from the NFHS-3 also indicate
that over 60% of children lacked one or the other of these
key dimensions and only 2.2% had access to all of them.13
Another important factor associated with malnutrition
is gender. Low status of women and its association with
their health and nutrition impacts them throughout their
life cycle: lack of proper nutrition during adolescence
8 National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development
(NIPCCD). “National Evaluation of Integrated Child Development
Services”, New Delhi; 2006
9 Gupta A, SK Gupta, Nongkinrih B. Integrated Child Development
Scheme: A Journey of 37 Years. Indian Journal of Community Health, Vol.
25, No. 1; 2013.
10 Balasubramaniam R. PDS in Karnataka: Cost to the Exchequer and Burden to the Tax Payer; 2009.
11 Gragnolati, M et al. India: Undernourished Children: A Call for
Reform and Action. HNP Discussion Paper; World Bank, Washington
DC; 2005.
12 Kathuria AK. Nutrition in India. India Health Beats; Vol. 5, No. 1;
June 2011.
13 Ibid., pp 4.
6
and child-bearing leads to low-birth weight babies; poor
nutritional access thereafter, particularly for the girl
child, lead to malnutrition that extends over their entire
childhood.
What steps does India need to take to change this
situation?
Lessons from other developing countries indicate that
there are a few key ingredients that contribute to changing
the course of nutritional outcomes: strong and committed
leadership, significant investments in terms of financial
and other resources, broad-based policies which tackle the
various dimensions of poverty, and a focus on maternal
and child interventions.14 Given this, there are a few
crucial steps that the government needs to take to make
a real difference:
• Ensure that the provisions of the Food Security Bill
are properly implemented in a transparent manner.
This can be a challenge, given the problems faced in
implementing the Public Distribution System. The
government will need to use available technology
and resources to ensure that the people most in need
receive the benefits that are due to them, and that welldocumented leakages in the system are minimized.
• Strengthen the ICDS, targeting it to the children
and families most at risk. Since the first 1,000 days
of life are the most crucial, the ICDS should focus on
making its interventions with children from 1-3 years
of age and mothers more effective. Adopting a more
flexible and responsive approach to local-level needs
will make programmes more acceptable and increase
ownership of local actors. Finally, programmes
14 Ibid., pp 6
should pursue a multi-sectoral approach, including
various national programmes (health programmes for
example), especially at the local levels.
• Spread information at the community level to address
the causes of malnutrition: in support of the girl
child and enhancing women’s status, care of the
pregnant woman and newborn child, breastfeeding,
importance of balanced nutrition, health, hygiene
and sanitation. In addition, communities need to be
made aware of the full package of benefits available
to them, and not use programmes piece-meal – there
is evidence to show, for example, that children who
used all services provided under the ICDS had more
significant reductions in malnutrition than those who
participated only in the feeding programme.15 Such
information, over time, will empower communities to
ask for services as their right, which will enhance both
the availability and quality of such services.
• Finally, a multi-sectoral approach to addressing
malnutrition needs to be actively promoted.
Departments of Women and Child, Health, Education,
Water and Sanitation – all these need to make nutrition
an integral concern and work in a coordinated manner
to achieve common goals.
To achieve the MDG goals for nutrition is a first step; to
eradicate hunger should be the final goal for the country.
In order to achieve this, we need commitment, resources
and effort – all three of which should be mustered as soon
as possible.
The authors are professors at Azim Premji University
15 Gragnolati, M et al. India: Undernourished Children: A Call for
Reform and Action. HNP Discussion Paper; World Bank, Washington
DC; 2005.
7
WHEre is
one must, to begin with, understand what it means
by a ‘curriculum’. This is important as the Position
paper on curriculum, syllabus and textbooks has stated
that “in most cases, the term curriculum is used to
mean very different things by different users and
even by the same user in different contexts.” It has
led to an education system which is trying to fulfill
the requirements of an absurd examination system,
rather than the broader aims of education or even
the child’s learning requirements. Most often curriculum
is confused with the syllabus or even the contents. The
position paper has, quite rightly, understood that a
curriculum is not a document or some teaching-learning
modules. It is “best thought of as that set of planned
activities which are designed to implement a particular
educational aim – set of such aims – in terms of the content
of what is to be taught and the knowledge, skills and
attitudes which are to be deliberately fostered”, “together
with statements of criteria for selection of content, and
choices in methods, materials and evaluation.” So, what
does the policy say on three fundamental components of
curriculum – content, pedagogy, and assessment?
the child
- Nazrul Haq
T
he National Curriculum Framework - 2005 (NCF)
deals with the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of teaching in schools
– what to teach and how best to do that. Interestingly, the
document starts with a quote by Rabindranath Tagore.
Tagore has always been known as a strong advocate of joy
in learning and the freedom of children. His basic concern
in education was to free the students’ minds and lead
them to a state of creativity. The dream was to see that the
unique abilities of each child are nurtured in a secure and
natural environment.
What are the basic concerns of education? According to
the same document, it is “to enable children to make sense
of life and develop their potential, to define and pursue
a purpose and recognize the rights of others to do the
same”. It is inherent in the statement that every child has
some potential and education should help her to develop
that. However, the reality is quite different as our whole
schooling system revolves around three factors: teachers,
textbooks, and tests; the child is nowhere in this. Her only
job is to memorize the information passed on by teachers
and do well in the exam. A few emerge as ‘bright’ students;
and most are forgotten as ‘ordinary’.
Fortunately, the National Curriculum Framework - 2005
(like earlier policy documents) has realized the necessity
to rectify the absurdity of the system and has tried to
make learning (at least as a policy) a child-centric activity.
The NCF-2005 has established that there is a “need to
recognize the child as a natural learner, and knowledge as
the outcome of the child’s own activity.”
A learner centric curriculum
Content and pedagogy
As a policy paper, NCF-2005 has dealt extensively with
what a curriculum should be and how it should work
out in schools. It is quite clear that it is trying to put the
learner, the child, at the core of an ideal curriculum. But,
8
The basic argument of the national document is that the
curriculum must provide for the overall and holistic
development of children rather than remaining textbookcentric. But we need specific contents. There are certain
capabilities, practices, skills and knowledge sets that are
to be developed through the process of schooling and
they are formulated as contents of the syllabus. Some
are referred to as subjects such as mathematics, history,
science and so on. Some other understanding is built into
subjects and activities.
The NCF-2005 has pointed out several problems with our
content selection and textbooks.
• Because of our overemphasis on exams, those areas
not organised in textbooks and examined through
marks become side-lined and are then described as
‘extra’ or ‘co-curricular.
• Knowledge seems to be fragmented into subjects
rather than being interrelated and integrated. The
child’s way of viewing the world gets side-tracked;
• Information is mistaken for knowledge and that leads
to ‘loading’ the curriculum with too many facts to
be memorized and there is no space for the child to
construct her own knowledge.
• The contemporary concerns of society are incorporated
in the school curriculum by ‘creating’ new subjects,
producing related textbooks and devising methods of
evaluation for them. This makes the curriculum too
heavy day by day.
• The principles for selecting knowledge for inclusion
in the curriculum are not well worked out.
The NCF is particular on one thing: the primary aim of
knowledge is to connect with the world. That means, the
child must be at the centre of learning as learning has to
happen in the context of her world and her experiences
should become the entry points into the study of
disciplines of knowledge. That would mean that the
habitat of the child or the local environment is to form “a
natural learning resource, which must be privileged while
making choices regarding what should be included in the
syllabus.” The child is thus not only receiving knowledge,
but is participating in the generation of the latter. It
also means we understand that every child belongs to a
community and every community has their own sociocultural world. The experiences of these communities
must enter into curricular content. Only then would the
child be able to find meaning in her schooling and relate
to the plurality and diversity of people and their ways of
life. Again to provide an example from NCF itself: it is
better for children to study the local social groups as a
part of their social science studies.
What would a ‘child-centred’ pedagogy mean? It is
“giving primacy to children’s experiences, their voices,
and their active participation.” This also comes with the
assumption that every child has unique capabilities and
no one comes as an empty slate. The teachers need to
nurture and build on those active and creative capabilities.
The pedagogic practices are to be ‘real’ and meaningful
for the child. Hence, children need to be aware that their
experiences and perceptions are important and should be
encouraged to develop the mental skills needed to think
independently and have the courage to dissent.
In matters of pedagogy, the NCF-2005 is quite revolutionary.
It has urged for realization of the “pedagogic potential of
work as a medium in knowledge acquisition, developing
values and multiple-skill formation.” This will fulfil four
specific objectives: (a) such a pedagogy will prepare the
child for her work life; (b) children will gain an identity
through work; (c) it will enable children to construct
knowledge on their own; (d) it will give a sense of dignity
to children belonging to ‘marginalized’ communities.
Evaluation and assessment
“In the Indian education system, the term evaluation is
associated with examination, stress and anxiety” – this is
how the NCF portrays the current reality. Learning can
never be meaningful and joyful (as it should be) for the
children, unless we remedy the fear. We need to be clear
on why we need a process of evaluation in schools. It is
not to mark people as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it is not to test how
much a child can memorize, and it is also not to figure out
the difficult areas for students (although that is an area of
concern and can be addressed during classes itself).
The basic policy recommendation is that we need to assess
the learner (the child) for a feedback on his or her abilities
and this need not be in competition with other classmates.
Such feedback helps in improving the curriculum – the
pedagogy or content. So, how can it be done?
• The process of assessment must try to “gauge what
children have learnt, and their ability to use this
knowledge for problem solving and application in the
real world”
• The questions must be designed in a manner that
they can be graded for difficulty – “in order to permit
all children to experience a level of success, and to
gain confidence in their ability to answer and solve
problems”
• Every child must be able to focus on their mistakes
and learn through these mistakes – that means there
must be a mechanism for self-assessment (and not
competition with other classmates)
• The assessment must be holistic – it should not only
include subject competencies but other essential
concerns such as health, sports, arts and music, social
skills and so on
Public policy is a set of planned behaviour thought
to be desirable or necessary, as formally expressed
by a government or other authoritative body. And,
implementation is moving these ideas from being concepts
to reality. As has been outlined, the NCF-2005 has put the
child at the centre of learning and knowing. In reality
things are radically different. However, a framework
cannot be a programme of action. It is just a framework,
it cannot be all encompassing. The National Curriculum
Framework-2005 is something that everyone involved
with education ought to be guided by.
The author works at Azim Premji University
9
10
11
12
how to deal with
children
E
- Ananas Kumar
very child is an individual and is unique among all
others. The way a child learns best depends on many
factors, such as age, learning style, and personality.
However, without proper knowledge about how to deal
with children, teaching-learning will not be fruitful.
it is an effective way to start. This principle of learning
allows for instance, freedom to the teacher and the learner
to go, as per the lesson’s suitability, on educational tours,
excursions, etc. so as to spark a real interest and curiosity
in the topic.
Actually, children are very fragile, like glass. Hence, it is
important to handle them with care, because like glass,
once broken, it will be impossible to assemble in original
form and their whole life will be damaged. Though there
are numerous principles of dealing with children and this
knowledge is continuously expanding with new research,
there are some basic guiding principles.
The Principle of Revision: “Practice makes a man perfect”
keeping some space and time for revision will help both
the child as well as the teacher in many ways. Children can
ask for details about any particular section of the lesson
during the revision, clarify doubts, and by continuous
revision, the lesson or concept becomes well-understood.
A teacher can evaluate herself or himself on the objective
of teaching, and ascertain areas which can be improved
and taught better.
The Principle of Activity: When we examine the behavior
of children, we find that they are super-active during
their childhood. They have a lot of interest in “learning by
doing”. This principal advocates activity-based-learning
and keeps activity at the centre of all teaching-learning.
This helps children in their cognitive, affective and
psychomotor development, by engaging different senses,
skills abilities of children in the act of learning. It also
increases the participation of children and gives them a
chance to explore.
The Principle of Linking: Nowadays the theory of
psychology, that children are not empty vessels, is gaining
common acceptance. Every child has some capacity to
learn at its own pace; we must only motivate them to
learn. A child learns constantly through its experience
at home with family, community and friends, and with
teachers and school.
Here, they can be helped if teachers can facilitate linking
their present or new learning with their previous
knowledge and experiences. This enhances their capacity
and creates knowledge within them, strengthening their
grasp of new concepts, and reinforcing what they learn.
The Principle of Interest: Interest plays a vital role in
teaching-learning processes; without interest, nobody can
learn efficiently. Hence, creating interest in the child’s
mind about a particular topic and then proceeding to begin
The Principle of Definite Aims: As motivators we should
be very clear and have some definite aim, while dealing
with children. For example, there should be different
strategies to teach a story, a poem, the alphabet, and
these should be based upon the previous knowledge and
interest of the child. Lessons that aren’t structured with
definite aims can be confusing for children and teachinglearning will be unfocussed and unproductive.
The Principle of Selection: As per this, some special or
important topic of lesson must be described in detail with
suitable and real life examples. This will connect to a child
at the level of being grounded and real and thereby help
him to construct knowledge towards the particular topic.
The Principle of Division: This focuses on the division of a
lesson as per the suitability of the learner for convenience.
Dividing the whole lesson into smaller sub-units and
taking up the topic unit-wise can help the learning pace
of children.
Teaching children by keeping in mind some basic principles
will help teachers to understand children, the differences
between them in learning speeds and knowledge creation.
The author works at Azim Premji Foundation
13
why children fail?
how children
learn
M
ost children have reached schools but they are not
learning enough. Survey after survey castigates
the Indian government school system. The poor have
voted with their feet for schooling. School infrastructure
has considerably improved with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
but the class room processes have remained unchanged.
PROBE - II tracks the changes from 1996 to 2006. While
a lot has happened, learning still seems a distant dream.
Will it be possible? Why do children fail? How will
children learn?
Children do not fail due to their weaknesses. Anna
Hazare’s Ralegaon Siddhi School making champions of
school dropouts, Abhujmari tribal children mastering
learning in Rama Krishna Mission school, girls from slums
out-shining others in Sister Cyril’s experiment in Kolkata,
all challenge the genetic superiority theory. Indeed, ‘many
a gem of purest ray serene, is born to die unseen’. The
problem is with the school, not the child.
14
- Amarjeet Sinha
Children reach schools with a smattering of the local
dialect. They have the standard language imposed on
them with no bridging efforts – from the dialect to the
standard, from the local context to universal texts. And
that too often with teachers who are not able to understand
their social context, their life condition, their needs... An
answer to why children fail. Poor mastery over language
has consequences for learning mathematics and science.
The burden of non-comprehension grows every day.
Can children be allowed to learn at their own paces? Can
Rishi Valley- like experiments without rigid class-wise
segregation, with activity and peer learning at the heart
of the learning process, work? Perhaps yes. Learning is
about facilitation. It is not about the pulpit and teaching by
speaking at children; it is more about being with children.
Reading loudly together and making words from local
contexts. Home experiences are a resource; the textbook
is not the only resource. Life experiences are as important.
Is facilitating learning so difficult for local teachers? Is
it really rocket science? No. If that were so, 8th and 9th
pass Shiksha Karmis of Rajasthan would not have been
able to establish their credentials as outstanding teachers.
Their training was organized to make them master every
chapter of the book. Nothing was assumed. Everything
was through practice sessions. The presumption was
that everything needs practice. Regular teachers’ training
often works on the principle of knowledge already with
the teacher; low on practice, high on theories of learning.
Assessing learning is not a bad thing. Mere examination
reforms with no impact on classroom processes, does not
help. The challenge is the classroom and what happens
there. Every child learns in his/her own way and pace.
Learning milestones facilitate learning. They give a clear
task to the teacher and an objective to the child. It helps
in formalizing the learning process. Continuous and
Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) need not be a mystique,
a 300-page source book for teachers, kept locked and
wrapped in a cupboard. CCE ought to be in a form that even
non-literate parents and guardians can understand. Let us
not underestimate the role of the parent in the learning
process of the child. That is the only way of knowing and
understanding every child. We need to understand a child
before being able to facilitate its learning. We need the
parent and community in the school more actively. A good
school is always a community hub. Restore the centrality
of the school in the lives of the people.
Learning is not only about the classroom and the text book.
Learning by doing, learning by observation, learning from
nature, infusion of popular culture in schools, sports and
crafts, have all to be made more central to the learning
process. A child is inquisitive by nature. The challenge is
for facilitators to use this attribute to promote learning.
How not to lose the attention span of the child, is the real
challenge. Diversity of skill development opportunities
and recognition of excellence beyond the text book is a
way of reaching the latent talent of children. The more
children that we recognize and honour, the more children
learn.
Governance reforms and systems of teacher selection and
development are the key to learning facilitation. Teacher
Eligibility Tests are a good screening arrangement.
Teacher development should begin after identifying
basic competence. Teacher development institutions
have to be teacher led – and not be the exclusive domain
of the teacher educator who never teaches in a school.
Governance reforms in recruitment, cadre management,
transparency, timely salary payments, grievance
redressal systems, teacher development related system
of improving compensation, school assessments and
grading, assessing pupil’s progress, making teachers
face assessment processes in career development, are all
important components. Ad-hocism must translate into a
coherent system with well - developed benchmarks and
protocols. Salaries of teachers must improve as they master
competencies and successfully complete assessments. The
Shiksha Karmi Project had developed a good framework.
It is worth emulating. Large public systems need third
party accreditation and assessments to ensure learning
guarantee.
The health of children is important. The debilitating
impact of under - nutrition often saps the learning ability
of children irreversibly. A wider human development
effort is needed. Clean water and sanitation, nutrition
and health service, are as important as the teacher or
the textbook. Good health guarantees low irregularity, it
improves learning potential.
Learning can be fun. The classroom experience is what
matters. An enabling environment drastically improves
teacher performance. School autonomy and effectively
addressing supply side constraints go a long way in
improving learning. Teacher development is an ongoing
process, there is no beginning and no end. It is about
growing every day. Institutional facilitation requires a
commitment to excellence in training institutions.
No democracy can afford not to listen to the aspirations of
people. Children will learn if public systems are insulated
from the vagaries of petty politics and employment
guarantees for the incompetent. Ultimately, learning is
about outcomes. Public systems need an outcome thrust.
Public recruitments need to change character – from ‘job
guarantee’ to ‘service outcome guarantee’. Public systems
need effective skills of public management to secure
the entitlement of all children. The Right to Education
(RTE) provides a legal framework. It is enabling in
resource mobilization. Combined with addressing key
interventions that look at how children learn, dramatic
changes in learning are possible. It is no rocket science; it
is very much in the realm of the possible.
The author is the Principal Secretary, Department of
Education, Government of Bihar
This article was first published in abridged form in
Hindustan Times
15
CHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOL INITIATIVE
T
he Child Friendly School Initiative, popularly called
CFSI, began when the Azim Premji Foundation
and UNICEF signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) in March 2002 to jointly provide assistance to
the Government of Karnataka to develop and improve
learning levels of children. CFSI, as a concept, fosters
democratisation of education. It seeks to provide a healthy,
hygienic, safe and happy environment for children to
learn. It promotes classroom activities and behaviour that
is gender-sensitive, leading to effective learning. Besides
involving families and communities in their children’s
schooling, the partnership also extends to the education
functionaries.
CFSI is now being implemented in Shorapur block of
Yadgir district in Karnataka covering 1600 teachers
and 63,000 children in 340 schools.
•
•
•
•
pleasant school environment and joyful, child-based
teaching processes aimed at improving retention and
enhancing learning levels in the school;
Develop teacher capacity to analyse
existing
curriculum
and
develop
locally-appropriate
curriculum material for classroom transaction in
multi-grade and multi- level learning situations;
Introduce an integrated and sustainable model of
information technology in education;
Develop a module for a school outreach programme
where schools act as catalysts of change for health,
hygiene and civil responsibility in the community;
Strengthen the current system of information
collection and analysis.
The specific objectives of CFSI, Shorapur are:
• To be child seeking: The child should feel excited to
enroll in and attend the school
Azim Premji Foundation realised through its earlier
programmes that an overall development of schools is
only possible with an integrated and holistic approach.
These had also provided enough evidence to show that in
an education programme, investment/engagement has to
be long-term.
CFSI has been working since 2004, in the
following five areas:
• School environment - to build attractive, safe and
secure school premises
• Classroom environment - to create a conducive,
democratic environment within the classroom
• Teaching learning process - to develop activitybased, joyful learning classroom transaction
• Teacher development - to enhance teacher capacity
towards providing quality education.
• Community participation - to promote active
community participation in school activities.
The partnering organisations have agreed to
work together to:
• Develop a model of community process that supports
community groups and elected bodies to plan,
manage, monitor and evaluate educational indicators
and school effectiveness in their communities;
• Develop a model for a child friendly school with a
16
• To be inclusive: It addresses all children, irrespective
of gender, and socio-economic status
• To engender health & hygiene: Cleanliness of
the school and surroundings. (The initiative is not
addressing the needs related to child health; but the
Government is addressing part of it through the midday meal programme)
• To be child centred: School/classroom culture that
is conducive to the child’s learning
• To ensure active involvement: Of children,
families, and communities in child’s learning, and
school management
• To enable child development: That addresses
habits, attitudes, values and life skills (co-existence,
respect for others, group work, peer learning etc.)
• To ensure that the school cycle is completed:
By all children successfully, at least up to 5th standard
The key elements of the process are:
• The transformation begins with the entire school
community taking a close look at its present situation
through a process called “taking stock” and draws up
a shared vision of what it wants the school to be.
• By comparing the vision to its present situation, the
school community identifies priority challenge areas
and addresses them.
• The school requires training and support services
of both an external coach and internal facilitators to
follow the desired model of transformation. Under
this initiative, training is provided to the educational
supervisors and head teachers in the block. Required
academic support for teachers to transform the school
and classroom culture of teaching-learning as well
as teacher training for multi-grade classrooms is also
provided.
A baseline assessment is undertaken to assess the
learning achievements of children studying in class 2
to class 5 for their class 1 and 4 level competencies.
The assessment papers, prepared by Azim Premji
Foundation,
test
students’
competencies
in
mathematics, language and environmental sciences.
A school improvement plan is developed jointly by all
stakeholders to understand where the school stands
as of now and to decide upon strategies and actions
to reach the parameters identified for it to become a
child friendly school. The school improvement plans
are formulated in the early phases of the project,
through workshops at the village level, to identify the
indicators already achieved by the school and prepare
action plans for the subsequent phases.
There is a rigorous system that monitors the fulfillment
of commitments by the stakeholders on an earlier
set of 214 indicators, that currently boils down to 60
indicators, covering 5 domains. Monitoring is done
on a fortnightly basis and a comprehensive review
is conducted twice a year. 25 Margadarshis visit the
schools daily to monitor their progress and five area
coordinators assist the programme head to manage it
efficiently.
The management process is mainly through weekly
team meetings and fortnightly review meetings.
Interim and annual reviews are also planned to
provide an overview and a way forward.
Interventions are planned involving the stakeholders
on five broad areas. Some of the interventions planned
and executed are Melas, Teacher Learning Centres,
newsletter, on-site and forum support for Nali Kali
– Multi Grade Multi Level (MGML), working with
School Development and Monitoring Committee
(SDMC) and Panchayati Raj Institution, Jatha,
Teacher Education, and Head Teacher Leadership
Development.
teachers were trained and the Nali Kali programme
was initiated.
• Phase 2 - The Experimentation phase (2008-2010): In
this phase there was exploration and experimentation
with a variety of programmes – newsletter, melas,
jathas, creativity workshops for children, engaging
with the students, Teacher Learning Centres, teacher
training programmes, team capacity building etc.
• Phase 3 - The Extension phase (2011- 2015): Here
there was and will continue to be in-depth and focused
interventions in three areas – classroom engagement,
community connect and working with functionaries.
The three phases in the programme are:
• Phase 1 - The Establishment phase (2005-2007):
An extract from ‘Child Friendly School Initiative:
A Process Document of Stakeholders’ Perspectives’,
by Yadgir District Institute, Azim Premji Foundation
•
•
•
•
•
This is the phase when CFSI was established, head
It took quite some time for changes to take place.
Punctuality of teachers, infrastructure development,
teachers’ interest in academic development, children’s
interest in school, and confidence were some of the initial
changes that were observed. But as there was no proper
documentation it is difficult to share these changes with
a larger audience.
A study conducted in 2010 by the research unit of the
Azim Premji Foundation showed that learning levels of
the children were showing an improvement for the first
time. The average performance of the students this time
was fairly good. This assumed added importance when
seen in comparison with the baseline assessment data. The
improvement was sharp and healthy in both Math and
Environmental Studies.
The improvement was also fairly uniform across both boys
and girls as also across different socio-economic categories.
Despite this overall improvement, the improvement in
the lowest quartile of students was less than that for other
quartiles. This, however, does not diminish the overall
impressive improvement in learning levels.
It is the consistent and continuous engagement with
all the stakeholders in a holistic way that has brought
about the desired change. Very clearly, it showed us that
working in the area of education is a complex process but,
if done in a holistic manner for quite some time with all
the stakeholders, change is possible! Once change starts,
nobody can stop it, not even the people who started it!
17
Children and their
u nde r sta ndin g of t h e wo r l d
- Randeep Kaur
18
C
hildren, those tiny little ones, view everything with
a lot of curiosity; they never miss an opportunity
to touch, feel and taste anything that comes their way.
Children start this journey immediately after they are born,
they start experiencing and understanding the material
world around them. However, the ‘formal education
system’ and ‘schools’ view them as “empty vessels”
when they step inside the school! And this debate, of how
children learn, continues…
Upon observing small children, one can easily notice
that children by nature are born inquisitive. They have
the ability to discover the world in their own way. If we
let them open their wings and fly, we can see how they
discover their own methods of uncovering the layers of
the world.
Children acquire a lot from the environment, and language
is a key that opens many doors. Children acquire their
first language or mother tongue without any formal
education, and through it, they build an understanding
of the world around them. It is interesting to know that
children are fluent in their first language before they enter
school. Therefore, it becomes important for teachers to
understand the process of language acquisition and also
to give enormous weightage to the previous knowledge of
the child (NCF 2005).
Let us again go back to the debate: How do children
learn? Learning is a difficult task. There is a great deal
of restlessness with this terminology because in the
perspective of “formal education”, we believe that teachers
are givers of knowledge and children are receivers of that
knowledge; children should be passive listeners, they
cannot ask questions. Such a relationship between a child
and a teacher is not in harmony – the music is missing; it
is dull and lifeless. On the other hand, the child-teacher
relationship should be harmonious; together they should
be able to create music and the rhythm and energy from
that should flow through the school.
For that to happen, teachers and teacher educators need
to understand that a child is an individual who can think
independently, who has the capacity to create, analyze,
and do everything that an adult can do. They ought to be
cognizant of the fact that when children come to school,
they come with an understanding of the world around
them. Teachers should keep in mind the process of
acquisition of knowledge and should be able to create that
in school.
The home environment or the acquisition environment
plays a vital role in the overall development of a child.
This environment should generate a lot of interest for
learning to happen in a subtle manner, because the brain
subconsciously acquires a lot from its surroundings.
Acquisition is a subconscious process; acquisition includes
implicit learning, informal learning, and natural learning
(Krashen, 1982:10).
Thus, acquisition space is where children can feel happy,
where they don’t have any fear in their minds and where
they learn without realizing that they are learning. Such
an environment can be created in the classroom situation,
for children to enjoy, open up, be expressive through peer
interactions and group discussions, doing things that they
are already comfortable in, as in their own homes. Children
want acceptance. Teachers should be respectful towards
the child, be affectionate, and provide space to the child to
commit mistakes. Teachers should also be sensitive to the
child’s first language and utilize it as a powerful resource.
Teachers must also understand the power of appreciation,
as appreciation leads to motivation.
A light and carefree environment can ignite several
cognitive processes in the child’s brain, such as creativity,
imagination, conceptualization, etc. Children should be
happy coming to school; learning should be more fun
than seem like a burden. Able teachers can mould these
little ones well, they can give them direction. Children are
introduced to “formal education” at a tender age of their
lives, when they are innocent, delicate, and full of energy;
proper handholding at this stage can do wonders.
Teachers should be friends with children, treat them with
love, and then wait and see the magic happen!
19
Silenced
and
Marginalised:
Voices From An Ordinary Sarkari School Of Delhi
- Farah Farooqi
20
I
have been the manager of a government-aided school,
situated in the walled city of Delhi, for more than
four years now. It is important to look at the interplay
between factory, residence, school, and ups and downs
of the market, the nature of family and support system
in order to gauge the social reality of these children.
Through glimpses of school and classroom engagement
I try to elaborate how inadequate these are in raising the
consciousness of these children towards their multiple
identities and their status vis-à-vis the larger society.
Discrimination and its perception exclude people and
children from better living and working conditions and it
leads to their marginalization.
95% children who come to this school are from Muslim
minority backgrounds who are either workers themselves
or are children of workers.
Most workers and their families live in hardship with
shortage of space, sanitation and civic amenities. The
perception that they will not gain acceptance or access to
other localities where people from dominant communities
are in majority, is one of the reasons for their decision to live
in this dense ghetto. Moreover there is interdependence in
work and a give and take relationship between them. This
perception also shuts to them chances of looking to better
livelihood opportunities. Another thing that I wish to
highlight here is that it is well known that many Muslims
in regions of U.P. and Bihar have traditionally been
artisans but I fear that many of them have now slipped
into becoming workers —mazdur – due to liberal economic
assault. While the artisans enjoyed some control over their
craft and life conditions, these workers have been robbed
of their finer skills and their work is alienating.
Many children of our school are compelled to shoulder
the economic burden of their families and labour in these
karkhanas. There are some children who along with their
siblings have to bear the entire economic burden because
adults are not in a position to support. For e.g. Ijaz of class
10, whose father’s hand got crushed in a machine and
hence he stopped working. Ijaz works in a printing press.
He reaches home from school at 1 pm. Immediately, he
leaves for work after having his lunch. He started working
two years ago on a pittance of Rs. 500 which has now
increased to Rs. 4000 per month. Ijaz is forced to work in
the night shift as well, in order to somehow make both
ends meet. In his words, “Ma’am what to do, one has to
put in these nights. At least one is able to earn well.” He
returns home at 2.30 am, sleeps for 2-3 hours and reaches
school at 7am. Likewise Najeeb and his younger brother
shoulder the entire economic burden of their family.
Najeeb’s work is a little different. He does event or party
management and earns between Rs. 400-800 per party. At
times he feels distressed that he lacks finer skills. Many
other children help the adults of the family in the work
they do. Sheikh-ur-rehman of class 7 helps his father in
packing of bangles, Badr-e-alam of class 6 helps his father
in making bags, Maaz’s father is a butcher and he has
already learnt to make meat pieces from him. However,
his father does more difficult work like slaughtering
and de-skinning animals. There are many children in
school who simply refuse on being asked if they work or
contribute towards the family income. They don’t do this
out of any feeling of embarrassment, but they themselves
or their family members don’t realize that they are an
important link in this whole system. When I saw a child
of this school sitting in a mobile shop, and another taking
charge of a meat shop, I asked them if they worked there
on a regular basis. The answer was, “Not at all, father has
gone for lunch and a nap so I’m looking after the shop
for a few hours. Basically it is father who works, not me.”
On another occasion I met a child getting tyres loaded on
a hand cart. On asking he replied, “No I don’t work, I’m
just getting the tires loaded.” Dilnawaz studies in class 2.
His parents run a bat-making workshop from their oneroom house. They claim their children are not involved
in any income generating activity, and are given all the
freedom to study. Just then Dilnawaz entered with a large
bag dangling from his shoulder, informed his mother,
“Maal pohoncha diya”, and handed over the acquired
money. Many girls in this school, apart from helping with
domestic chores since a very young age, assist in making
clips, decorative items, and in packing of various things.
The percentage of worker children in this school and many
other schools of this area is about 65% or more.
There are many children in this school whose father,
uncle, or elder brother migrated to Delhi 5-10 years ago
in search of work. In the hope to give quality education
to the younger generation, they moved the children to
Delhi. Many children, including girls, live only with
their male relatives while their mother and other female
relatives continue to live in their home town. Since female
family members are not with them, they have to shoulder
domestic responsibilities like cooking, washing, cleaning,
etc. Many children like Irshad are well aware of their
uncertain future with regard to education. Irshad of class
5 says, “Didi I’m in 5th std. and I’m already 14 years old. I
cannot say for how many years I may be able to continue;
21
I do not know for how long my brother can support me as
a student.” Irshad and his younger brother Dilshad live
with their brother in Delhi. Their brother has a small beltmaking unit. Irshad prepares breakfast in the morning,
then lunch for his younger and elder brother and 2 other
workers of the karkhana. He reaches school at 12:30 pm,
since our primary school is held in the evening shift. On
returning from school, he devotes a few hours to making
belts, cooks dinner, tries to do his homework before going
off to sleep. They are not able to visit their mother in Bihar
every year. Since the relatives of such children are busy
trying to earn for the family, they don’t have the time to
put balm on their emotional scars, when they get bullied
in school or become the laughing stock of their peers on
speaking their home language. As I mentioned earlier,
since work in the karkhanas happens till late at night,
the responsibility of waking up early in the morning to
reach school on time, lies with the children themselves.
Many children come to school without any breakfast and
wait for the break to eat something, especially those of
the higher classes, who don’t get Mid-day Meal at school.
The children who get bored of the repetitive menu at our
small canteen in school, jump walls to fetch alu puri; any
way to jump limits and boundaries is always exhilarating
for these young adults.
A glimpse into family and kinship bonds reveals that
lifecycle rituals like wedding, death, and other ceremonies
are demanding on time and are religiously pursued.
Of course there is a dearth of resources which results
in conflicts and quarrels. Moreover kinships are also
entangled with give and take, credit and debt relationships.
In some families, the father is unemployed due to illness
or ups and downs of an untrustworthy market. In such
a condition, the mother and children have to shoulder
economic responsibilities. When they do this, they also
demand their share in decision-making. This results in
a feeling of disempowerment among men who perceive
this as an assault on their masculinity. The consequence is
conflict, broken families.
How several teachers in this school ‘construct’
these children
Statements made by teachers about the children depict not
only their prejudice but also reveals the social distance
between them:
“Banjar zameen par kheti nahi hoti hai” / “Nothing much
grows on fallow land”
22
“These kids need reformatory schools. America has such
schools where they keep such kids.”
“Arey, their parents are not worried. They stay up till
2am and sleep during the day. The children go hungry to
school. This is a characteristic feature of old Delhi.”
“Abusive language and quarrels are common in their
houses. These children have grown up seeing all this.”
“They live in tiny rooms. The parents and kids sleep there
itself... The children begin to understand everything from
a very young age.”
A few teachers have said to children: “You are living on
the government’s largesse, yet you are so wicked.”
Having peeped into the social reality of these children one
can well understand how unjust such statements about
them are. Statements like “Nothing grows on fallow land”
show that the socio-economic deprivation of the children
has been ignored and there is an essentialization of their
low performance as natural inadequacy. Moreover lack of
routine and discipline in the lives of these workers, which
is governed by market forces has been overlooked to
construct parents as being uninterested in the education
of their children. The hypothesis that such prejudice and
stereotype influences teacher-pupil relationship, which in
turn has an effect on classroom interaction and pedagogy,
has been proved right by many research studies in the
area.
It is important to understand what messages of approval
and disapproval are received by these children; this
includes messages related to their various identities, such
as gender, religion and their work as labor force. Our
consciousness about these identities and their relationship
with larger socio-political structures can give them some
insight to transform not only their life situation, but
larger structures of oppression and inequality. Thus it
is important to peep in to the school and classrooms for
assessing the kind of support these children receive in
understanding the reasons for the circumstances that they
find themselves in.
Extracted from a talk given by Farah Farooqi at
Azim Premji University
Towards Children’s Learning:
The Transformative
Potential of
Teacher Education
-Rajashree Srinivasan
T
he nation has been experiencing a vast expansion in
the enrolment of children in schools since the last
decade. It is set to increase with the opportunities offered
by the Right to Education Act (RtE, 2009) assuring every
children’s right to quality education. That increasing
enrolments do not necessarily mean attendance or
learning has come under severe scrutiny. Recent studies
(ASER, 2012) and several anecdotal evidences confirm low
participation and low levels of learning among children.
The Twelfth Five-Year Plan by the Government of India
(GOI, Planning Commission, 2012) emphasizes that
‘access to education’ cannot be separated from ‘quality
of education’. One of the goals of the Dakar Framework
(2000) in achieving Education for All is ‘quality of
education’. It is against this dominant prevailing sentiment
that Tagore’s view of education as a ‘right which enables
individuals and communities to act on reflection’ (In a
letter to the International League for Rational Education,
1908) assumes greater meaning.
This aim of education encompasses the development
of the individual and the society. John Dewey (1938) in
his book, Experience and Education, remarks, “While
on the one hand education meant the reorganization of
experience leading to the growth of the individual child,
it was also the most important agency for reconstruction
and maintenance of society’s democratic principles.” If
schools are viewed as microcosmic representation of
society that could enable the cultivation of a democratic
social order (Dewey, 1907 in The School and Society), then
teaching-learning practices assume a central position. The
role of teachers and the quality of classroom teaching then
is one of the defining pillars of children’s learning. The
article highlights the need for a transformative teacher
preparation and continued development of teachers, as an
imperative for realizing the goals of Education for All. The
theme assumes significance in the prevailing facilitative
context that India is engaged in with important curricular
and legislative provisions being enacted that serve as a
crucible for bringing about universalization of education.
In the last decade in India, the centrality of the teacher
in shaping teaching-learning in classrooms has gained
considerable attention through the curricular documents,
namely the National Curricular Framework (NCF, 2005)
and National Curricular Framework for Teacher Education
(NCFTE, 2009); though several commissions and reports
have attempted to bring to fore the importance of teacher
preparation and continued development (Education
Commission, 1964, Chattopadhyay Commission, 1985,
NPE, 1986). In fact, recognizing the challenges in teaching
and learning across several nations, Education for All
Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO, 2013) focuses on
‘Learning and Teaching for Development’ as a thematic
area for this year. The Mid-decade Assessment of
Education for All in India (2009) focusing on teachers
and teacher education has strongly recommended for
reclaiming the space of teachers through revamped preservice teacher education programs and continuing
education of teachers for achieving Education for All.
The teaching-learning practices in a classroom provide an
opportunity for not just the development of knowledge
and skills among children but of curiosity and eagerness.
John Holt(1967) in his book, How Children Learn
observes, “children come to school curious, within few
23
years most of the curiosity is dead or silent……A child
is most intelligent when the reality before him arouses
in him a high degree of attention, interest, concentration,
involvement----in short, when he cares most about what
he is doing.” Therefore, it is the life in the classrooms
that pave way for children to develop a sense of love for
learning and offers purpose to their childhood experiences.
Krishna Kumar in his book A Pedagogue’s Romance(2008)
remarks, “what must happen in a classroom full of
children from morning to afternoon is a question of the
highest order of national reconstruction. If we approach
this question without focusing our attention on the faces
of the children, the state of classroom, the personality and
preparedness of the teacher, and the quality of the text
books and other materials available to the teacher, then
we are likely to do no better in the near feature than we are
doing at present”(p.115). It is important to recognize that
if learning is not happening then childhood is in crisis.
If childhoods collapse, it forewarns fragmentation of the
society. Therefore, teaching-learning practices that help
children understand and give meaning to their childhood
experiences is at the heart of children’s learning.
If classroom practices and teachers are pivotal to
children’s learning, then the development of teachers
assumes paramount importance. Perceptions of teaching
and teachers’ work in India has gone through various
trajectories- ranging from celebration to cynicism- with
arguments often precluding the importance of teaching
as a social, intellectual and moral practice. These
perceptions have been accentuated further through
determinist models of pre-service teacher education and
24
the deficit models of continued professional support,
both of which have led to a poverty in the pedagogical
imagination within the classrooms. Integral to such
views are ideas of teachers as ‘passive’ participants and
‘implementers’ rather than co-constructors of educational
processes. Devoid of opportunities for developing critical
perspectives and a strong knowledge base required to
teach children, school teachers continue to adopt the
established ways of transmissive teaching. Further, in
the absence of an engagement with ideas on children’s
nature, their individual differences and the social contexts
of learning, the ability of the teachers to handle diversity
and differences in the classrooms is greatly stifled. The
resultant low levels of learning among children coupled
with pervasive corporal punishment highlights crisis of
childhood in India. In recent times, the provisions of the
RtE Act, such as the prescription of a pupil teacher ratio of
30:1 and the prescribed standards for teacher qualification
have created a huge demand for teachers. In addition, the
Supreme Court upholding 25% reservation for children
from the disadvantaged sections in the unaided feecharging schools has strengthened the need for a rigorous
preparation of teachers for diversity. Therefore, achieving
the egalitarian goals of education for all cannot be secured
without restoring the status of teachers and the teaching
profession through meaningful preparation and continued
support for teachers.
The NCFTE (2009) provides a cogent pathway to realize
the goals of education for all. The issues related to
teachers, teaching and teacher education, which were at
the fringes have been brought to the centre stage of debate
in the field of education. NCFTE (2009) places teaching
as a social and intellectual practice. It envisions a teacher
as a thinking reflective individual, whose primary task
is to facilitate children to construct meaning from their
experiences. Its advocacy for a process-based teacher
education allows for the rejuvenation of the TE programs
in India. It provides direction to teacher educators to
prepare teachers to examine knowledge critically and
engage in a dialogical relationship with children. Other
key ideas like developing critical perspectives about
children and their socio-cultural and political contexts,
aims of education and schooling, content and pedagogical
knowledge and, about self and society, which are
important for a multi-cultural classroom, are highlighted
as the pivot of teacher education curriculum and practice.
Engaging with such perspectives requires, dialogue,
self-awareness, collaboration and critical inquiry. These
pedagogic practices have immense potential for a renewed
understanding of the aims of education. It impels teacher
educators to re-imagine their own practices in developing
caring, sensitive, and critically thinking teachers. Further,
recognizing the importance of academic knowledge
required for the practice of teaching, NCFTE(2009)
proposes for structural changes that could bring teacher
education systems into the ambit of higher education. It
is hoped that such a preparation of teachers with a high
degree of professional knowledge and acumen coupled
with a moral disposition will address the deeper anxieties
that are present in today’s classrooms and ensure quality
learning in the schools.
How well the ideas embedded in the NCFTE will get
actualized depends on the ownership taken by the
institutions and the States. A good starting point is
developing syllabi along the lines of the model proposed.
It is imperative for teacher educators from the University
departments of Education, affiliated colleges of education
and other disciplinary experts from related higher
education institutions to collaborate and engage in the
revision of the secondary teacher education syllabi
based on the context-specific needs of their respective
States. The DIETS and SCERTS with academic support
from higher education institutions need to revise the
Elementary Teacher Education content. While few states
have initiated the revision of the syllabi, there hasn’t been
much progress overall. Such piece-meal efforts on the part
of the states are unlikely to yield impactful results in the
long run, given the differing strength of the education
systems in different states. Unless all constituents of the
school education, teacher education and other associated
higher education systems become morally accountable to
children’s learning, childhood in India will continue to
experience crisis, daunting the achievement of the lofty
goals of Education for All.
Another important aspect contributing to children’s
learning is sustained and substantive continuous
professional support to teachers. Several teachers in
our system continue to teach with commitment and
responsibility amidst myriad problems such as lack of
basic amenities, interior rural and tribal areas, multigrade classrooms, multi-lingual students, children with
special needs, first generation learners and so on. Diary
narratives written by teachers such as Hemraj Bhatt (The
25
Diary of a School teacher (2011), Azim Premji University),
who fight battles everyday within their system to ensure
learning among the children from the disadvantaged
sections of the society stand as strong testimony of
resilience among teachers. Such teachers infuse optimism
in the efforts aimed at attaining an equitable society. As
a society and teaching community, we need to recognize
and celebrate such teachers and hold them up as role
models for several young aspirants in to teaching. What
teachers really need(which is rarely available) is time,
access to expertise, opportunities for their thinking to be
challenged, learning ‘from’ and ‘with’ their colleagues
and school leaders who can provide the right conditions
of learning. The current continuing professional support
models is found to be completely inadequate, with lack of
choices, repetition and an external mandate of completing
the required number of days. It is critical that approaches
to the on-going professional development of teachers
engage in ways that allows choices for teachers to design
their own professional development. More attention
needs to be paid on how to harness the technologies
for this purpose, given how schools are so widespread
in India and the diversity of languages. Continuing
professional development requires a robust vision based
on a conceptual framework of teacher learning. There is
lack of research in India on teacher learning at various
phases of teachers’ developmental trajectory.
Research across the world highlights the importance
of teacher learning through sharing and collaborative
inquiry. Evidence from civil society initiatives within India
indicate that teachers learn and gain from mutual sharing
and support. Collaborative and sustained dialogical
conversations and interactions amongst the teachers offer
a possible pathway to address their professional identity,
develop perspectives about education and society, and
strengthen content pedagogical knowledge required for a
diverse classroom. A single school or a group of schools
may form a network of teachers who could engage in a
variety of conversations. Cluster level meetings could
be re-worked in rigorous ways as a forum for collective
reflective engagement. The Split Model for teacher
support recommended by the Guidelines for the Centrally
Sponsored Scheme for the XII plan (GOI, June 2012)
allows for conceptualization of such collaborative teacher
networking and learning within the school or cluster
sites. A collective interrogation about practices provides
a mediating context to learn from one another paving
way for teachers to become reflective individuals. This
26
requires academic leadership at Block and Cluster levels
and in schools to nourish a culture of professionalism
within schools, understand what works for teachers and
how to support their teachers to develop practice.
Reconstruction
of
pre-service
and
continued
development of teachers is possible only if teacher
educators become critically reflective practitioners
themselves. We, as teacher educators, must not lose
sight of the challenge of learning ourselves. We need to
evince a reflective and inquiring stance in our teachinglearning practices. To develop humane teachers, it is
important teacher educators have a humanistic bent of
mind that allows us to see each student as an individual
with a unique history, unique hopes and dreams and a
person of potential and possibility. Sustained dialogue
among teacher educators is required. We need to move
away from the precincts of the technicist era of teacher
education and present a compelling case for reflective
practice. Ambiguities and contradictions will exist as we
venture into this new terrain. We need to dispassionately
examine our practices and conduct research within our
own classrooms more keenly. Critical eyes and Caring
hearts (Wink, 1997 in Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the
Real World) needs to be the new mantra for those engaged
in educating teachers.
Conclusions:
Achieving Education for All through the RTE may not
become a reality without transforming the preparation
and continued education of teachers. The re-envisioning
of the curriculum and pedagogy of the teacher education
programs proposed by the NCFTE (2009) provides a
meaningful pathway to develop reflective teachers who
can teach effectively in diverse classrooms. Developing
reflective teachers requires that teacher educators
themselves become reflective practitioners. A synergy
among Indian planners, various apparatuses of the States,
teacher educators, teachers, experts from related fields
of teacher education, and civil society organizations is
required to transform the landscape of teacher education
in India. Given the current facilitative contexts provided
by the historic legislation and curricular frameworks, it
is imperative to assure children’s learning and ensure a
humane and peaceful childhood to the millions of present
and future children in India.
The author is an Associate Professor at the
Azim Premji University
Andhra Pradesh School Choice Project:
Characteristics of Teachers in
Government and Private Schools
- Srinivasulu Barigela
M
uch of education literature highlights the importance of the teacher in student learning outcomes. Studies have
suggested that the test score gap between high-performing and low-performing students can be narrowed
considerably by a series of good teachers1. Parents desperately want teachers who can enliven the mind as well as the
heart of the children; teachers who can call youngsters to a life of service and love; teachers who can not only teach
children to read and write, but also to tell right from wrong.
Andhra Pradesh School Choice Project
The Andhra Pradesh School Choice (APSC) research project was conducted between 2008 -2013 by the Azim Premji
Foundation in collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 5 districts - Visakhapatnam, East Godavari,
Kadapa, Medak, and Nizamabad. This study was conducted in 180 villages to evaluate the impact of providing
scholarship to disadvantaged children, both on children who receive the scholarship as well as on the others in terms of
education outcomes. This paper does not present the impact of providing scholarships but only discusses the differences
in the profile of the teachers in government schools and private schools based on analysis of data collected from over
3300 teachers of more than 1000 government and private schools during 2010-11as part of the APSC Research Project.
In government schools, there are usually three types/levels of teachers. The Head Teacher and the Regular Teacher
(Asst. Teacher) are recruited after a formal process involving a state level competitive test and interview. The third
type – the Vidya Volunteer is not necessarily present in all schools. They comprise about 15% of the teacher population
in government schools. They are generally local persons from the area around the school and are recruited without
any competitive exam by the Mandal Education Officer. A typical rural government primary school in Andhra Pradesh
consists of about 3 teachers responsible for 5 classes with multi-grade teaching prevalent in large proportion of cases.
In private schools on the other hand, the ratio is one teacher per class and per subject. Across all categories, about 2 in 3
teachers are female. About 21% belong to scheduled caste/scheduled tribes while the remaining 79% are about evenly
split between Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and forward castes2.
The objective of the present paper is:
1.
To understand the teachers’ characteristics such as age, gender, caste and designation.
2.
To know teachers’ engagements on Teaching Learning Process in classrooms.
3.
To know satisfaction level of teachers.
Table: 1: Teachers’ General Educational Qualifications
Designation
Matriculation
Higher Secondary
Graduation
Post-Graduation Any other
Head Teachers in Government schools
0.8%
15.6%
55.7%
27.7%
0.2%
Regular Teaches in Government schools
0.4%
11.4%
62.7%
25.1%
0.4%
Vidya Volunteers in Government schools
5.9%
26.0%
56.4%
11.8%
0%
Private school teachers
4.7%
23.1%
63.4%
8.4%
0.5%
1 Gordon, Kane and & Stagier (2006) “Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job” Brookings Institution.
2 The teachers’ distribution of castes is 21% from very backward castes (schedule caste and schedule tribe) and the remainder from other backward
and forward castes.
27
Teachers from the Government schools are generally well qualified. About 85% are either graduates or post graduates
and are appointed by the government through highly competitive service examinations. Interestingly, in the case of
Vidya Volunteers, about 68% are graduates or above. The private school teachers, about 72% of whom are graduates
and above, are appointed by respective school managements. This implies that almost 28% of private school teachers
are class 12 pass or less.
Table: 2: Teachers’ Training Educational Qualifications
Designation
None
Diploma
B.Ed.
M.Ed.
Others
4.6%
25.2%
66.7%
3.3%
0.2%
7.1%
21.5%
69.2%
2.0%
0.1%
48.1%
6.7%
44.6%
0%
0.7%
Private School Teachers
58.8%
11.9%
28.6%
0.1%
0.6%
All most all the teachers from Government schools have undergone some teacher training course while only about 50%
of Vidya Volunteers are trained similarly. Considerable number of private school teachers (about 59%)are without any
teacher training qualifications. Though their teachers do not have any teacher education training, the private schools
are able to attract a large number of students.
Table: 3: Teachers’ characteristics
Designation
Mean Age in Years Mean Experience in Years
Mean Salary in Rupees
42
17
33458
36
11
26075
28
4
6089
28
5
13798
The age, experience and salary for the regular teachers and head teachers across Government schools is significantly
higher than for the private school teachers. The salary for Vidya Volunteers is very sharply lower than for all other
categories of teachers.
Table: 4: Teachers’ social community
Designation/Caste
SC
ST
OBC
Others
Head teachers in Govt
20.4%
2.7%
41.4%
35.6%
19.0%
2.8%
46.0%
32.2%
24.0%
3.5%
55.9%
16.7%
15.0%
1.7%
52.8%
30.5%
Schools
Regular Teachers in Govt
Schools
Vidya volunteer in Govt
Schools
Private school teachers
28
SAs can be seen here, the representation of scheduled casts and scheduled tribes is the lowest among the private
school teachers. In the case of the Vidya Volunteers, the proportion of SC, ST and OBC persons is much higher and
correspondingly, the proportion of others (forward casts) is much lower than in the case of the other teachers in the
government schools.
An analysis of the time spent by teachers in various activities in the school during the day makes for an interesting
pattern. The table below is based on the time spends in a day ‘as reported by the teachers’. Hence this should be
interpreted with caution and should be treated as only being roughly indicative.
Table: 5: Time allotment for teachers’ activity (in minutes per day)
Teaching time
Admin time
Other activities / break time
55.9%
30.6%
13.5%
55.2%
31.4%
13.4%
Vidya Volunteers in Government
schools
50.1%
37.8%
12.1%
58.9%
27.3%
13.8%
Private school teachers seem to allocate marginally more time for Teaching activities (teaching, correcting HW,
preparation, paper correction etc). Interestingly, the private school teachers also claim to do administration work such
as maintaining order, discipline and monitoring lunch hour etc. but for slightly less extent of time. The private schools
however run for about 30 minutes more each day on an average.
Table: 6: Teachers’ designation and their satisfaction with salary
Designation/Salary Satisfaction
Very Satisfied Somewhat satisfied
somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
70.8%
23.1%
4.5%
1.7%
60.0%
26.1%
8.7%
5.1%
7.3%
42.2%
31.1%
19.4%
22.9%
48.5%
22.1%
6.5%
Head teachers (94%)and regular teachers (86%) from Government schools seem to be satisfied with their salary.
In Government schools, there is less monitoring by the authorities of education department. In contrast, the Vidya
Volunteers are less satisfied, as can be expected, given their low salary levels. Interestingly, almost 71% of private
school teachers have indicated that they are not dissatisfied with their salary.
The learning achievement levels of students in government schools and private schools were assessed using paperpencil tests in Telugu, Maths and English. The findings are as below. It must be noted here that the sample of students
in private schools in the table represents the students who have originally been in private schools. Hence this is just a
comparison of private schools in general and government schools.
29
Table: 7: Students learning achievement scores
Telugu
Math
English
Students in Govt schools (N=4710) 44.1
34.5
40.2
Students in Pvt schools (N=1340)
51.1
65.7
60.5
The private school students show better performance in the learning achievement tests when compared with students
in government school on an overall basis. The teacher qualifications, experience and teacher training qualifications do
not seem to support this difference in performance. The reasons for this variation will need to be examined and studied
carefully before arriving at any firm conclusions. It must be noted that the private school students have 3 years of extra
pre-schooling (Nursery, LKG and UKG) before joining class 1. Further, government schools may be suffering due to
‘multi grade teaching’ in most schools. In addition, some other factors outside the school could be contributing to this.
There is data which indicates that the family socio-economic profile and parental education background of private
school children is much better than the government school children. This however is a complex issue and needs to be
studied in detail separately.
Conclusions
There are clear differences in the profile and characteristics of teachers in government schools and private schools. The
government school regular teachers clearly have a ‘better’ profile (in terms of qualifications, experience, age etc) than
the private school teachers. The Vidya Volunteers in government schools, though they constitute around 15% of the
teacher work force clearly seem to be a different class altogether in terms of profile and training. In terms of learning
achievement, the students in private schools are performing better than students in government schools. The teacher
characteristics such as age, experience, salary, teacher training and caste do not seem to have any direct correlation
with the students learning levels in the assessment. The reasons for the differences will need to be studied carefully and
may perhaps lie as much in factors outside the school as the in-school factors. That would be part of a different paper.
References
1. Missing in Action: Teacher and Health Worker Absence in Developing Countries by Nazmul Chaudhury, Jeffrey Hammer,
Michael Kremer, Karthik Muralidharan, and F. Halsey Rogers: 2005
2. Gordon, Kane and & Stagier (2006). “Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the Job.” Brookings Institution.
30
District Profile
yadgir
- Analytics Team, Knowledge Resource Centre, Azim Premji Foundation
• District Overview
Y
adgir, popularly called as “Yadavagiri” by the local people, was once the capital of the Yadava Kingdom. The
Yadavas chose Yadgir to be their capital and ruled from here from 1347 to 1425 A.D. Yadgir district has deep roots
in history.
In 1504, Yadgir (Gulbarga) was permanently annexed to the Adil Shahi kingdom of Bijapur. In 1657 with the invasion
of Mir Jumla it passed into the hands of the Mughals. Later with the establishment of the Asaf Jahi (Nizam) Dynasty of
Hyderabad (1724-1948), Yadgir and Gulbarga came under it. In 1863, when the Nizam Government formed Jillabandi,
Surpur (Shorapur) became the district headquarters, with nine Talukas of which Gulbarga was one of them. In 1873,
Gulbarga was formed into a separate district with seven taluks. With the reorganization of states in 1956, Gulbarga
became part of Karnataka State and Divisional headquarters, and Yadgir was one of the taluks under Gulbarga district.
A cabinet meeting held at Gulbarga on 26th September, 2008, resolved that Yadgir will be formed as a new district,
and accordingly the Government of Karnataka issued Gazette Notification declaring Yadgir as the 30th new district of
Karnataka State on 26.12.2009. Consequent to the final notification, Yadgir district came in to existence with effect from
30.12.2009.
Yadgir district occupies an area of 5234.4 square kilometers, which constitutes 2.73 percent area of the state. It is bound
by Raichur District to the south, Gulbarga District to the north, Bijapur District to the west and the state of Andra
Pradesh to the east.
Yadgir is dotted with many historical monuments, ancient temples, medieval mosques, tanks and wells. It is the 2nd
smallest district in the state. The vast stretch of fertile black soil of the district is known for bumper red gram and Jawar
crops. The district is a “Daal bowl” of the state. It is also known for a cluster of cement industries and a distinct stone
popularly known as “Malakheda Stone”.
Number of Blocks
03
No of Hoblies
16
Lok Sabha members
02
Rajya Sabha members
01
Vidhan Sabha Members
04
Vidhan Parishat members
03
31
Zilla Panchayat Members
22
No. of Taluka Panchayat members
81
No. of Villages
519
No. of Gram Panchayats
117
Human Development Indices*
Block Name
Health Index
Education Index
Income
Overall HDI
Shahapur
0.663
0.499
0.549
0.57
Shorapur
0.675
0.554
0.528
0.585
Yadgir
0.668
0.445
0.518
*District comparisons of HDI are not available; Source DHDR Gulbarga, 2008
0.543
• Demography Overview
Population
% of State
Rank in State
Max in State
Min in State
Area (sq. km.)
5234.41
2.73%
17
13415 (Belgaum)
2190.2
(Bangalore)
Population
11,72,985
1.9%
24
9588910
(Bangalore)
554762 (Kodagu)
-
23
4378 (Bangalore)
135 (Kodagu)
Population
Density
224
(persons/sq. km.)
Total Population
Rural
Urban
Male
479834
111270
50.39%
Female
472648
109233
49.61%
0-6 Population
Rural
Urban
Male
79437
16183
51.48%
Female
74959
15148
48.52%
83.13%
16.87%
Decadal Growth Rate (2001-2011) %
Rural
Urban
Total
Gulbarga (Male)
20.15
34.07
17.71
Gulbarga (Female)
16.13
22.72
18.18
Karnataka (Male)
7.72
30.24
15.46
Karnataka (Female)
7.55
32.37
15.88
32
Social Category Share (2001 census)
Yadgir
State
ST
4.92%
6.55%
22.91%
16.20%
SC
Source: Census of India 2011, 2001
Population growth of the district is more than the state’s average. Distribution between male and female population is
fairly even.
• Economic Activity Overview
Gross and Net Taluka Domestic Products of Yadgir District at Constant Prices 2005-06 (Rs.)
Taluka Name
GTDP Total (in Rs. GTDP Per-capita (in NTDP Total (in Rs. NTDP Per capita (in
Lakhs)
Rs.)
Lakhs)
Rs.)
Shahapur
55033
17695
50585
16265
Shorapur
55841
15651
51492
14432
Yadgir
50845
14725
46222
13386
Dist. Total
161719
16023.67
148299
14694.33
Taluka Gross Domestic Product by Industry of Origin: 2005-06
Taluka Name
% Primary(% Agriculture)
% (Secondary)
% (Tertiary)
Shahapur
42.06(40.16)
16.02
41.92
Shorapur
40.69(38.54)
14.62
44.69
Yadgir
26.86(24.38)
21.1
52.04
District
36.54
17.25
Source: Computed by DES 2005-06, DHDR 2008, Gulbarga
Taluka Name
% BPL households
Shahapur
33.99
Shorapur
33.89
46.22
Yadgir
32.57
Source: Gulbarga District at A Glance - 2005-06, Poverty estimates Zilla Panchayat Gulbarga 2004-05
• Elementary Education Overview
Literacy Rate
Yadgir
Literacy rates
Total
Male
Female
52.36
63.33
41.31
33
Karnataka
75.6
82.85
68.13
Teachers
Yadgir
State
Rank
Total
5122
273188
27
PTR
37.31
30.89
28
1 teacher school %
2.39
6.61
27
Grad Teachers %
23.94
30.47
27
Professionally Qualified
Teachers %
99.27
97.50
13
Enrollment
Yadgir
State
Rank
Total
191142
8439933
23
ST%
6.68
8.48
12
SC%
24.39
18.96
10
OBC%
60.18
69.31
22
Schools
Yadgir
State
Rank
Total
1120
59456
26
School-Child Ratio
170.1
141
5
1 teacher school %
2.39
6.61
27/30
Name of the
Block
GER Primary
GER Upper
Primary
NER Primary
NER Upper
Primary
Dropout Rate
(Primary)
Dropout
Rate (Upper
Primary)
Shahapur
107.79
103.13
91.21
96.49
1.61
7.46
Shorapur
103.03
102.39
92.53
97.44
1.28
5.62
Yadgir
108.36
102.11
91.33
95.68
0.95
4.42
Overall district 107.16
102.65
92.07
96.83
1.24
5.61
Block-wise Primary Schools (2010-11)
Depart-
Yadgir
Shahapur
Shorapur
Grand Total
ments
Dept. of
Education
34
LPS
HPS
Total
LPS
HPS
Total
LPS
HPS
Total
LPS
HPS
Total
131
164
295
154
135
289
191
160
351
476
459
935
Dept. of
0
4
4
0
4
4
1
4
5
1
12
13
0
13
13
0
5
5
3
5
8
3
23
26
Social
Welfare
Aided
Unaided
23
22
45
25
20
45
26
27
53
74
69
143
Total
154
203
357
179
164
343
221
196
417
554
563
1117
Source: DISE, Yadgir
Block-wise Primary Schools (2010-11)
Block-wise Government Schools Enrolment (2010-11)
Department-wise Sanctioned and Working Teachers (2010-11)
Departments
Education
Social Welfare
Aided
Yadgir
Shahapur
Shorapur
Total
S
1590
1497
1682
4769
W
1457
1355
1520
4332
S
37
54
36
127
W
36
27
28
91
S
100
45
41
186
W
88
36
40
164
Pupil Teacher Ratio (Government Schools)
Block
Primary
Upper Primary
Total
Yadgir
25.21
31.6
30.34
Shahapur
23.39
33.49
30.54
Shorapur
34.38
38.39
37.31
Total Yadgir Dist.
27.51
34.31
32.59
The Achievements Levels of Children in classes 5-6, 6-7 and 7-8 were assessed in January 2008. The competency based
achievement test for classes 5th 6th and 7th was administered in Goverment. and Aided Kannada Medium schools in
the district. Hence the Ranking of Gulbarga Edn district is 31.00 and Yadgir Edn. District is 26.00; therefore the average
ranking of the district is 26.00. Hence a number of advocacy programme were launched at different levels to educate,
students and teachers and Departmental staff.
35
ASER Learning Levels (Gulbarga Region)
Reading Ability Math Ability
Source – ASER 2011
SSLC Examination Performance 1:
SSLC Examination Results: Overall District
Average Percentage of Marks
I Language
II Lan- III Language guage
Maths
Science
Shorapur
53.97
42.43
45.66
43.94
40.25
56.37
District
51.90
39.15
44.60
40.68
37.69
53.54
1 SSLC Board Examination Results 2011-12, Karnataka SSLC Board
36
Social
Subject
Pass %
I Language
79.17
II Language
79.12
III Language 86.11
Math
74.92
Science
73.53
Social
85.59
A z i m P r e m j i F o u nd ation
D ist r ict I nstit u te : Ya d g i r
Background:
Yadgir is a district of Karnataka where all indicators are at their lowest. The Nanjundappa Committee (2002) has
identified all 3 talukas – Shorapur, Shahapur and Yadgir – in Yadgir district as most backward talukas. The major
issues in the district are child marriage, irregular attendance and high dropout rate. The status of women and girls is
also low, due to the feudal system. In sum, the quality of education in this district is disappointingly low.
In this context, Azim Premji Foundation started its work in North-East Karnataka (NEK) with the Accelerated
Learning Programme (2002) and Learning Guarantee Programme (2003-2005). These two programmes provided the
understanding that overall development of a school is possible only with an integrated and holistic approach.
Child Friendly School Initiative (CFSI):
Azim Premji Foundation started working in the Shorapur taluk of Yadgir district in 2004 with the Child Friendly
School Initiative – a joint venture of UNICEF, Government of Karnataka and the Foundation. It is an experiment to
demonstrate a process of providing quality education on a sustained basis, in a child-friendly manner to all children.
It attempts to address issues in the following five domains: School environment, Classroom environment, Teachinglearning process, Teacher development, Community participation.
Major Interventions of the CFSI Programme:
1. School Improvement Plan: It was designed for the overall development of the school based on indicators and close
monitoring by education functionaries and Margadarshis (Foundation volunteers).The programme has rich data
pertaining to the development of all the 340 schools for more than 7 years.
2. Mela: Mela is an event involving all the stakeholders – children, teachers and parents. Till date 105 such Melas and
250 children’s creativity workshops have been organized.
3. Teacher Learning Centres (TLCs): TLCs provide an open space for teachers to improve their conceptual, technical
and human relation skills and to share and learn from each other. There are 9 TLCs in the district, equipped with
relevant books, science equipment, maths kits, and computers with internet connections. Nearly 1000 teachers
benefit from TLCs through seminars, workshops and voluntary subject forums. A newsletter for the teachers is
published and disseminated to schools through TLCs. Resource teachers are being developed with high intensity
training programme through change agents training.
4. Nali Kali Interaction Meeting/Onsite Support: Nali Kali teacher interaction meeting is a platform for teachers
to share their experiences. Nali Kali teachers, Resource Persons (RPs) and Margadarshis interact together in the
school. It is a daylong programme for individual interaction with teachers and classroom observation. The 25
Margadarshis provide onsite support to the Nali Kali teachers.
5. Women’s Literacy Programme and working with Panchayath are two interventions towards school-community
connect.
Yadgir District Institute:
Yadgir District Institute (DI) was established in September 2012 with the objective of social change through education.
The chief areas of focus are, teacher capacity building, education leadership and management related activities, and
school-community connect. It organises mini science lab, melas, head teachers forums and Teacher Learning Centres.
The Azim Premji School has been established in Yadgir district in 2012 as a place for our own learning and also as a
demonstration school for other teachers and education functionaries. At present there are 2 classes.
Yadgir District Institute, with 75 team members is very important since, going forward, this will be the base for the
expansion of Foundation activities in the entire region of North East Karnataka.
37
38
A
Azim Premji Foundation
zim Premji Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with an overarching goal to contribute to a just, equitable,
humane and sustainable society in India. We strive to facilitate deep, large scale and long-term impact on the quality
and equity of education in India, along with related development areas such as child health, nutrition, governance and
ecology. We seek to address these inter-related domains while keeping education as a core area of focus.
Leveraging its rich experience of working at the grass roots level for over a decade, several institutions established by
the Foundation have been working together in an integrated manner to facilitate improvements in education and allied
developmental areas at multiple levels.
•
Azim Premji University: Azim Premji University is a critical element of this integrated strategy especially in the area
of talent development and knowledge creation through an institutionalized approach.
•
Azim Premji State and District Institutes: These are vibrant, high quality centres located in district towns and state
capitals of select Indian states. They are the institutional anchors of our work in education in a district, provide the
fulcrum to work in other related domains, and serve as expertise centres for our schools, affiliated schools, and
partner activities.
•
Institute for Assessment and Accreditation (IAA): IAA achieves our mission of deep, at-scale and institutionalized
impact on the quality of education by spreading awareness of, and creating demand for, assessment/accreditationdriven quality improvements in the system.
•
Demonstration Schools: A limited number of demonstration schools have been established for the specific purposes
of providing learning spaces for the University, the IAA and the State/District Institutes and supporting specific
elements of the Foundation’s strategy. These schools provide good quality education at costs and under constraints
similar to those of rural government schools.
39
Kumaun University
Azim Premji
University
Sleepy Hollow, Nainital
Uttarakhand, India
(ISO:9001-2008 certified)
Call for Papers
Second Regional Seminar
on Philosophy of Education, Almora
Azim Premji University and Kumaun University, Nainital, jointly announce the
Second Regional Seminar on Philosophy of Education in Almora, Uttarakhand between
March 24 & 26, 2014
Important dates:
Seminar Themes:
•
•
•
•
Social Justice and Education
Indian Philosophical Thoughts/
Thinkers and Education
Nature of Educational Studies :
Curricular and Pedagogic Issues
Policy Issues in Education:
Measurement and Assessment,
Accountability and Quality in Education
•
•
•
Final date for submission of abstracts:
January 15, 2014
Communication for acceptance of
the paper: February 20, 2014
Seminar Venue: Faculty of Education,
Kumaun University, SSJ Campus, Almora:
March 24-26, 2014
Papers are invited from scholars of education, philosophers, practitioners in education, students of
education and people interested in Philosophy of Education from the states of Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh,
Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar and Jharkhand.
Authors are advised to limit their contributions to 4500-6000 words.
Papers should be prepared for blind review, and sent along with a 300-words abstract on or before
January 15, 2014. The papers may be sent through email to: [email protected] or please send
a handwritten/printed copy of the paper and its abstract to both addresses given below:
Philosophy of Education Unit, Azim Premji University
PES Institute of Technology Campus, 6th floor, Pixel Park, A Block
Electronic City, Hosur Road (Beside NICE Road) Bangalore 560100
Dean’s Office, Faculty of Education, Kumaun University,
SSJ Campus, Almora,Uttarakhand 263601
For further details, please visit http://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/poe or http://www.kunainital.ac.in/
40

Issue 7.0 - Azim Premji Foundation

Transcription

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