A major problem is the allocation of the funds which are available. In the past, institutions of higher learning have been supported, at the expense of primary schools, with the intention of developing homegrown talent. [Tuition at state institutions runs about Rs 15 or about 50 cents a month, a figure that hasn't changed in 50 years.] However, with the lack of jobs for their highly trained graduates, other countries [the U.S., Britain, etc.] are the beneficiaries as they siphon off computer software writers and engineers, while India is left to foot the education bills.
Meanwhile, primary schools are left wanting and those village schools which do exist are especially handicapped with virtually no equipment and often indifferent teachers. Why, one asks, doesn't the government end subsidies to colleges and universities? Because a well-educated elite, which can afford to send its children to private primary, middle and high schools, wants the luxury of free, first-rate higher education. The present government has promised to increase the level of expenditure on education from approximately 3% of GNP to 5 or 5% of GNP and to divert funds from universities and research institutions to primary schools.
Language is another problem that complicates the education process. The constitution recognizes 15 national languages but there are some 227 recognized mother tongues plus dialectical variations. Consequently, the decision as to what language or languages should be used to deliver education is not an easy one to make. Several scripts further add to the confusion. The British tried to solved the problem by using English and the Roman alphabet as the teaching medium and there is still an effort to use English a neutral national language. In many places, therefore, English is taught along with the local language or dialect. To many people the use of English smacks of colonialism, yet, often those who complain the loudest are the very ones who send their children to private English-speaking schools [called Engish-medium schools.]
Virtually every Indian we talked with from any walk of life agrees that Indian education is not working. While precious few remedial measures are being taken by the government, there does seem to be a number of interesting model schools being developed by businesses, government, religious instututions, and individuals across the country. Many of these schools offer innovative solutions to some of the country's most difficult problems.
Children of factory workers, children of managers, and children of directors all go to school together in large, attractive, well-ventilated classrooms. Three levels of schooling are provided: Pre-primary, Primary, and Secondary. Children at all levels learn sports, art, music and computer skills taught by exceptionally well-educated and dedicated teachers. Pre-primary classes call to mind the Montessori method. In the primary classes the arts are evident everywhere, and the art materials are all recycled from various factory leftovers.
The cost of the education is Rs750 a month per child. Parents pay Rs100 a month of this cost and the rest is subsidized by the company. Salary levels are designed to cover the school payments.
So what's the catch? This is where Godrej imposes his commitment to population control. No employee may send more than two children to the school, and, with the entry of the second child into the school, it is necessary that one parent undergo sterilization.
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Questions:
The Indian government is also in the business of specialized schooling. One of its most successful efforts is the group of 587 schools, called Kendriya Vidyalaya, spread across India which caters to children of military personnel and other peripatetic government workers. Dealing with students who move frequently is especially difficult in India. Not only does the curriculum vary from state to state but the language differs as well. In order to provide as much continuity as possible, the government has developed schools which follow a standardized curriculum and testing time table, use the same textbooks and issue grades using the same standarized progress report forms so that a student can be sure of staying up with his/her work no matter where his/her parents are sent. In order to mitigate the language difficulties which occur when a student moves to a state with a language other than his/her own, the students at all KV schools are taught in Hindi and English and study Sandscrit as well. Regional languages may be studied as electives.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya, which serves the children of army personnel in New Delhi, is a pleasant open building serving 4,000 children ranging from the first grade through the twelfth grade. The ratio between staff and students is 1/27 but class sizes can be as large as 50. Most of the classes seem to hover around 40. There is little use of technology--no overhead projectors, VCRs, etc., but the government has made a committment to fund computer installations in schools around the country and Kendriay Vidyalaya feels that, with its connections to the central government, its system stands a good chance of getting its share of technological upgrading early on. Questions:
As a result, there are tutors available all day and street children, who can't always come on a regular basis--because they have to help their families earn a living, or because they have to take care of a sibling, or because their family migrates in and out of Calcutta seasonally, or because they have been swept out by the Sunshine Program [an attempt to eradicate street dwellers].
Consequently, these children are able to come when they can and learn at their own rates. There is always an open door for them. The progress of each child is recorded on his personal chart by each tutor. When the child can do some basic reading and arithmetic, he/she is then sent to the local public school just across the street. [The Loretto school itself can't handle all of the children who need schooling. As it is it has classes of 55 students] The child then comes to the Loretto school in the morning before public school begins [at 10 a.m.] and after school. Here he/she gets help with homework, snacks, clothes, and, in many cases, a place to sleep. Amazing? Well, this is only part of the Loretto story. Their "Barefoot Teachers" Program trains village members with limited formal education but a positive attitude, to set up village schools. These teachers are brought to Calcutta to take part in workshops in the latest teaching techniques and are trained to use materials at hand--recycled paper, rocks, nature, etc. Students from the school travel to villages on a regular basis to provide tutoring for village students.
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Eklavya presents a sharp contrast to government schools
Eklavya's founders have a long-term vision: to develop a model for successful schools. To do this, they need good teachers and this is where they faced their first hurdle. In order to launch their initial program, they interviewed 2,000 applicants for 18 positions. They found that because state certification requires only two years of study beyond high school, teachers are ill-equipped to do any real teaching. In the end, Eklavya's hired and trained university graduates with no teaching education but with positive attitudes. Consequently, they have developed a teacher training program which will eventually be a two-year program and is open to anyone. Eklavya is committed to raising the standards of teacher proficiency along with both esteem and salaries.
The school started small, with primary grades last year and added pre-primary class this year. The Eklavya formula includes home visits as well as bi-monthly open-house for parents.
Before establishing the school, its founders did a great deal of research. They found that while girls do better in same-sex settings, boys don't. The aim of the school is to have a student body composed of 60% girls and 40% boys in hopes that this particular mix might just be the answer.
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Students are chosen by lottery. The fees are not high by Indian private school standards, but they do prevent the very poor from attending. Therefore, scholarships are offered to children from families of rickshaw drivers, sweepers, etc.
Questions:
. Another example of individual initiative and, in this case, heroism, is the Premjoti Integrated School for the Disabled. Hunkered in the midst of cultivated fields on the outskirts of Varnarse, it consists of three small, thatched shelters where five teachers, one assistant and a man who pedals the schoolbus rickshaw look after 75 children, 22 of whom are physically or mentally disabled. The children sit in rows on floor mats and write with chalk on small slates. They are engaged in their lessons, clean and well-behaved. At the same time, small miracles are being performed as the misshapen legs of crippled children coaxed into normality with antiquated orthopedic devices.The school was founded and is run by a young couple, Teresa and Pawan Kumar. Teresa worked for seven years with Mother Teresa and Pawan received his master's degree in social work in Delhi. The two met and decided that their calling was to start a school for handicapped children in this area. Originally, the Pawans took in only handicapped children; but eventually they decided that including non-handicapped children would be advantageous to both groups. The fact that parents of the non-handicapped students are eager to have their children at the Premjyoti School speaks volumes for the quality of the education offered. The physical condition of many of the chidren is heartbreaking. It isn't just that they have disabilities but that many of their problems could be solved so easily with a pair of decent braces in one case or a hearing aid in another.
The boy at the right in this picture was in an accident and the bone in his left leg was improperly set. As a result, his leg is permanently bent at the knee at a forty-five degree angle making it impossible for him to walk. Unfortunately, the relatively simple orthopedic help necessary to repair his leg is beyond the small community's means. The Pawans receive no help from the government, but, rather, depend upon donations from supporters. Eventually, the Pawans hope to build a place to keep a few children overnight so that students who are just out of rickshaw range can be accommodated.
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Questions:
- What problem does this school address?
- What problems does this school have ?
- What are the benefits of having an handicapped and non-handicapped children going to school together?
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©bartels/eppley 1998
Dede Tisone-Bartels (tisone@hotmail.com)
