Asha for Education

Project Brief: Add teachers to under-staffed government schools via PTA
Project Type: Working with the Government (description)
Primary Focus: children of dalits/tribals (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Boston

Status: CURRENT
Project Steward: Melli Annamalai
Co-Steward: Mamta Naidu
Project Partner(s): Sridhar Kalavati
Project Address: Reward Trust
3
Bhairavi
Anupuram, Tamil Nadu 603127
Tel: 011 91 9865605199
Stewarding Chapter: Boston

Reward trust is working on upgrade of government schools in the Kancheepuram ditrict. The schools have remained in the current level for over three decades. The trust upgrades the selected govt school to the next level by paying the 40 – 50% of the mandatory Public Deposit Fund (Rs 2 lakhs for upgrade of Higher Secondary schools and Rs 1 lakh for upgrade of High Schools). The trust then generates the remaining money from the village public, philanthropists of the village etc by the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) of the respective school.

Multiple chapters are supporting Reward including Berkeley and Uflorida among others.
Starting 2018, Asha Berkeley will be the primary Asha contact for supporting schools for this project. Please contact Vidhi Patel (vdpatel AT berkeley DOT edu) or Kaavya Venkat (kaavya DOT venkat AT berkeley DOT edu) for further information. Uflorida's portion of Reward is stewarded by Mamta Naidu (naidum19 at gmail dot com)

Once the school is upgraded, the govt based on its constraints and priorities appoints teachers for the school. Initially a principal and a few teachers are appointed. Then over the years other teachers are appointed. Till such time the local PTA has to appoint and pay ad hoc teachers so that the students do not suffer.

Reward trust places new teachers via the PTA in this interim period till the govt makes the appointments.

The trust also gets local support to build classrooms and other infrastructure for the school.