NIAS Team meeting at DIET, Mysore, July 31 ‘04

I attended a NIAS team meeting held on the DIET premises in Mysore, on NIAS’ invitation. Here is a summary of the meeting. It was an educational experience for me. The team sat around a table and gave updates on what they had done the previous month. Note that the team included social workers who used to work with Viveka Asha Yojane. These are points I notes and might not be comprehensive.

Mr. Ramkumar: Strengthening BRCs

Baseline study:

· BRCs, CRCs, need to be strengthened.

· They are not really working as a resource center, as they were meant to be

· The Kollegal block BRPs had more confidence/self-esteem in their work, that they can change, etc.

DIET trains BRPs who train teachers. DSRT is about DIET. Sometimes DSRT bypasses DIET, DIET bypasses BRPs etc. Sometimes DIET just gives manuals to BRPs (no scope for BROs to be learners themselves). Sometimes BRPs are brought in from other disticts. BRPs are under constant pressure to answer to the community, teachers, …

Linkages to schools:

· No Travel Allowance, so they don’t go

· Have “some other work” so don’t go

What do they do:

· “Resource center” for teachers

· “Help fix SDMC issues”

Requests from them:

· Different kinds of training

· Repeat concepts

Chamarajanagar:

· Too much data collection work

· BRPs feel leftout that CRPs (who are below them) are given more attention – (requested personality development skills)

· Don’t know how to design a workshop, and how a training program should be planned

· Collect lots of data, don’t know how to analyze and apply

· They feel: “I am an experienced teacher, I know, I don’t need to learn anything more” (they usually have 20+ years experience)

Plan:

· Intense subject-based training

· Need input from DSRT. Cannot duplicate DSRT work

· Visit schools once in 2 weeks

CRPs:

· Problems of adult learners

· CRC training involves discussions, field visits with them, mentoring on the field

Develop a CRC into a model etc.

· Include CRC in our program – let them know when we are going somewhere so that they can join if interested

Dr Vasavi: The website will be ready soon. We need a format for measuring quality. How do we make use of our report which the SSA (Sarva Siksha Abhiyan) has agreed to publish in Kannada. They have also developed handbooks for parents.

SDMC is a democratic body. VEC (village education committee) was not. SDMC has reservation for SCs/women.

Kotthanuru SDMC meeting

· 50 parents came, 9 people elected, 3 women

· Old and new president share position, since the old one wanted to retain the position

· Elected members can be parents of children attending school only

· In Chamarajanagar, MLA picks. Some people say they are guardians to be on the committee. Chamarajanagar block is politicized

Kodipalya Ashram School (tribal residential school):

One is a cook, tries to teach classes I-III. HM is on long leave. Teacher is a double graduate, appointed by an NGO. Doesn’t know how to teach, looking for inputs.

Annual plan: Force teachers to have calenders instead of an adhoc schedule.

Teacher network: Teachers come and discuss issues to address the attitude problem. At the school level and cluster level.

Distance from CRC is a factor!

Integrating local knowledge in the school.

Language program: In collaboration with CIIL and TPF

Plans:

· Identify special local practices, (for example, worship of stones as idols) and develop programs around that. Introduce in history class.

· Input to teachers: child-centered learning

· Science kits: they should be used

· Clean premises (ask them to clean) – waste basket, remove cobwebs, sweep

· Everyone on the team should own a set of textbooks from classes I to VII

· Discussion on Independence day: discussion for a week on freedom, etc.

· See what lesson is taught on a day and next prepare an activity based component of it and demonstrate it.