GIFT THE GIFT OF EDUCATION TO AN UNDER-SERVED GIRL

Gyantantra Udbhav: Innovation to build Robust Foundation in Education & Impacting Future.

Project “Gyantantra Digital Dost” uses Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to innovatively address multiple problems associated with the quality of education available to the poor in India:

• Poor level of teaching and lack of trained teachers
• Inconsistency in teaching while teaching difficult concepts
• Lack of motivation amongst children of the illiterate and the poor, to go to school
• Absence of practice and printed workbooks in the Government schools, that are the right of every child
• Lack of access to colorful storybooks, videos, and interactive multimedia learning content

   This unique virtual teacher was able to:

• Accelerate the learning process
• Raise the child’s reading ability to an age-appropriate level
• Settle the child in an age-appropriate grade at the end of the intervention period
• Help children operate computers and use technology to learn at their own pace
• Utilize the computer lab to showcase various documentaries such as financial literacy, life skills workshops and educative presentations

  Impact of our Gyantantra Activities in the classrooms at District - Ladakh`s three schools in Village Basgo, Likir & Tunlung.

 About the Villages. These small villages fall in Leh – District of Laddakh Region. Laddakh is known for high altitude and one the tough terrain in India where people live. People in these villages are from a very humble background and survive through farming & seasonal tourism work. Many children are first-generation learners, very simple and quite ignorant of the outside world.

They know of the computers but had never seen one and Gyantantra – technology-based learning with colorful lesson plans made it easy to impress these children to engage and absorb knowledge.

 Pre-assessment was conducted for each child. This included oral and written tests which are for over an hour. The questions ranged from easy to higher grade level competencies. In the current period, pre-assessment for grade II to VIII level children was conducted across the Govt. schools as well as Literacy India community centers.

 Apart from basic reading and arithmetic ability, attempts were made to measure the children’s ability to understand, express themselves, think critically and solve problems.

 As per the results of the pre-assessment, there is a substantial gap between what they are required to know at a certain age and what they do.

 Even school going children are at least two grades below the level of proficiency that they are supposed to be.  In the Base Line (Pre-test), students scored overall 8% in Hindi, Maths & English. In the End line ( Mid test) students scored 45% overall.   

 The Pre-Assessment was conducted for 42 students in 2 schools.

        All 42 students secured D Grade in their Pre-Assessment

 After 3 months of teaching, Mid- Test was conducted for all the students. Some important findings of  Mid - Test, when compared to the Pre-Assessment, are:

•  The number of students in Grade A has increased from 0 to 5 
• The number of students in Grade B has increased from 0 to 15
• The number of students in Grade C has increased from 0 to 18
• The number of students in Grade D has decreased from 42 to 4

  Pre to Mid Progress in % :

GHS Basgo Pre & Mid Test Data

Subject    Pre %     Mid %
Hindi        5            41.7
English   11.5         59.44
Maths      10.25      52

GMS Tunglung Basgo Pre & Mid Test Data
Subject    Pre %    Mid %
Hindi         3.6       29
English      8.05    45.27
Maths        9.79    46.25

Pre to Mid test Fact-Finding:

 Maths: Most of the Grade Vth students are unable to solve Basic Sums of Divisions, Fractions, LCM & HCF, Decimals, Changing of Units, Unable to solve simple word problems. Those who solved/answered are not clear in expressing the basis /steps in arriving that answer. III & IV students were not able to do Subtraction (with borrowing), Division, multiplication, etc. The percentage in this respect is 45%.

 English: Most of Grade VI-VIII students say around 60% are not clear about the Grammar. instead of writing opposite they are answering in plurals etc. They are not able to select nouns, adjectives or articles. This is around 15%. Both the Grades are unable to write letters in the proper format. We have to focus on the formation of sentences in the syllabus. Even Grade III to V is very poor in the basic concept of grammars.

  How GDD pedagogy helped the students.

• Students to explore their ideas and build a robust knowledge of all subjects
• Effective use of technology and intervention for better learning outcomes
• Both students and teachers feel empowered to use technology in classrooms for better learning
• Teachers find a way to leverage technology for professional development

 Stories of Change    Name: Dalip Kumr  Grade : II 

Dalip Kumar ( Name Changed) , A little champ of Basgo, Leh Ladakh, carries big dreams in his eyes. His parents left him alone at the age of 6, from where he was supported by his relatives.

He studies in Class II at Govt Middle School, Basgo where LI implemented its project Gyantantra Udbhav. Initially, Dilip was found shy, hesitant and inexpressive. Though he was one of the disciplined boy of class but not presentable. He possessed the feeling of Self-consciousness resulting from his personal suffering.

In his Pre-assessment, conducted by the team of GDD, he scored Zero. He was unable to write alphabets of English & Hindi languages, nor able to read any language properly, faces problem in the understanding of ‘matras’. To make him learn and understand, the first pre-requisite was to develop his interest in education, for that he was day to day counseled and motivated by the teacher.

Gradually, learning with ICT & continuous counseling, brought up a drastic change in him. His performance accelerated with 45% in the post-test, comparing from Pre-test. Dalip, a hesitant guy become confident and smart, academic subjects were easily comprehend with GDD’s support also he could now recite the words with proper phonetics.

ICT worked as a change maker for Dalip and boosted his performance.

Links:

• Literacy India`s Gyantantra at Remote Ladakh Schools