Role of Philanthropy In Primary Education Preamble: While voluntary efforts have made significant contributions to niche areas, such as alternate schooling, handicapped children etc., they have had little or no impact on the mainstream educational system. With 90% of all kids in the age group 5/14 going to a Government school, there is a pressing need for a focused effort to evolve a replicable and sustainable model for the up-gradation of the public school system. Studies of ongoing efforts in this context, both by the State and the voluntary sector, show that the results achieved in most cases are rarely commensurate with the resources deployed. A strong case exists for extending to this field good management practices and the emerging concept of 'venture philanthropy'. Instances of philanthropy occur at three levels: individuals, social action groups and large organizations. The latter two should involve themselves in identifying systemic deficiencies and developing appropriate solutions- commensurate with their skills and expertise- rather than in taking up isolated programs which can only yield sporadic and non-replicable results. A program is now being run in the Bangalore South School Zone, covering 7 schools and 2500 kids, adopting a few simple base line concepts along these lines, which has borne very interesting results. These can be accessed at www.sikshana.org Minutes of Talk: Dr. Ramamurthy of Sikshana spoke on the role of Philanthropy in education. Sikshana works in 7 government schools in South Bangalore currently in improving the educational standards. As opposed to individual philanthropy, ‘groups’ should focus their attention on systemic reform. All efforts should be geared towards improving the learning levels of children. In govt schools, the bars are set very low. Even children who ‘pass’ the examinations and secure a reasonably good percentage of marks might have abysmal learning levels. Things are bad enough that children have no clue as to what they should do to become what they dearly want to become. It is important to delve on why this is so, given that most of the teachers in these schools do get a good pay and come in with ‘good’ qualifications. Teachers do give several excuses why this is so. For instance, they give an excuse that they are not allowed to teach English in early classes by the state education dept. Upon inquiry, Sikshana found that this was no more than a mere guideline and there was sufficient flexibility to allow teachers to do a variety of things, including teaching of English. So English is now being taught in early classes also. Things like libraries are typically non-existent in the govt schools, and where they do exist, the type of books are totally inappropriate. What is more, they are kept under lock and key. Teachers give the excuse that the books are kept locked up because if they are damaged, the cost would be recovered from the teacher’s salary! The commissioner of education again rubbished this contention. In the schools Sikshana works in, children are encouraged to play and experiment with the computers. Empathy with the children is important. Having things like benches and uniforms is very secondary. Most govt spending on education goes into misplaced prioririties. Currently spends money on giving 2 sets of uniforms to children. You break the system, and then spend crores of rupees to bring the children who drop out back in through programs like Chinnara Angala. You should concentrate on fixing the system first and retaining the children. Dropouts happen if parents and children perceive it is not in their interest to continue. Sikshana, for instance, gets the teachers to go through a 1 day TQM program. It is very well adapted to the specific background of teachers and they are asked - What are the things they are proud of. - What are the things they want to do. - Motivating the teachers is very important. Let teachers not be satisfied with 50% of the children meeting the benchmark. Challenge them to get 90% of the children cross the benchmark, and that too, a year earlier than conventional govt school standards dictate. Focus of learning levels only. Filter out the non-essentials. The intervention efforts taken up should ensure that the child does not feel alienated or from or ashamed of its own community at the end of it. For instance, NCERT has a book on low cost teaching aids for primary schools which costs only Rs. 90/-. Make teachers make teaching aids from local resources (instead of buying them). Developing self-esteem of children is important. In the US, one child is asked to teach the class every week on a topic. This leads to empowerment for the children. Sikshana puts up photograph of the children with the best results on the notice board giving a kind of recognition and positive reinforcement. From a child’s point of view, it is a big deal if you give them a prize that is worth a few rupees. Today, there are about 1000 schools in 9x9 sq. km area in South Bangalore. Thousands of schools peddling second rate education. Rather, govt should instead consolidate and create fewer schools which have improved learning levels might be a better strategy. Empowerment, along with financial empowerment, is very important in a decentralized setup. Recently the notion of DSMC—School Development Monitoring Committee has been introduced. To be an SDMC member, your child should be studying there. So the members of the SDMC have a stake in ensuring the functioning of the school. It is common for people and organizations to take up niche areas like handicapped children, instead of concentrating on the mainstream system because it is non-glamorous and mind-boggling. Keep away from niche areas, because they are already taken care of. Groups like Asha, with their volunteer base and volunteer profile, should focus on making a dent in the system so as to benefit millions of children. There is an urgency that requires that the first steps towards this should be taken now. Q. Is there hope for improving the govt school system. After looking at a sample size of 50 teachers, I don’t think that the teachers are incompetent. In less than an year of Sikshana’s involvement, now the same teachers are teaching overtime without even asking for overtime pay. 2 hours talking to the teachers was all that was required to turn their previous mentality and thought process upside down. Q. What is the type of support that the govt extends to these efforts to improve the govt schools. Ans. The govt of Karnataka is one of the more progressive govts in the country on this count. The commissioner for education attends review meetings called by Sikshana and we have very good access to the govt. Organizations like the Akshara Foundation have also received good cooperation from the govt You have to recognize that bureaucracy doesn’t STOP you from doing things to improve the system, if you wish to. So one should not take inaction on the ground as being an excuse for abandoning the govt school system. . Q. Can we ask the NGOs who are currently running private initiatives to instead work with the govt Ans. Sure. But we also have to keep in mind that several private Schools have a vested interest in staying private. They have a vested interest in keeping the learning levels in the govt schools low. Q. What is the type of money that is spent on these improvement efforts. Ans. Very nominal. Small amounts of money (Rs. 500/- pm ) as grants for miscellaneous expenses like chalk, boards, etc, can go a long way in improving the learning levels. The teachers don’t have to approach the govt introducing delays for every small thing. If we inherit a 1000 teachers in a corporate setup, I should first try to improve productivity of those people before asking for more. Sikshana employs extra teachers in these schools where they are genuinely needed. These salaries dont exceed the market rate. Teachers are encouraged to get training to improve their skill base, do a good job of teaching for the time they work in these schools, and then move on if they want to pursue opportunities that pay more.