Name of the project: Human Resource Development Project to Improve the State of Rural Education in Karnataka Asha-US contact: Melli Annamalai Asha-Boston/MIT annam38@yahoo.com 603-888-2783 Project contact: Mr. G. S. Jayadeva Deenabandhu Trust (also treasurer, Vivekananda Foundation, Mysore, India) Behind Forest Nursery P.W.D Colony, Chamarajanagar - 571313 Location: Southern Karnataka The Organization: Vivekananda Foundation is a federation of voluntary organizations and individuals committed to the cause of development of society. Asha is familiar with at least 4 of the member organizations: Swami Viveka Youth Movement (SVYM) (funded by Asha-Stanford, now Silicon Valley, for 7 years, visited recently by Melli Annamalai, Asha-Boston (detailed visit report is available on request) and Shanmuga, Asha-Chennai; Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGKK) (funded by Asha-LA (and perhaps other chapters) in the past, the coordinator Dr. Sudarshan is well-known among many Asha volunteers; Deenabandhu Trust, recently funded by Asha-AZ, visited recently by Melli Annamalai, Asha-Boston (visit report available on request); Swami Vivekananda Educational Society, funded by Asha-AZ). There are 6 other organizations in the foundation. The goals of the Foundation are to establish a network or organizations and individuals who have started service activities, to share and exchange ideas, to promote, assist, take up activities for integrated development, to establish and run institutions which will be in tune with the ideas of the Foundation. One of their areas of focus is improvement of rural education in Karnataka through human resource development. Motivation: Rural Karnataka has more than one hundred Ashram schools (residential schools) and many hostels for the backward communities, scheduled castes and tribes. These institutions are funded by the government. In spite of the large sums of money spent by the government, the quality of life and education is very low because of: corruption, lack of a dedicated warden, lack of small amounts of funds which can make a significant change to the already existing infrastructure and facilities. Rural primary schools are well known for their abysmal conditions and ineffective functioning. Teachers barely come to school, the teaching methodology is of very low quality, the curriculum is alien, awareness among parents is low. Here too the government is spending large sums of money with little or no benefit. The Vivekananda Foundation has identified these problems and has come up with a proposal to address these issues. The proposal is based on the fact that one dedicated person at an institution (school or hostel) can bring about qualitative change. The material component of the government machinery combined with qualitative input in the form of dedicated personnel can lead to successful reform of rural education. 1. A dedicated social worker will be posted in each institution by the Vivekananda Foundation. The social worker will perform any task that will bring about positive change in the institution: n In the ashram schools or hostels: Some activities are - reduce corruption by cook and warden, initiate cultural activities, regular study hours amongst children, provide loving care and personal attention to the children. The social worker will stay at the institution. n In rural schools: Some activities are - constantly interact with teachers, parents and children, introduce innovative teaching methods and effective utilization of indigenous material, conduct workshops for teachers with the assistance of Vivekananda Foundation, develop libraries and inculcate the habit of reading among children, build a network of primary teachers in the area and create a forum where the teachers can meet and share their experiences in innovative teaching. The social worker can choose a cluster or rural schools to work with. 2. Vivekananda Foundation pays these social workers salaries (funds for the salaries have been requested from Asha). 3. Relevant government bureaucrats have been approached and they are willing to accommodate social workers posted by Vivekananda Foundation. It must be noted that some of the organizations of the Vivekananda Foundation have a good track record of working with the government and utilizing government resources. They believe that large scale change can be brought about only by using government resources and that NGOs have a duty to make use of the government resources wherever possible. This proposal is for 50 social workers. They request funding only for the first year and believe they can raise funds for the second and third years from other sources. After three years of successful functioning they plan to have the government sponsor the project as part of their programs. Potential Impact: The potential impact is tremendous. 50 institutions serving thousands of children can be improved. The government infrastructure and the enormous resources poured into these institutions can be utilized. Instead of building parallel hostels and schools, the existing system can be improved. Progress Report: The social worker will write up a report at the beginning of his work about the status at a particular hostel or school. He will send periodic reports during the course of his work. Selection of Social Workers: It is very clear that the social worker is the key in the proposal. If the social worker performs as expected, the project will be successful. The social workers are carefully selected through a 5-phase selection process: (please note that social workers can be either men or women - I used just ‘he’ and not ‘he or she’ everywhere for ease of reading) Phase I: Selection Phase: 3 day discussion with applicants at specialized camps where applications are solicited. Discussions will evaluate commitment, and it is the experience of the Foundation coordinators that only 10-20% are prospective social workers. Phase II: Aptitude Identification Phase: Aptitude is assessed though half-day group discussions. The different aptitudes could be - working on health issues, working with children, public relations etc. Each group will have a seasoned social worker who will be able to identify aptitude. Phase III: Specialized Training Phase: It is necessary to ensure that the social worker has a positive attitude and is not disheartened by failure, which is bound to happen often. For this purpose the social worker will now interact with people who have achieved some success in the field in which he has shown aptitude. For example, if he is interested in health issues then he will spend time at SVYM. If he is interested in working with children he will spend time at Deenabandhu. The candidate will be placed singly and not in a group to encourage development of his own perceptions. The candidate should make extensive notes of his experience and submit a detailed write-up of what he learned at the end of this phase. Candidates are encourage to agree or disagree with experienced social workers and debate issues and suggest alternate strategies. Phase IV: Field Placement Phase: In this phase the candidate will work on the field for 1-3 months at one of the organizations of the Vivekananda Foundation. He will be given a specific time-bound task which he will complete with the assistance of existing social workers. He will submit a report of what he has achieved at the end of the period. Phase V: Independent Working Phase: In this phase the candidate chooses his area of work and starts working with the support of the Vivekananda Foundation. He (and his family if he has one) will be supported by the Vivekananda Foundation. The social worker has to give a commitment of at least three years to get this support. Budget: Administrative expenses: Manager Salary Rs. 2000 x 12 Rs. 24,000.00 Computer Rs. 40,000.00 Evaluation Rs. 500 x 50 Rs. 25,000.00 expenses for 50 units Project expenses (per candidate): Selection phase Rs. 600.00 (3 day workshop) Aptitude identification phase Rs. 300.00 Specialized training phase (travelling included) Rs. 1000.00 Field placement phase Rs. 3000.00 Independent working phase (per year) n Maintenance (honorarium) for the social worker (Rs 1500x12) Rs. 18000.00 Money for activities at school or at hostels Rs. 5000.00 Total Rs. 27,900.00 Total for 50 social workers Rs. 13,95,000.00 (Rs. 27,900 x 50) Grand total (social worker + administrative cost) Rs. 14,84,000.00 Other enclosed documents with the proposal: Annual report of the Vivekananda Foundation, newsletter of the foundation, and audited financial statements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Melli on Wednesday, June 7, 2000 - 11:55 am: Asha has been associated with four of the ten organizations which make up the Vivekananda Foundation - they have been funded and visited by several chapters: Swami Viveka Youth Movement: Funded by Asha-Stanford (now Silicon Valley) (1991- date) http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=291 Deenabandhu Trust: Recently funded by Asha-AZ: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=53 Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra: Supported by Asha-LA: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=234 Vivekananda Educational Society: Funded 1996-1999 by Asha-AZ: http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=198 --------------------- When I visited Deenabandhu in January, I held detailed discussions with Mr. Jayadeva on the project submitted to WAH. Given the nature of the project, the discussions with one of the coordinators of the project is like a site visit. Experiences gained from educational projects by the NGOs involved in the foundation will be incorporated in this scheme, and as can be seen above Asha has been closely associated with several of these NGOs and their educational projects.