Editor’s note – In this unique article, the author shares and discusses the positive events, innovations, experiences and challenges that he has had the opportunity to explore in rural West Bengal through his career as a social worker.
Author’s Note – This article includes some of the positive initiatives that I have witnessed during my work with schools (as a social worker, researcher and program coordinator). I hope that this will add to our knowledge base and will improve the delivery of quality education as a whole.
Every coin has two sides, every fact has two sides. We need to see both side of the coin to grasp it from its different angle. We, again, need to see negative and positive aspects of the facts to understand it from its different aspects. Gauging on negative things gives us a picture of where we need to put more attention; to take them where we want them to be. On the other hand focusing on the positive things gives us inspiration and energy to keep going on.
It’s true also for the educational system, specifically for the present educational scenario in our country where lots of changes are taking place. The change is catalyzed with the enforcement of the Right of the Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. We are on the way to enjoying one year of implementation of the act. In the next two years enormous change will improve our elementary education. Once again, there will be aspects which may either be incorporated or be left out. To make sure it is incorporated, state and national level advocacy by civil society have been started. But obviously we should welcome the act for its several good sides.
Drawing by Soni Singh, Kolkata
Luckily, I had the chance to participate in some state and national level initiatives on elementary education (input on policy, research and implementation). The problems in the elementary education are being widely discussed and acknowledged from district to national level. Infrastructural problems, poor quality of education, poor performance etc., are well known problems. In last two years I have visited more than two hundred schools in West Bengal. I have seen both poor and good performance of the schools. I would like to share my positive field observations at the primary school level. This is quite important for all of us. Such kinds of discussion/initiatives give the space for sharing and learning from each other. On the other hand this will inspire the teachers and all the stakeholders to go on with their positive initiatives.
Now, we will move to some of the positive initiatives that are threading efforts to yield an improved and quality education for the children. In these processes the teachers, community people, children, the school authorities at local and districts level, NGOs are taking active roles and creating a difference in the “lot of disorder” or “chalk and talk” process. It was found that these teachers are always keen to take a leadership role not only in the educational process, but also in the process of community development. They are the best to identify specific needs of the children and the resources available at the local level and enforce effective use of those resources. The local people are indivisible part of the process. A few of their recent mentionable events were with their involvement in the development of the schools, monitoring school level functions and even giving/raising individual donations. The Mid-day Meal Program has paved the way for regular interaction of the local people with the school teachers. The committees at the school/Sansad level are platforms where parents have a say. In some of the villages, you will feel that this process is like a movement, a state of good public participation. This is an important aspect for successful accomplishment of any initiative. Nobel laureate Prof. Amartya Sen has employed earning of his life (Nobel Prize Money) for this purpose (initiating public participation in education). Let us take a look at some of the initiatives:
o Innovation and use of Teaching Learning Materials (TLM): well designed and joyful teaching learning materials could tap interest of the children towards learning. Sometimes the school is provided with some TLM. Recently, they are being given little amount of money for TLM. Most of the schools take the short and habituated root in using the money for TLM. They buy some TLM from market or use the money to buy some materials and try some traditional TLM. But, there are several schools in the state which are “innovative TLM production machines”. The Right to Education Act says that the room of the head teacher will also be used as store room. These schools are using the clause very well. The room (Head Teacher’s Room) is the store room for TLM. You cannot see any blank space on the four walls. The almirah and the desks are full of TLM. You could say that they have translated the whole course into different TLM. These schools are also very innovative in using low cost and local materials (use paper board and cut it in the shape of letters. The children are asked to play with these on the sand. The children play there with the letter blocks and learn the letters, its shape etc. very easily). The teachers were also found putting money from their pockets. Few of the schools are also well recognized at the district level. They take their TLM in the district level fair, exhibition and some of them have also been asked to help the government in developing TLM.
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Teaching the hardest through easiest way |
The Bengali joint letters (Juktakhar) are the hectic ones for the children to learn. But these schools are again innovative the teaching these letters very easily. The children can calculate that 2+3= 5. So, the teachers have used this easy way to teach the joint letters. When the children calculate this very easily, they are being asked to add two letters together. The children add those letters according to their view. This is really a fun practice for them. Once they have done this, the teacher asks them to show. And the teacher says that everyone has done very well. Now, he/she writes the joint letter (in its correct form). They he/she asks the students whether it was easy. And finally he requests the students to use that joint-letter (the correct one).
o A process of school centric community development: the effort of the teachers does not remain within the boundary of the schools. They involve themselves in each and every aspect of the community. They work on every deeds of the community starting from mobilizing resources for the development of the community to resolving the conflicts of the community. In reality, these teachers have understood that the social issues/problems are not excluded from each other. They are interrelated to each other. They cannot be segregated from each other and one problem cannot be solved without intervening into another. Our planners have failed to understand this truth. Practical observation shows that these efforts have resulted in bringing projects from government and NGOs. These teachers have succeeded in building health centers at the community where they are working. There teachers are very much clear about why they need to put their effort on these issues. One of them mentioned that “if we want a better result/quality education, we must intervene outside the school also.”
o Mobilizing and building up resources for the school: this is quite a common story for many of the schools. If we search the history of many of the schools, we will find that the space of the building is being donated by some individual of the community. But, recently the situation has changed. You may have listened to our bureaucrats saying that they cannot build the school because nobody is donating the land. But, evidence shows (my field observation) still it is possible if the teachers put effort for that. There are schools, where teacher has mobilized the community people to donate for the schools. Thus there are schools which were started on a single Kath of land and with a mud house. And now these schools have acres of land and other property (pond etc.). How has this ‘impossible feat’ been transformed into ‘reality’? Everyone in the development field is aware of ‘rapport building’ with the community people. These teachers are experts at having used these skills to mobilize resources. Here, they have mobilized the individuals to donate their land or money for the development of the school. You will find these teachers continuously putting their effort and saying- “if I stay here few more years, I will mobilize all the parties (more than half have agreed) to donate this dighi (big pond) to the school.”
o Pre-primary Session- activists on education have always felt the need for a pre-primary session for the children. The question has got much more attention after the enforcement of the Right to Education Act. It does not talk much about pre-primary education of the children. Currently we have one option for that- the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme. It talks about providing non-formal pre-school education for the children. But, there are very few ICDS centres where this purpose is being served. It was found that there are some schools which had started pre-school session very structurally (there are not the bridge course centres). These children are not enrolled in the schools. They will be enrolled in the next session. They are being prepared for the school. The teachers go to the community and find such children and take them to the school.
o Involvement of villagers in Mid-day Meal (MDM) Program: as it has been mentioned earlier, MDM has created a system to pull the community people towards school. There are some people in the villages who regularly come to the school to help or monitor the program. Many of the parents also come to the school from time to time for the program (to help their children to take MDM etc.). There are some people who help in getting materials for MDM- some of them may be involved in collecting or providing fuel, some of them may help by searching and buying fresh and cheap vegetable (from the farmers of the village). So, all these processes magnetize people of the community from different ways.
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The above picture is the ranking of the problems of school. It was developed in a workshop with the teachers of the primary schools. About 30 teachers were present at the workshop. The last one (11) represents MDM as a problem for the teachers. It was ranked as the biggest problem at the school.
o Handling the pressure of MDM: in the workshops with the school teachers, it was found that MDM is the biggest problem to them. It has created lots of pressure on them. At least one of them (from each school) gets hardly any time to pay for teaching. They had always requested to release the burden from their shoulder. But, there are some schools which have very effectively placed everything on place to use their time for education. Mr. H. Mollah (Head Teacher, Buniriya School, Birbhum) reported that he uses his time to teach the children (and not for the MDM). He has specific time to give materials to the cook. At the start of the school, he goes to the class and starts teaching and gives some work to the children and then goes to the kitchen and provides materials for cooking. The Self Help Group members (cook) take the materials (vegetables etc.) from the market. These are very small steps to do the big work.
o Evening School- in the remotest villages evening schools were also found. It was found that these schools are being established by the teachers. These centres work as adult literacy centres as well as giving educational backup support to the children (who are going to formal schools).
How does it Work?
I think these are the few of hundreds schools that are making difference by gearing-up their efforts. As per my observation, there are several things that are adding to way of achieving such good results. Here teachers are taking the leadership role (in our workshop always we used to focus on this aspect) for these innovations or positive initiatives. They are establishing a strong relationship with the parents, children and all other stake holders and pulling resources to provide a quality education together with overall development of the community. Administrative structure, especially at the school level has favoured the initiatives. These schools have got very good administration who encourage and help in these innovations and initiatives. Recently, it has been found that the district level school administration is also creating favourable conditions for the schools to work well. They encourage schools in innovating teaching methods, TLM and recognize them at different platform (fair, exhibition etc.). We are aware of the political disturbance that we had in recent past. It has also influenced the educational institutions, even the schools. It was found that these schools were not so much influenced by the negative power-play of the political parties. And lastly, the people of these communities have involved with the schools to a great extent. They have their daily routine to visit the school, monitor the programs, extend help etc.
Conclusion: Several good things are happening around us. In this article I have tried to capture few of the thousands innovations that are going on in the field of education. A focus on such initiatives encourages and recognizes the effort of the teachers. This will ensure continuation of such innovations. On the other hand it will help us to share and learn from each other. It will also help us to replicate such good practices from one school to another.
There is a possibility for us to start sharing our positive experiences through this platform. So, let’s share and replicate the good practices around us.
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