Transcript Slide 1

Empowering mountain communities – the journey so far…
A non-governmental development organisation established in 1995 addressing the development needs of
fragile ecosystems and deprived indigenous peoples in the
most remote & difficult areas in the world that lie in the shadow of policy & development attention.
PROGRAMME AREAS
Biodiversity conservation
and sustainable land &
water management
Development & infusion of
technologies for energy,
water, sanitation,
healthcare
Natural
Resource
Management
Enterprise &
Livelihoods
Development
Appropriate
Technologies
Rights, Welfare
and Social
Development
Improving incomes for
marginalised groups,
facilitating suitable
alternative livelihoods,
economic enablers.
Improving access to rights
& effective political
participation. Improving
gender equity, access to
basic services.
Empowering mountain communities – the journey so far…
Locations
Head Office - Gurgaon (NCR)
Jammu & Kashmir
Leh (Jammu & Kashmir)
Leh; Kargil
Uttarakhand
Keylong (Himachal Pradesh)
Chamoli; Pitthoragarh;
Uttarkashi
Arunachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Kaza (Himachal Pradesh)
W. Kameng; Tawang
Lahaul-Spiti; Kinnaur; Chamba
Reckong Peo (Himachal Pradesh)
Sikkim
W. Sikkim; N. Sikkim
West Bengal
Darjeeling
Joshimath (Uttarakhand)
Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand)
Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh)
36 Resource Centres across 13
districts in 6 Himalayan states
• Special Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC
• Recognised as Scientific & Industrial Research
Organisation (SIRO) by DSIR – Govt of India
International plaudits:
Empowering mountain communities – the journey so far…
ISSUES
• Poor quality of education and lack of
access for migrant/nomad children.
• Lack of relevant, holistic curriculum
and trained teachers.
• Tribal people face prejudices, exclusion
and discrimination, due to the ethnic
dissimilarities.
• Low population density has reduced
the political influence of tribal
communities
PRAGYA INTERVENTIONS
• Supplementary education for remote villages, with
advanced learning centres at district centres.
• Mobile schools and tent-based creches for migrant, nomad
children and child workers.
• Best practices study and dissemination. Community-based
system for education services monitoring.
• Training formal and para-teachers in improved
pedagogy & innovative TLMs.
Key Achievements
136 supplementary education facilities for remote villages; 36
Rural Libraries, Resource Centres, Science Labs, IT Kiosks; 34
Early Childhood Care Centres for migrant workers; 5 mobile
education units.
• Setting up community managed Rural Resource
Centres with solar powered IT facilities.
• Facilitating peer-to-peer education.
Elementary Education in India - Key challenges
150 million children enrolled in almost 800 thousand schools.
But:
almost 35 million 6 to 14 year olds are out of school
half that number fail to complete primary education
dropout rate is comparatively higher for girls than for boys
THE PROBLEM AND
CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS
Lack of basic physical
infrastructure & facilities
Lack of co-curricular
facilities Disregard of
needs of CWSN
Poor pupil-teacher ratio
Non-existent and nonfunctional school
management committees
Large proportion of
teachers on contract
Poor access to grievance
redressal mechanism
Lack of trained teachers
Inadequate access
and inequity in
access
Deficient enrolment
Poor learning
standards and
achievements by
children
Educationally Backward TBHF Districts
Of 294 'Educationally Backward' in India, 135 are Tribal/Border/Hilly/Forested (TBHF) where
geographic disadvantages converge with socio-cultural adversities, and contribute to stark
gaps in enrolment and infrastructural provisioning, and equity concerns.
Difficult geography and
remoteness
Inaccessibility, poor rail and
road connectivity
Inhabited by tribal
communities
Critical gaps in physical &
social infrastructure
(power, health, education)
Historically excluded,
politically neglected
Sparsely populated and
culturally distinct
Poor community
participation
Poverty and unemployment
Conflict prone
Low parents’ literacy
Poor outreach of
education
Alienating curriculum,
instruction
Lowest GERs, low
literacy, gender gap
Poor learning outcomes
Of EBDs with <50%
GER, 70% are TBHF
districts; 25% of
these are districts
from Arunachal
In N Tripura, 48%
between Std III –
V can read, 23%
can do simple
calculations
The Concept
THE CHALLENGE
Majority of educationally backward
areas are those in which difficult
geography converges with sociocultural disadvantages
• Remote areas have infrastructural weaknesses; hence difficult to deliver
education services to and monitor such services
• Inhabited by tribal communities with distinctive cultures
• Limited understanding of such areas and lack of suitable policy
THE SOLUTION
Dynamic (and decentralised) Education Information System for Planning & Improvement
• Perpetual stakeholder-based monitoring & generation of education data
• Use of data generated to guide area-specific planning
• Collaborative educational problem-solving
• School/teacher/student-specific improvement actions
The Concept
Data collection tools and
manuals for information base
creation
Orientation of stakeholders and
creation of ‘Reading Challenge
Teams’
Introduction of DEISPI and
discussions for district specific
fine tuning
Training of various actors in
methods of data collection /
interpretation
Data collection through Focus
Group Discussions and Rapid
Rural Appraisal
Data banks on Reading Levels,
Instruction Quality, School
Operations
INPUTS FOR
IMPROVEMENT
Consultations
EVIDENCE BASE
READING CHALLENGE
TEAMS
THE PROCESS
Data analysis by Reading
Challenge Teams
Data storage at Resource
Centres
Village level meetings for
improvement actions
District workshops for
improvement planning
THE SCOPE
Pilot: in 11 Indian Himalayan districts characterised as Tribal areas, Border
locations, Hilly terrain and Forests (TBHF);
Dissemination: in 135 TBHF districts across India
Whitley Gold Award, Energy Globe Award,
2005
2000
STARS Impact Award,
2010
Tool & Process Design
• Identification of key respondents (135 TBHF districts; education experts)
• Development of structured format for recording feedback
• Correspondence and telephonic interviews
• Identification of globally accepted tools & indicators
• Drawing out key inputs for tools & processes
• Developing tools & processes; manuals & guidelines
• Pilot it 1 district; modifications based on feedback
• Roll out in other pilot districts; coordination with stakeholders
Frameworks Reviewed
Student Development Assessment
Literacy – EGRA, ASER, UWEZO, Literacy Boost, DIBELS, PIRLS, SACMEQ,
MICF, UNESCO UIS, Early Reading Strategy, NCF, Young Lives, LLECE
Numeracy Skills – EGMA, ASER, PISA, UWEZO, SACMEQ, UNESCO UIS,
TIMSS, Young Lives, MICS, LLECE, NCF
Cognitive Development – UNESCO UIS, Piaget, Cognitive Pretesting Model,
Blooms Taxonomy, CCE
Behavioural development – CCE, UNESCO UIS, SDQ, EDI, S_EDI
Instructional Quality Assessment
School Operations Assessment
CCE, UNESCO UIS, Harvard 7 Cs, UCLA, SSA, NCF
CCE, UNESCO UIS,SERIS, SSIS
Key Parameters
Student Development Assessment
Basic Literacy Skills (grade specific)
Basic Numeracy Skills (grade specific)
Basic Cognitive Skills (grade specific)
Behavioural development
Basic Literacy Skills
Basic Numeracy Skills
Letter name knowledge
Phonemic awareness
Familiar word reading
Non-familiar word reading
Sentence reading
Oral reading fluency
Dictation
Listening comprehension
Reading comprehension
Oral counting
Number identification
Quantity discrimination
Missing numbers
Addition
Subtraction
Shapes & size discrimination
Mental arithmetic
Word problems
Multiplication
Measurements
Division
Fraction
Basic Cognitive Skills
Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analysing
Key Parameters
Student Development Assessment
(continued...)
Behaviour development - social
Behaviour development - emotional
General social competence
Responsibility & respect
Attitude towards teachers
Attitude towards classmates
Learning methods
Eagerness to explore new things
Social & helpful behaviour
Hyper-activity & short attention span
Anxiety and fear
Aggressive behaviour
Effective communication
Management of emotions
Instruction Quality Assessment
School Operations & Mngmt Assessment
Positive learning environment
Content knowledge
Instructional clarity
Use of assessment data to modify & analyse instructions
Collaborating & communicating with parents &
community
Physical infrastructure
Human resource & systems
Teaching materials & aids
Extra-curricular activities
Assessment of SMC
Responsibility of school management towards Children
With Special Needs (CWSN)
The Change Makers
Grade 1 to Grade 5
Participate in Student
Development
Assessment; Give
feedback on Instruction
Quality of teachers
Students
Teachers & para-teachers
Assess students with help
of given tools; Act upon
feedback received on
instruction quality to
improve
Teachers
Local educated youth
Assess School Operations
with help of given tools;
Collect and deliver all
assessment data to
Resource Centre
BFMs
All members of committee
Assess teachers in discussion
with students; Participate in
School Operations
Assessment; Act upon
feedback received
VEC/SMC
Local enthusiasts / change
makers
Supervise data analysis; Give
feedback to schools;
Advocate with district govt
functionaries
RCT
Students
Role
All students from Grade 1 to 5 of the
participating schools , take part in DEISPI
Cooperate in filling up profile details (including name, date of birth,
details of guardians, etc)
Take part in DEISPI assessment for Student Development.
If selected as a member of student committee, give feedback on
instructional quality of teacher to the VEC/SMC members conducting the
assessment.
Challenges
Safeguards
• Fluctuating attendance levels
• Students from migrating
populations
• Poor support structure at
home
• Low capacity for judgement &
feedback
• Ensuring coverage of all
students
• Adjusting calendar of
assessments
• Village level meetings
involving parents; specific
tasks assigned
• Factual rubrics instead of
qualitative feedback
Teachers
Role
All teachers involved in teaching Grade 1 to Grade 5 involved to
carry out student development assessments; are in turn
assessed for their instructional quality
Cooperate in filling up profile details (including name, date of joining,
educational qualification, etc)
Assess students using DEISPI tools; Submit scores to Barefoot Monitor;
Repeat the exercise every 3 months
If a member of the VEC/SMC, participate in assessment for School
Operations & Management.
Accept feedback received in a positive manner and take necessary steps
to improve quality of teaching.
Challenges
Safeguards
• Highly demanding work
schedule
• Tendency to hide students’
poor performance
• Unwillingness to take up
additional tasks
• Support from field team,
BFMs and SMC members
• Presence of third party to
maintain transparency
• Handholding & counselling on
benefits; formal instructions
from CEOs
VEC/SMC
Role
Members of VEC/SMC collect feedback on teachers by the
student committee; involved in assessment of the school
operations & management; undertake village level planning
75%parents;
25% comprising
1/3rd elected
members of local
authority, 1/3rd
teachers and 1/3rd
local educationists
Cooperate in filling up profile details (including name, contact details,
etc)
Assess instructional quality of teachers in discussion with students
using DEISPI tools and submit scores to Barefoot Monitor; Repeat the
exercise every 3 months
Participate in the assessment for School Operations & Management to be
conducted by the Barefoot Monitor
Participate in village level meetings & action planning; accept feedback
and take necessary steps to improve school operations
Challenges
Safeguards
• Poor literacy levels; poverty
• Bias/conflicts
• Poor understanding of SMC’s
roles
• Low engagement in school
related decision making
• Low perceived value of
education
• Factual rubrics instead of
qualitative feedback
• Schedule to suit livelihood
requirements
• Regular counselling and
meetings by field teams
• Extensive handholding
BFMs
Role
BFMs comprise motivated and educated youth of villages. 1 Barefoot
Monitor assigned to each participating school is responsible for
conducting assessment on school operations and delivering all results
to Resource Centre
Cooperate in filling up profile details (including name, educational
qualification, etc)
Conduct assessment for School Operations & Management using
DEISPI tools; Repeat exercise every 3 months
Collect 3 sets of data (SDA, IQA and SOMA) and deliver them to the
Resource Centre assigned for the district
Be actively involved during feedback sessions at village level and district
level.
Challenges
Safeguards
• Poor literacy level; poverty
• Bias/conflicts and village level
relations dynamics
• Low exposure to planning &
advocacy efforts
• Factual rubrics instead of
qualitative feedback
• Schedule to suit livelihood
requirements
• Regular counselling and
meetings by field teams
• Extensive handholding
RCTs
Role
10 member Reading Challenge Team for each district (40% at district
level + 60% at block level; comprise educated, motivated individuals)
supervise data entry; communicate findings to State Departments;
send feedback to schools & villages
Cooperate in filling up profile details (including name, educational
qualification, etc)
Supervise data entry and analysis for all participating schools in the
district
Provide feedback to schools and state departments based on analysis
Organise and participate in district level events for advocating necessary
changes
Challenges
Safeguards
• Highly demanding work
schedule
• Varied distance of residence
from district headquarters
• Poor connectivity &
infrastructure hampering
coordination
• Schedule to suit local
requirements
• Regular coordination and
meetings by field teams
• Extensive support
The Data Collection Process
Assessed by Teachers
Students Development
Assessment
Assessed by Student Committee
Instructional Quality
Assessment
In discussion
with SMCs
Assessed by BFMs
In discussion
with SMCs
School Operations &
Management Assessment
Coordination by Block level
RCTs
All data passed on to
Resource Centres by BFMs
Supervision by District level
RCTs
Data management by
Caretakers
Feedback & Engagement Process
Data analysis by Reading Challenge Teams
Data storage at Resource Centres
Village level meetings for improvement
actions
District level workshops for improvement
planning
Process of Change
Assessments
Student Development
Instructional Quality
School Management
People Involved:
Students, Teachers, VEC/SMCs,
Barefoot Monitors
People Involved:
VECs/SMCs, Teachers
Analysis
Local Actions
People Involved:
Reading Challenge Teams
Advocacy
Education Dialogues
People Involved:
Reading Challenge Teams,
State Departments
Feedback
People Involved:
Reading Challenge Teams,
Village Heads
Key Features
1. Dynamic
Periodic (quarterly) data collection and
progress tracking
Aids in gauging effectiveness of
strategies; enables finetuning
Sharing/problem solving aids
replication in similar cases
2. Consolidated data
Data consolidated at larger spatial
levels (district, block, panchayat)
Data mapped against geographic,
infrastructural, & socio-economicdemographic factors
Allows understanding of area/groupspecific issues at all administrative
levels
Key Features
3. Inclusive/Participatory
Involves communities, students,
parents, teachers, social activists
Seeks to bring about critical change in
attitude
Engagement helps build in required
stewardship at local level
Key Achievements
Tools & Digital Platform: Profile details; continual performance tracking;
feedback summary
Buy-in of Govt functionaries: Letter of support issued; support for
identification of schools & stakeholders, mobilisation for trainings;
interested in data utilisation for improvement
Engagement of communities: Cherishes the active involvement,
enhanced sense of responsibilities; sense of direction for SMC meetings;
structured evidence base available for advocacy & action
DRCs and Skills
Engagement of instructors: Improved understanding of learning
Development
outcomes, performance indicators; Appreciates holistic feedback
Engagement of students: constraints as well as good performance
highlighted; can open up to share issues otherwise unaddressed
The Digital Platform
DRCs and Skills
Development
The Digital Platform
DRCs and Skills
Development
The Digital Platform
DRCs and Skills
Development
Preliminary findings
Comparison of performance
– overall scores
Between 6 and 7 across, with
slightly better performance in HP
than in Uttarakhand.
DRCs and Skills
Development
Comparison of performance
– specific components
Student Development slightly
better in HP than in Uttarakhand.
Instructional Quality rated high
across pilot districts.
School Operations (facilities,
management) of concern.
Preliminary findings
Comparison of scores across
various grades
Limited variation across grades.
Literacy skills especially of
concern, in comparison to
Numeracy and Cognitive capacity.
DRCs and Skills
Development
Comparison of performance
– key student groups
CWSN lower on Behavioural
Development, but on par on
others.
Gender dimension did not affect
learning levels.
Economic status and parents’
literacy had a critical impact.
Preliminary findings
Comparison of performance
– instructional quality
Similar (high) scores across
districts.
Performance of permanent
teachers better than temporary
teaching staff.
DRCs and Skills
Development
District wise
By faculty type
Preliminary findings
School management score – component wise
Key area for improvement across all districts.
Low on infrastructure, facilities for CWSN, TLMs and
facilities for extra-curricular activities.
DRCs and Skills
Development
Preliminary findings
Year 1
Comparison of Reviews – 1 year apart
Case study: Lahaul & Spiti
Significant improvement effected on all parameters.
Key contributory factor: parents’ literacy and keen interest in
education, and involvement in effective use of DEISPI data.
Year 2
Preliminary findings
Learning levels compared
Comparison of Reviews – consecutive
reviews
Case study: Uttarkashi
Downward trend recorded in assessments.
Key contributory factors: lower capacity
levels and longer learning curve for users of
the DEISPI.
Other components across 2 reviews
Inputs from ‘Education Dialogues’
School-related issues and improvements:
- Building repairs and improvements
- Lack of facilities and their inadequate maintenance
- Poor performance in providing inclusive facilities for CWSN
- Safety nets/financial assistance for BFMs/para teachers
- Lack of engagement of parents; lack of awareness of SMC members
- Capacity building, surprise inspections, remuneration for SMC
services/roles
- Resources - SSA grants, funds
MP/MLA development funds
DRCs from
and Skills
Development
- Key strategies - correspondence,
advocacy and liaison with
departments with time bound targets
Teacher-related issues and improvements:
- Recruitment of subject-specific teachers; Impressive Pupil-Teacher Ratio
- Non-teaching support staff towards reducing administrative workload of teachers
- Training needs: computer literacy, delivering instructions customized to students’ needs,
innovative ways of explaining concepts, facilitating CWSNs
- Remote area allowances recommended
- Issues of long tenure in remote villages / frequent transfers
Inputs from ‘Education Dialogues’
Curriculum-related issues and improvements:
- Need for area-specific learning modules
- Similar to Census, regular feedback on curriculum and regular
cycle of revision and upgradation
- Language and mathematics - key focus subjects
- Close tie up and collaboration with Anganwadi centres
- Need for children’s literature, use of locally available material,
charts/TLMs for entire syllabus
DRCs and Skills
- Lack of focus on the local language
Development
- Introduction of sessions for smart problem solving, events to
build confidence levels
Preliminary thoughts
It is good to be able to share what we face in the classroom. For the
first time someone is asking us these questions and are listening to us.
Student (identity witheld)
GPS Nalda, Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
It is difficult to measure student’s performances against the
teachings imparted when they come to Grade 1. The assessment
with DEISPI will help assess children’s performances from the time
they are enrolled, and would reflect a teacher’s hard work. And we
can track the improvement in performance over the time.
Shrimati Maheshwari Dangala
Teacher, GPS Sunil, Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The assessment through DEISPI will set a benchmark of
performance of every teacher and SMC member. It will also help
improve the children reading ability. The data generated will assist
us in monitoring overall school operations and will also increase
accountability. We welcome this initiative.
Mr. Raghunath Lal Arya
Chief Education Officer, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
The Workshop Structure
Session I - Inaugural session
Key insights on elementary education – current scenario
& efforts
Session II – Experiences with piloting DEISPI
Experience sharing by grassroots stakeholders; discussion
on EMIS for TBHF districts
DRCs and Skills
Development
Session III – Fine tuning DEISPI
Working Groups
Session IV – Propelling the way ahead...
Sharing recommendations
Thank you
www.pragya.org