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Life Skills Quality Education Programme: Expansion /Implementation of Sangati Programme in ALL Municipal Schools

Background/ Introduction The Avehi Public Charitable (Educational) Trust began its work in 1981 by launching the Avehi Resource Centre. Avehi means ‘to know’. Avehi works towards promoting audio-visual modes of communication and alternative media for widening horizons, for raising the level of education and social awareness, for promoting values of equality, social justice, gender sensitivity, secularism, communal harmony and human rights.

The APC(E)T initiated the Abacus project in 1990. The Avehi-Abacus Project is aimed primarily at strengthening the quality and content of education imparted to children in the age groups of approximately 9 – 14 years (5th – 7th classes) with a focus on government schools, where children mainly from poor and marginalized families are enrolled. The aim has been at developing children’s skills in thinking, analyzing and making choices, emphasizing on values that will help them live and work together in a spirit of understanding and harmony. A three-year foundation course package - Sangati, has been developed and used extensively with primary school level children in both formal and non-formal educational settings. Additionally, a two-year course of pre-service training of school teachers has been produced and used in teachers’ training institutions.

Project Goals:

. Influence Quality of teaching-learning in MMC schools by expanding Sangati intervention in 900 BMC schools in Mumbai . Build public policy opinion on the efficacy of the Sangati approach especially towards enhancement of quality aspects of education . Influence State policies to institutionalize meaningful and creative teaching- learning curriculum and methodology within secondary school education of the Maharashtra state curriculum. . To sensitize children, teachers, families and society at large everyday issues in a critical and creative manner

Project Objectives: . To help in enhancing the Life Skill Quality Education in Schools by enriching and supplementing the regular curriculum. . To help enhance the general academic performance of children by making learning enjoyable. . To enable teachers refresh their teaching skills to encourage multi-disciplinary teaching, and make teaching participatory, enjoyable and qualitatively better. . To facilitate teachers’ self-growth and personality development. . To help children bring together what they learn in school and what they learn outside. . To build skills of thinking, analysing and making choices. 2

. To encourage children to listen to different opinions while forming and expressing their own. . To foster values that promote harmony and celebrate diversity. . Build capacities of project staff especially school observers, field work coordinators and Networking coordinator in aspects related to changing contexts and challenges of the formal education system, rights based advocacy and training. . Network with the District education authorities on effective implementation of Sangati . Network with NCERT and State bodies like SCERT, the Maharashtra State Text Book Bureau and Balbharti for inclusion of Sangati approach and themes in the State curriculum. . Linkage building with like-minded organizations and networks working on issues of access and quality education, child rights, social justice at regional and National level.

Project History: Since its inception in 1990 the Avehi-Abacus project has worked closely and in consultation with the Education Department of the Municipal Corporation of Mumbai. From 1991 to 1995 a pilot program was developed in one municipal school, working with one batch of students from Class III, until they completed Class VII. Feedback from the students, teachers and educators, led to the modification and refinement of the material.

From June 1995 to April 2000, the course was implemented in 25 municipal schools in two wards in Mumbai and was reaching out to about 200 teachers and 7000 children from class III to class VII.

Since June 2001, this course was adapted as a three-year course entitled Sangati. In its latest phase, the programme has reached 21000 children and 370 teachers from 185 Mumbai Municipal schools, 320 teachers and 12000 children in 110 Zilla Parishad schools, 50 NFE centres and innovative private schools.

In addition to municipal schools, the course developed by the Avehi-Abacus project is been used in about 50 learning centers run by different NGOs working with marginalized groups, such as children of construction workers and children of commercial sex workers, children affected in the Gujarat communal carnage and also in few private schools like some run by the Krishnamurthy Foundation

Avehi-Abacus now reaches to about 900 municipal schools students in Mumbai studying in Vth to VIIth std classes. The outreach during the expansion phase will be 1522 teachers and 56,541 students in 2006-2007, 1500 teachers and 55,00 children in 2007-2008, 1450 teachers and 54,000 children in 2008-2009. 3

Situational Analysis:

The children coming to Municipal schools belong to heterogeneous migrant slum communities, who have come here in search of livelihood or better amenities. They belong to the lower socio-economic strata of the society characterised by low income, low education, poor living conditions.

Children attending non-formal classes too belong to migrant communities; many are street children, while others belong to families of pavement dwellers. Many of these children are often forced to work in order to support themselves or supplement their family income. For these children formal education system can be an empowering experience, providing a break-through towards a better future. The formal education system whether in most private aided /non-aided schools or in Government schools does not permit children to voice their opinions and learn from their experiences. The system in fact instills unquestioning obedience to power. As a result people seldom exercise their capacity to creative decision-making or take control of their own lives even as adults.

Education can play a major role in creating social change towards building a more just and equal society. A pre-requisite to achieve this goal would be equipping children with knowledge and skills to face the world. It is expected that formal education must build universal values of Justice to all and sensitivity to the natural environment. It needs to build skills amongst children, which help them to take care of themselves and contribute to the society they live in. However, school education does not address these crucial aspects. The curriculum is not linked to the realities of the everyday world. It is fragmented and does not emphasize any links between different areas of knowledge. Learning by rote does not encourage building essential skills such as communication, problem solving, critical thinking and making sensitive informed choices.

The Sangati program initiated by Avehi-Abacus attempts to address the above lacunas. This is done by linking what is taught in school with what is learnt outside, making teaching-learning an enjoyable experience for both students and teachers. It encourages children to listen to different perspective while forming and expressing their own opinion. It seeks to foster values that promote harmony and celebrate diversity.

Based on sound pedagogical approaches, the Avehi Abacus Sangati package is well tested for over 12 years. It has been used in various educational situations and is found useful and relevant by many such as the Mumbai Municipal Corporation schools, the Zilla Parishad schools in rural Maharashtra as well as Non-Formal Education centers run by NGOs working in both rural and urban situations. The adaptability and versatility of the program renders it useful in both the rural and urban contexts.

The Sangati program has a strong potential to strengthen the foundations of a society based on equality, democracy and justice through education. It seeks to provide space in a regular classroom for socially and environmentally relevant issues 4 in an innovative and creative manner. Such an attempt is probably the first of its kind in our country. Most importantly regular teachers rather than specialists or activists in the field transact this 'new' curriculum. These features of the programme will surely help in creating a sustainable base for its survival in the mainstream.

The Sangati Curriculum developed by the Avehi-Abacus Project and its impact on learners and teachers has been studied by many experts in the field of education and has been found overwhelmingly useful. All studies have acknowledged the positive impact of the programme especially on improving the quality component and have thus recommended that these experiences and learnings need to be expanded to more schools.

We give below some of the significant findings of the study conducted during the latest phase of the project. (Commissioned by UNICEF and conducted by Ms. Shanthi Kurien and Ms. Amrita Patwardhan.) (for details see Annexure 1)

Brief Summary:

 97% teachers felt that Sangati program was useful.  A large majority of teachers perceive that Sangati has positively impacted children's attendance (87%-overall, 37%-very high), interest in studies and attention in the class.  The vast majority of teachers also positively endorsed aspects of Sangati that make it relevant to the child, provide them with additional information and help in providing a better understanding.  An overwhelming majority of teachers (95%) believe that Sangati has made an impact and brought about a positive change in children.  The positive impact has been on Academic and Cognitive skills (improvement in Reading, Writing skills and General Knowledge) and Psycho Social skills (improved ability to work in a group, class participation, awareness about social issues, Environmental awareness, children's attendance, interest in studies and attention in class)  86% of the teachers feel that Sangati has made a positive impact on Class Participation (43% classify the impact as very high)  Sangati had created Environmental Awareness and built self-confidence amongst students (75%)

The Avehi-Abacus project team has also been able to establish rapport and relationship of mutual trust and respect with many government bodies like Education Department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the Maharashtra State Centre for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), NCERT, as well as support of non- government institutions, like-minded NGOs, academic organizations and experts in the field during the course of its work.

The project is now set to expand the programme to ALL (900) MMC schools having classes from Vth to VIIth std i.e. from A to T wards 5

Sangati developed by Avehi-Abacus is; . a foundation course, which does not replace the existing curriculum but by filling in information, enriches and supplements the existing curriculum. . It stresses on developing skills of information collection, analysis and application. . Does not upset the existing modes of working and is therefore welcomed by all. . It is of immediate relevance and use for both children and teachers.

Sangati helps the teacher  to enrich and supplement the regular curriculum  to help children bring together what they learn in school and what they learn outside  to build skills of thinking, analyzing and making choices  to encourage children to listen to different opinions while forming and expressing their own  to foster values that promote harmony and celebrate diversity.

The Curriculum package developed by the Avehi-Abacus team is unique in its conception and execution. The subject matter is in consonance with today's world and seeks to address issues relevant to our everyday life. By providing space for discussion of topics often perceived as ‘controversial’, an atmosphere of empowerment is created in a typical formal classroom. The classroom sessions are designed in a manner where creative strategies for problem solving, mind jogging, are continually used to make learning genuinely active.

Details of Intervention: I. Implementation of Sangati in MMC schools: In formal schools, students of classes Vth use Kit 1 and 2, students of classes VIth use Kits 3 and 4 and students of class VIIth use kits 5 and 6 (age group 9- 14 years)

 Preparation of Material and Orientation of officials

April 2005 to May 2006: - Duplication of Material. (Mass Production of Teaching-Learning Material) - Orientation and Training of Supervisory level Officials of all Wards, all language mediums. 6

 Details of Teacher Training Workshops: (Details to be decided in consultation with the concerned authorities)

Period No. of Days Standard Kit Teachers Required June 2007 1500 Three per VI Kit 3: ‘How Societies to Ward Developed’ August 2007 December 2007 1500 Three per VI Feedback for Kit 3 & to Ward Orientation for Kit 4: January 2008 ‘The Way We Live’ June 2008 1450 Three per VII Kit 5: ‘Understanding to Ward Change’ August 2008 December 2008 1450 Three per VII Feedback for Kit 5 & to Ward Orientation for Kit 6: January 2009 ‘Planning for Future’

By April 2009 ALL teachers involved in the project will have completed Sangati training and no further intensive training may be required. However brief feedback meeting for sharing experiences and for refreshing skills and motivation may be held once a year at ward level.

Details of Implementation:

Period Standard Kit No. of Total No. of Children Children June 2006 V 1 & 2 56,541 56,541 to April 2007 June 2007 V & VI 1, 2, 3 & 4 56,541 (V) 1,11,541 to 55,000 (VI) April 2008 June 2008 V, VI & VII 1,2,3,4,5 & 6 56,541 (V) 1,65,541 to 55,000 (VI) April 2009 54,000(VII) Total 3,33,623

Details of intervention for the period June 2005 to December 2006:

 Intervention as part of Preparatory phase (June 2005 to May 2006) As the programme is to be implemented in all Municipal schools in Mumbai the role of Middle level Supervisory officials is extremely crucial in providing guidance and regular monitoring of the programme. Therefore a total of 7 workshops were conducted between the period August 2005 and April 2006. The workshops were organized for Superintendents, Beat Officers, Administrative Officers, 7

Community Development Officers, In-service training Department, Research Department. The objectives of these workshops were to  Orient the officials to the content and methodology of Sangati.  Provide information regarding kit 1- ‘Myself, My body, Our needs’ and kit 2- ‘Our Earth and the web of life’.  Discuss details of implementation of programme in schools and clarify the role of Middle level Supervisory officials.

The response to these workshops was overwhelming and helped in creating a good rapport with these officials.

 Intervention during the academic year 2006 (June 2006 till date):  Orientation to Sangati for teachers and Principals: As the academic year began the Education Minister introduced a 61 day remedial teaching programme. Therefore the introduction of Sangati in schools for std V was delayed. However the project representatives conducted school visits and oriented the std V teachers to the Sangati content and methodology. Similarly presentations on Sangati were made during ward-wise monthly meetings of Administrative Officers and Principals of all 24 wards. The presentations received enthusiastic response from all quarters.

 Distribution of kits and Children’s material (September- October 2006)- Sangati kits (kit1) were distributed in all municipal schools after the Ganpati vacations while the children’s material was distributed in the month of October and the teachers were asked to conduct sessions.

 Follow up of Sangati sessions in schools: The project was granted permission to conduct Sangati orientation workshops for std V teachers from 8th to 28th November 2006. However owing to the finalization of results and parent-teachers meeting, these workshops were also postponed. The Education Officer provided a letter mentioning that the workshops had been postponed and the programme will be implemented in schools as per schedule. Thus the teachers continued conducting sessions in schools. This resulted in delay in completing kit 1 (24 sessions) as per schedule i.e. by December end thereby delaying the distribution of kit 2. The project however expects that majority of the teachers will complete kit 2 by the end of this academic year.

 Implementation of Sangati programme in Municipal schools for Mentally challenged children: The Beat officer of the schools for mentally challenged children approached the project to acquire information on Sangati. She attended the workshop in April and visited the project office to seek detailed information of the Sangati programme. She felt that the programme would be useful for their children to improve their social skills. Therefore 23 kits were distributed in 18 schools along with the children’s material and files. The teachers experience shows that the students show a lot if interest during the sessions, their concentration span is more, able to recollect better as the information is in form of stories. The games have helped in improving their motor skills. This is a challenging 8

experience for the project as the material is being used for the first time with mentally challenged children.

Plans for 2007 to 2009:

Objectives: 1. To orient Std VI teachers in all wards to Sangati kit 3 and 4. 2. To increase motivation of teachers and Middle level Supervisory Officials. 3. To build better rapport with Middle level Supervisory Officials and teachers for effective implementation of Sangati. 4. To contribute in the process of analysis and review of syllabus/curriculum content initiated by SCERT. 5. To contribute in finalising of syllabus and Textbook-cum workbook of ‘Environmental Studies’ for Std V for NCERT. 6. To contribute in various forums, networks on issues related to Children’s Rights. 7. To organize Open House programmes to disseminate information and collectively formulate action on ‘Fundamental Right to Education’

Expected Outcomes:

The project is expected to achieve the following outcomes:  Enhance the quality of education in BMC schools with specific inputs at secondary level i.e. Std V, VI, VII.  Make school learning more relevant for children and useful to immediate surroundings.  Reduce dropout rate at the middle school level.  Enhance the general academic performance of children by making learning enjoyable.  Refresh, teacher's teaching skills, encourage multi-disciplinary teaching.  Make teaching participatory, enjoyable and qualitatively better.  Assist teachers in self-growth.  Make school atmosphere more enjoyable, democratic.

Measuring project outputs and outcomes:

Indicators for measuring outcomes (Quantifiable): 1. Increase in student's general knowledge. 2. Improvement in Reading and writing skills. 3. Positive impact on attendance/improved attendance 4. Increased class participation 5. Ability to work in a group. 6. Better attention in class. 7. Use of Sangati material in non- Sangati classes for supplementing and enriching existing curriculum. 8. Better student-teacher rapport. 9. Increase in teacher's general knowledge. 9

Activities for 2007-2009: Production: 1. Mass production of kit 3 and 4- (for year 2007-2008) 2. Mass production of kit 5 and 6- (for year 2008-2009)

Implementation/Dissemination: 1. Training workshops for Std VI teachers for Sangati -kit 3 and 4 in year 2007-2008, Std VII teachers for kit 5 and 6 in year 2008-2009 in all municipal wards. 2. Dissemination of kits and children’s material in all schools. 3. Ongoing liaison meetings with Beat Officers /Superintendents to monitor the implementation of Sangati in schools. 4. School visits to observe the response/get feedback from teachers and students regarding Sangati.

II. Review and Finalisation of Pre-service Teachers Training Module: The context The Avehi-Abacus project attempts to bring about some fundamental changes in the methodology and content of education. The foundation course developed by the project is based on the belief that education is a crucial factor in social change, and that teachers and children should be active participants in education and in the process of change. The curriculum – presented through the Sangati series –focuses on issues that are relevant to an understanding of our world – issues that affect all of us, adults as well as children.

Training-orientation workshops for teachers are part of the process of introducing the Avehi-Abacus curriculum in schools. These workshops are usually held over three days, and address teachers of schools in a particular locality or municipal ward.

These in-service training workshops provide information on our educational materials and an opportunity to practise using these materials. They also serve as a forum for teachers to reflect on and discuss issues related to education and society, including the place of formal education in our society, an analysis of the curriculum and the role of the teacher in the current education system. Further, they help to enhance teacher motivation and build some crucial skills for more effective teaching. Story-telling, using posters and flip charts, conducting debates and group discussions – these are only a few of the skills that teachers practise and strengthen in the course of the training workshops. 10

It was in this context, while working with teachers as part of the programme to introduce the Avehi-Abacus curriculum in municipal schools that we felt the need to motivate teachers in order to learn to look at their own roles differently. We recognized that there is a serious need for educators and teachers to examine their attitudes towards education and society. Equally significant was the understanding that such an effort must form part of the professional training that teachers undergo, from the earliest possible stage. In other words, a foundation course for pre-service training – a course that would focus on the teacher’s role and how the teacher could contribute towards making education more relevant by exploring issues of current concern – was essential.

This belief was strengthened by the extremely positive response of teachers who had attended the workshops, as well as the response from the policy making bodies to the Avehi-Abacus project. When details of the Avehi-Abacus curriculum and materials were presented to the Department of Education of the Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra State Council For Educational Research and Training (MSCERT), the MSCERT recommended that we work on a pre-service teacher training course for Maharashtra so that the essence of the curriculum and the methodology could be extended to enhance the teaching of all the subjects in the syllabus. It further recommended that the Avehi-Abacus team be a member in the MSCERT committee working on revising the curriculum for teacher training colleges.

Experiences while developing and tresting Pre-service Teacher Training Module: (1998 to 2000) Based on the recommendation of the MSCERT and our own recognition of the need for such a course, we developed a foundation course for trainee teachers studying the course in Diploma in Education (D.Ed), comprising 50 learning sessions spread over two years. This course was tested in two Government recognized D.Ed.colleges with 200 students in Mumbai during the period 1998 to 2000. The overall response to the course – from the trainees as well as from the two colleges where the curriculum was tested – was positive.

The course included inputs on the following themes : The role of education as an agent of change; the teacher’s role – the historical context and in today’s society; learning to deal with different kinds of children and their varying educational needs; critically analyzing the curriculum and textbooks; making the teaching-learning process genuinely open and participatory; bringing the ‘real world’ into the classroom by taking up issues such as gender, caste, class, communalism and notions of ‘development’ for discussion.

We now propose to finalize the pre-service foundation course on the basis of the work done so far.

Finalisation and exploring possibilities for Mainstreaming the Pre- Service Teacher Training Module: 11

We propose to finalise the training module prototype developed and tested during 1998-2000. This module is envisaged to serve as a foundation course for pre-service teacher training. The module will include a detailed curriculum (including session plans and supplementary materials) and teaching-learning aids for the course.

General Objectives  To ensure the introduction to trainee teachers of basic and essential concepts in making education relevant and responsive to society.  To help trainee teachers reflect on their own roles and critically understand a teacher’s role in society.  To encourage and motivate trainee teachers to seek alternatives to the existing system of hierarchical relationships and move towards a more inclusive and democratic classroom.

Operational Objectives  To finalize the pre-service foundation course developed by the Avehi- Abacus team and make it ready for use in teacher training colleges. (This will include finalizing the design of the curriculum and development of detailed session plans and supplementary materials for use by trainers.)  To identify teacher training institutions (government and non- government colleges) that will use the foundation course.

Details of the Curriculum and Methodology The curriculum seeks to achieve the following goals:  To help trainees reflect on the role of a teacher not just as a communicator of a set curriculum, but as an active participant in analyzing and sharing the curriculum.  To examine and creatively channelize the fact that the school is integral part of the society that a change affected here will be lasting.  To help teacher trainees explore various facets of change and development in our society, and thereby develop a perspective in keeping with sustainable development, pluralism and social justice.  To help trainees relate social issues to classroom teaching of the regular syllabus; to place what is taught/learnt in the larger context of education and society.  To motivate teacher trainees to actively participate in the process of education as an agent of social change.  To infuse the conviction in teacher trainees that a democratic classroom will bring in a true sense of responsibility and mutual respect among the young.  To strengthen trainees’ skills in using participatory methodologies in the classroom (art and craft, story telling, facilitation, role playing, games, evoking discussion, etc.). 12

It will cover the following themes: Re-examining our education system  Understanding the place and notion of education within the present trajectory of development.  Analyzing the values underlying the existing curriculum  Redefinition of the teacher’s role: Moving from mere transmission of information to participatory teaching-learning.  Revisiting the notions of knowledge, learning retention of knowledge and evaluation.

Analyzing Social Processes and Structures  Poverty and social inequity  Economic growth and notions of development  Social identities and conflicts (caste, communal, racial)  Gender issues: Critical reflection on existing roles, access to resources and decision-making  Environment issues: Defining and analyzing the use of resources  Analyzing media influences and messages  Examining alternatives in relation to the above. Strengthening factors and attitudes that foster social justice, pluralism and sustainable development.

The methodology used for the course will include the use of different kinds of teaching-learning aids (both projected and non-projected, as well as session plans and teaching aids from the Sangati curriculum). Each session will typically include elements of discussion, games or activities, as well as collating and sharing of information and experiences. Group work and individual assignments will be included. Project work – based on field experiences and analysis of data by trainees – will also form part of the course.

Personnel The foundation course will be developed by a team constituted by members of the Avehi-Abacus core team. In addition, trainers, educationists and other resource persons will be consulted from time to time.

Schedule: . March to December 2007: Review and finalization of course. Developing 50 session plans and supplementary Teaching-Learning material. . June to March 2008: Presentations and sharing the developed material with experts, students, practicing trainers, teachers, Policy makers. . April to May 2008: Fine tuning of material based on responses during presentation and sharing of sessions. . June to August 2008: Production and printing of material. 13

III. Allied Activities for 2007-2009:

Networking/Advocacy: Avehi-Abacus has been collaborating with various agencies since its inception.

1. Education Department of Mumbai Muncipal Corporation: The role of this department will be crucial to the expansion of the project to all municipal schools, since the program will be implemented in schools with the cooperation of middle level officials, Principals, Teachers and others.

2. Network of NGOs at Mumbai level: Comprises of organisations working on issues of education and child rights. Avehi-Abacus considers it essential to contribute as a resource organisation in this process and collectively with other organisations work out effective implementation strategies based on its experiences.

3. National Council for Educational Research and Training: The Director is invited to be a part of the committee to draft the syllabus and formulate textbooks for 'Environmental Studies' for std III,IV, V. This provides a ready opportunity in influencing the content of syllabus at the National level.

4. Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE): Appointed by the Human Resources Development Ministry CABE decides all policies with special emphasis on content. Project holder is a part of the CABE and has through this association shared her experiences concerning relevant issues and textbook content analysis.

5. Maharashtra State council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT-Maharashtra): Enhanced efforts will be made to strengthen linkages with SCERT and continue dialogue to initiate the issues on quality of education and the inclusion of Sangati in the curriculum.

6. Linkages with others working on issues of education, Bal Hakka Abhiyan (BHA)and other People's Movements: Avehi-Abacus project has initiated ‘Open House’ to build a network of groups and individuals working in the area of Education, Child Rights and Social Justice. The network envisages to understand and analyse various policies and 14

collectively influence Government and other decision-making bodies to work towards children’s rights and social justice in context of Education. The Avehi-Abacus project is a part of BHA which is a movement consisting of organisations working on 'Children's Rights' at the state level. As a project working on educational issues, the project has tried its best to raise the issues pertaining to 'Right to Education' on the BHA platform to build a movement at the state level.

The project will continue to network with various formations as part of the expansion plan as follows:

2. Contribute in finalizing the syllabus and textbook cum workbook for Environmental Studies for Std V for NCERT. 3. Contribute in the process of analysis and review of syllabus initiated by SCERT. 4. Participate and contribute in programmes/forum for campaign on ‘Right to Education Bill (Draft)-2005’. 5. Organise Open House programmes to disseminate information and collectively work on issues related to ‘Fundamental Right to Education’ to Community Based Organisations and other groups in Mumbai.

Summing Up: The Sangati curriculum has all the necessary elements to become a powerful tool to facilitate positive changes through education.

The project also has built appropriate linkages with Government and Non Government organizations in the field and through increased cooperation and sustained joint planning it will be possible to work towards formulation and implementation of strategies, it may be possible to demonstrate certain indicators of desirable change.

Through strengthening linkages with the government bodies it has proven that it has capability of enhancing desirable social changes through formal education in order to impact policy formation.

Sustainability of the Project:

As part of the expansion phase we have received financial support from Asha Seattle chapter, Reach India and CRY for certain components.

We are hopeful that the expansion of the Sangati program to all the municipal schools will enable us achieve positive results. The intervention on a larger scale will 15 contribute to improving the quality component and visibly changing the status and quality of education and make these sustainable for the entire system.

Annexure 1

Monitoring and evaluation:

The project has been evaluated by external/donor agencies on a regular basis (7 times so far).

The following evaluations have already been carried out on the project. 1. Department of Sociology of Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, carried out a ‘Rapid Appraisal’ of the work completed till June 1995. 2. Ms. Sudipta Dhruva (consultant in Personality Development and Creative Thinking), carried out an evaluation on the expansion of the project to 25 municipal corporation schools in 1995-1996. 3. Research Unit, Department of Education, Bombay Municipal Corporation conducted an evaluation of the project expansion in 25 municipal schools in 1996-1997. 4. External evaluation by group of educators in August 2000. 5. Research Unit of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has initiated baseline studies of teacher responses. 6. Ms Shanthi Kurien and Ms Amrita Patwardhan carried out an evaluation of the project being implemented in 2001 in Municipal schools of G (N) and G(S) wards of Mumbai in 2003-04. UNICEF commissioned the study. 7. Ms Varsha Sahastrabudhe evaluated the Sangati project being implemented in Zilla Parishad schools of Umarkhed Block -Yavatmal district (UNICEF commissioned study).

A similar process will be followed after the expansion of the project. As the project is being implemented in ALL Municipal Corporation schools the Research Unit of the Education Department (MMC), will also be involved in the evaluation of the project.

Internal Monitoring system includes the following:

. Reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual)

. Regular staff meetings 16

. Self evaluation

External Evaluation . Research Unit-MMC and /or . External Team of Evaluators

The primary objectives of the research include  To understand and assess the impact of Sangati on children and teachers.  To study the efficacy of Sangati as a program to enrich the regular curriculum.

The Research Design and Methodology will be a combination of the following methods:  Questionnaire method  Group discussions  In-depth interviews  Classroom observations

The monitoring system during the implementation will include the following (in addition to those mentioned in Internal Monitoring System)  Regular follow up meetings with Middle level Supervisory Officials  Monthly feedback reports from Middle level supervisory Officials  School visits for interaction with students and teachers to assess the progress and response to Sangati program

The list of indicators for evaluation is given below:

Process Indicators: 1. Number of training workshops/meetings organised (for Beat Officers, Superintendents, teachers) vis a vis the number of trainings/meetings planned. 2. Number of Beat Officers, Superintendents and teachers present during the workshop/ 3. Follow up visits made by Beat Officers and Superintendents to schools and regularity in reporting (after June 06) 4. Number of Sangati sessions conducted in schools (as per regularity and schedule decided) 5. Teachers and students response to Sangati and status of Sangati files. 17

Impact Indicators:

1. Use of kits in schools as per schedule for Vth, VIth, VIIth std

Year Standard Kit June 06-April07 std V kit 1 and kit 2 June 07- April 08 std VI kit3 and kit 4 June 08- April 09 std VII kit5 and kit 6

2. Developing a holistic view towards education rather than mere completion of curriculum/handling subjects.

3. Viewing positive changes amongst children as overall quality change in education.

Impact on Teachers: 1. Enhancement in teaching skills through appropriate and effective use of audio visual aids, eliciting students participation, linking Sangati to other schools subjects and everyday life, so as to make teaching- learning a joyful experience. Thereby seeing education as a process and knowledge as connected, contextual achievable aim rather than isolated commodity 2. Increase in 'General Knowledge'. 3. Better inter personal interaction with students and a relationship based on mutual respect and trust.

Impact on Students: 1. Improvement in student's attendance. 2. Improvement in Reading, writing and analytical skills. 3. Better inter personal interaction amongst students and with teachers. 4. Increased class participation and building confidence. 5. Increase in 'General Knowledge'. 18

Annexure 2

Staffing and Resources:

Human Resources:

1. Director (Project holder, provide direction to the project, decision making on behalf of the Core team, key trainer)

2. Chief Project Coordinator (Coordination with the team, training, Administrative responsibilities, documentation)

3. Art Director-1 (Direction for all the teaching-learning material produced by Avehi-Abacus project, identification of artists, supervision of work done etc, also may execute some work directly)

4. Writers-Editors-2 (Course/session development, writing, editing of sessions and other teaching-learning material.)

5. Trainers and Researchers-2 (Research inputs for development of course and training)

6. Translators- 2 (Sessions translation of original English manuscripts into Hindi and Marathi)

7. Networking Coordinator (Coordinate networking efforts of the project and make efforts to strengthen the network, represent the organisation at various forums)

8. Assistant Program Coordinators- 3 (zone wise –central suburbs, western suburbs and south Mumbai) (Coordinate the intervention zone wise, provide guidance to observers, liaise with Supervisory officials, training, documentation)

9. Field Coordinators- 5 (working in 3 zones) (Assist in the Zone wise intervention, build rapport with teachers, principals and Supervisory Officials for effective implementation of Sangati, provide assistance in 19

organizing and conducting training workshops, provide guidance to Field Observers in follow up and monitoring of Sangati in schools, documentation)

10.Sangati Observers- 47 (working in 24 municipal wards) (Monitor the implementation of Sangati in schools, by building a rapport with Supervisory officials, principals and teachers, provide suggestions to officials and teachers if necessary for effective implementation of Sangati, Provide assistance during training workshops, maintain proper records to document the progress of Sangati, reporting on a regular basis)

11.Senior Accounts Financial advisor-1 (Advise and monitoring of management of accounts)

12.Accountant- 1 (Accounts management and Administrative work)

13.Secretary/computer operator-1 (Maintaining correspondence, filing, data entry, other office duties)

14.Account Assistant-1 (Data entry of accounts on a daily basis, dealing with banks, settlement of cash and cheque payments)

15.Production Coordinator-1 (Coordination of production of material including liaison with core-team, artists, positive makers, printers, suppliers)

16.Office Assistants-5 (upkeep of the office, indoor and outdoor work for the office)

ORGANISATIONAL CHART

Trustees of Avehi Public Charitable (Educational) Trust -APC (E) T

Avehi-Abacus Project (Core Team and Director)

Chief Project Coordinator

Accounts and Administration Networking Coordinator 3 Asst Program Coordinators 20

Production Coordinator 5 Field Coordinators

Office Assistants 47 SANGATI Observers

Office Assistants

The core team members of Avehi-Abacus are:-

 Simantini Dhuru: Specializes in Documentary making on social issues; has been associated with movements.  Ratna Pathak : She is an artist, a graduate of the National School of Drama , involved in theatre and films.  Deepa Balsawar: A Commercial artist. Active in students and women’s movement and has written books for teachers and children  Deepa Hari: Opted for a premature retirement from the Indian Revenue Services (IRS). Was freelance editor for Orient Longman, Mumbai. Also worked with Aastha for some time.  Nandini Purandhare: Consulting economist and chairperson of Starch Manufacturing Association of India. Also worked with the Grant Houston Association of India.  Vasudha Ambhiye: Teacher of Marathi Literature in Elphinstine College. Has been involved with teachers training on health, environment and NFE  Sandhya Gandhi Vakil: An M.Phil. in Town Planning in socio-economic town planning. Worked with BMRDA for a decade and variously involved in Arts and Crafts. 21

Annexure 3

. Critically Understanding Educational Interventions of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is an elected body of representatives providing essential services like health, sanitation, water, education etc. to its residents. Under Section 61 (9) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, it is obligatory for the Corporation to provide primary education to the children of school going age (6 to 14 years) and this responsibility is being carried out by the Education Department of the MCGM from as early as 1907. The MCGM’s Education Department is responsible for providing quality formal education, free of cost, to children between 6 and 14 years of age. To do this the MCGM has a network of about 1300 schools from standard I to std IV, more than 900 schools for standard I to VII and about 35 schools from standard I to standard X (total number of MCGM schools is 2163). The Corporation caters to more than 60.15 lakh students from varied cultural, regional backgrounds by providing education in eight different language mediums (Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, English, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu.)

Children attending these municipal schools belong to the distinctive subculture of an ethnically heterogeneous migrant slum community. They are among the poorest and most vulnerable sections of the city’s population. Most children can be described as belonging to the weaker socio-economic strata (low income, low occupation, low education, poor housing conditions) of the society. They belong to migrant communities; many are street children who have left their homes; others live with their families on the city’s pavements. Many children work for their living or to supplement their family income. Whether they attend school regularly or not, children rarely get an opportunity to voice their concerns or even to be made aware of their right to a childhood. Being one of the most 'developed' states in India, Maharashtra boasts a literacy level of 77.27% and Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, declares 86.82% literacy. But the situation of education in the government (municipal) schools in urban areas falls below expectations. There are many causes for this. 22

 Nearly 90% of the Education Budget of the MCGM goes towards paying salaries of the staff.  Job permanency and high security: Performance during tenure is not linked with employment security or extra benefits. On the one hand, these factors are a boon for employees, especially for a duty as specialized and crucial as that of a teacher; on the other, this fact often cultivates an in-built inertia and sluggishness in many teachers, adversely affecting their sense of responsibility and performance of academic tasks.  The teachers in BMC schools are made to perform compulsory non- educational duties round the year. This is common to all government employed teachers at all levels all over India and dates back to British times when teachers were made to conduct surveys of all kinds completely unrelated to their immediate duties. Also, very few schools have clerical staff and all tasks of record keeping and those of a purely administrative nature are to be performed by the teachers themselves. Many studies have revealed that teachers often spend as little as 30% time in the classroom with their pupils. It is due to these factors that the primary task of classroom transaction, imparting information, developing cognitive skills are ignored at the cost of other duties and this adversely affects the self-esteem of teachers, who themselves as mere government employees who can be called to perform sundry duties rather than as a specialized workforce engaged in a serious and meaningful action. The teachers’ unions too very rarely negotiate on these factors and for years these conditions have remained the same.  Strict Hierarchy: The Education Officer, Deputy Education Officers, Superintendents, Administrative Officers and Beat Officers and finally the Head of the school control all powers, with the teacher at the lowest rung of the ladder. These supervisory authorities, for reasons of administrative necessities, lay importance on paperwork and 'completion' of text book portion rather than on genuine learning. Often the supervisory officials are seriously alienated from the world of learning and education. Most officials are unaware of current educational trends and have no desire to discover other initiatives. In fact most officials see any new educational interventions as a threat to their status rather than as an opportunity to learn.  Number of children in BMC schools is decreasing, especially in the South and Central Mumbai schools: One factor is the changing character of the city from a production-industrial centre to a service centre; also growing real estate prices have forced the labour force to migrate to smaller suburbs and towns. More importantly, the MCGM provides very few schools (less than 50), which offer education till Class X and therefore help a child complete the final stage of school education.  The Myth of Paucity of Funds: The municipal authorities claim that funds for education are scarce. Following are the figures of the Municipal Corporation budget for two consecutive years- Rs 409.99 lakhs in 1999-2000 and Rs 419.57 lakhs in 2000-01. Across the country, the resource allocation of the education budget was a high of 23

56% during the first plan, but dipped low to 34% during the seventh plan. In the eighth plan, it again rose to 42%. The rising salaries of teachers has absorbed much of the higher levels of expenditure on elementary education, even though the teachers are generally dissatisfied with their salaries and this is said to be one of the biggest reasons for poor quality of education delivery.

All these factors are no doubt complex; but they make one wonder how long these schools will function. The increasing trend towards more and more private schools brings with it the danger that the weakest and poorest may soon be denied any educational opportunities. Therefore, it should be the commitment of the State to ensure that measures are taken to improve functioning of the MCGM schools and to attract more children to them so that the right to education becomes meaningful.

. Quality Education: Some Parameters for Assessment

Improving the quality of education in schools, particularly in government schools that still cater to the largest numbers of learners, means taking into consideration the following issues:

1. Equitable Access to Formal Schools: It has taken over 50 years after our Independence for the government to consider itself duty bound to recognise the Right to Education as a Fundamental Right. Even today, the age up to which the government considers itself duty bound towards fulfilling this right is only from 6 to 14 years. Therefore all over the country there are large numbers of government schools only from Std. I to Std. VIII. This lack of willingness on part of the State to provide pre-school and secondary education to the masses appears to be an acknowledgement that those without resources do not need to attain formal education after Std. VIII. Most studies in the recent past have shown a growing trend among parents to send their children to schools. It is the schools’ responsibility to ensure that the children are retained and engage in meaningful activities. Even poor parents want their children to complete secondary schooling. In such situation many parents therefore have no other option but to opt for private schools even if the costs are high. This is a growing trend in semi-urban and urbanized areas where such private educational infrastructure is available. Those with extreme economic vulnerability, however, either opt out of schooling or are herded to fill the registers of various literacy classes under the name of 'innovative education schemes'.

2. Quality of Access and Infrastructure: Data reveals that government has invested large funds in physical infrastructure development and staff recruitment. But the attention paid for upkeep and maintenance of physical structures is almost nil. Most schools in rural and remote areas lack safety, basic sanitary facilities and a physical environment conducive to learning. Even today the government schools in most of the rural and tribal areas are 24

only up to Std. IV. This results in large numbers of drop-outs/push-outs at the middle level. Needless to say, girls and adivasis are the first and largest casualties.

Similarly, there is a growing shortfall of teachers in government schools. Even those who are recruited spend most of their time in non-educational and /or administrative work. Teacher absenteeism in remote areas is rampant. Such factors succeed in keeping young children away from school and put a large question mark on the notion of Quality Education. Local community involvement in monitoring and decision-making may address these issues to some extent.

3. Discrimination on the basis of caste, gender, religion, region keeps most vulnerable children away from schools: It needs to be recognized that the physical lack of access to formal schools in remote areas, lack of basic amenities and a hostile social environment result in alienating girls and children from underprivileged communities. Even today community members as well as teachers from so-called higher castes/communities discourage girls and children belonging to marginalized communities from having a fair chance in accessing and completing formal education.

Education/sensitization of teachers and supervisory level officers, using positive and negative feedback mechanisms, is required to address such instances of violation of the fundamental human rights of these socially vulnerable children.

4. What is Taught?: While there is too much information in the curriculum, the emphasis on genuine 'learning' is missing. Skills of application, analysis, creative problem solving, discerning what is important to learn, how to collect information that is useful and interesting are almost absent.

Therefore a genuine overhauling of the current curriculum/syllabus is required. Textual material needs to be scrutinized to check biases on the basis of gender, class, caste and religion, as well as to correct the ‘tilt’ towards urban middle-class attitudes and consumerism and promotion of development models based on environmentally unsustainable practices. It is only when the content is free of these biases that we can expect young minds to contribute in building a society based on equity, social justice and environmental sustainability.

5. How is this Taught?: How much time do the teachers actually spend in classroom interaction? Is there any time spent in planning how to teach and evaluate/ reflect on class interaction? How do the teachers view themselves in the larger scheme of formal education and society building? How do they see themselves vis-a-vis the children they interact with? These are some of the 25

factors that need to be delved into. This automatically points fingers at our pre-service teacher training mechanisms. Serious skill building measures for continual teacher education and ensuring teacher accountability for their primary role as teachers are therefore essential.

6. Connecting Formal Learning with Achievable Livelihood Skills: Inclusion of socially useful, livelihood-based, contextually relevant training in the formal curriculum is essential for individual and community growth. Economically gainful activities, which are appropriate to the geography and culture of the people of a region and are also equitable and environmentally sustainable need to be included in school education.

To conclude, the factors listed above are neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive. The issue of Quality Education has to bear in mind equity, social justice and environmental sustainability as its basic tenets. Today education is equated with acquisition of the three R's for the masses on one hand and a forbiddingly expensive tool to increase the already substantial purchasing power for a few on the other. Today quality has become an achievable commodity and a prerogative of the privileged elite. With these elites rests the power of decision- making from time immemorial. It is only when education facilitates a sharing of this power of decision making, attempting equity and justice, can we hope to speak of real quality in education.