Gender Equality India Project #41787

Educate One Girl for One Month in Rural India

by Friends of Tilonia, Inc.

Project Report | Sep 16, 2024
The Kaliyachak Girls' Learning Center, Summer 2024

By Ashwini Batra | FORRAD, Education Program Manager

Kaliyachak Girls' Learning Center PTA Meeting

New School Year and New School Teachers

The new academic year began in May after final exams were conducted in April. We had a delay as the syllabus could not be completed on time because two teachers, Shweta Kumari and Shailendra Kumar, left the Learning center, for better opportunities, mid session. Two new teachers, Priyanka Kumari and Vikas Kumar have now replaced the ones who left. They teach science, math and English.

Hours Rescheduled Due to Extreme Heat

We experienced an exceptionally hot and humid summer this year. Government school hours were rescheduled for early morning to beat the heat and therefore, our learning center also had to reschedule to start in the afternoon -- the hottest time of day! The heat brought with it electricity cuts which were frequent and long, so a generator was installed to power the center's fans and lights.

School Books

Textbooks were provided to all the students in the new year as most of them do not have the books appropriate for their learning levels. It was a challenge and required a lot of persuasion to get textbooks this year as the State Government now provides books free of cost to all the students enrolled in government schools, making books unavailable for sale from local book sellers.

First Generation Students

Class 1 has the maximum number of children this year (41 children) and we have new admissions throughout the year. The girls' ages range from 5 to 10 years in Class 1. Most of them are first generation learners. Their parents have enrolled them in the government schools in age appropriate classes for which they are simply not prepared. Most of these students find themselves in class one at the learning center. The wide age gap and large number of students in this particular class is making it a challenge for the teacher.

Parent-Teacher Meetings

Parent-Teacher meetings (PTM) were held in August 2024. One with the parents of class 1, as it has the largest number of students, and another with the parents of children from classes 2 to 6. A total of 70 parents attended the meetings.

The agenda for both meetings covered the same points, but since class 1 is the first point of contact with the school system for the family and they were new to the PTA meeting, it was held separately. We encouraged the parents to be more involved and participate proactively in their children's education.

Rural Education

It is important to understand that schools in the villages are very different from the schools in the cities. Here attendance fluctuates according to the agriculture cycles of sowing and harvesting when more hands are required in the fields. Festivals and traditional religious practices take precedence over school attendance. Therefore completing the year's syllabus is quite challenging. It is only consistent reinforcement about the importance of being regular and punctual at school that we hope will finally convince the parents to help their daughters benefit from an education.

India's Independence Day

In August, we celebrated India's Independence Day.The children performed a song and dance show. They sang patriotic songs and after flag raising, the head teacher narrated stories about those who led India's fight for Independence.

Links:

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May 20, 2024
The Learning Centre Starts a New Educational Year!

By Ashwini Batra | Project Coordinator

A New Educational Year

The Kaliyachak Girls' Learning center started is new session on 1st of April, 2024. There are 35 new admissions in Class 1 and the total enrollment now stands at 150 girls, with approximately 110 attending daily. Some of the children have migrated with their families who've left Kaliyachak in search of work.

Classes now run from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. as the government school schedule has changed to early morning. Saturdays are now reserved for painting, reading, sports, learning to use a computer, singing and exercise. Predictably Saturdays are big hit. Students who participated in sports at the learning centre are now competing in inter-school competitions in the government school.

Parent Teachers Association

This year we plan to increase the frequency of the parent-teacher meetings to reinforce the importance of girls' education. We aim to engage the parents more in the education and health of their daughters, keeping them informed about the centre's operations, and educating them on the importance of a balanced diet for their family. A one-day nutrition workshop is being planned in the coming quarter.

Gender Workshop

A gender sensitisation workshop for all teachers and staff in Bihar was conducted on 28 and 29th February 2024 by a team from Nirantar. The participants were introduced to gender issues and their impact on our lives. A follow-up session is planned for this fall.

Conversational English for Teachers

English is an aspirational subject for all of the girls and we want to help the girls improve their English speaking skills. English story telling and reading will be some of the activities that we focus on this academic year.

Three of the teachers are currently undergoing an online basic English speaking course run by the Delhi-based institute - Inlingua. They are thoroughly enjoying the classes and the aim is that they transfer their skills to the students in time.

Health and Nutrition

Deworming (albendazole) tablets were administered to all of the students in December 2023, and they began a three-month course of B complex prescribed by our doctor in March.

We continue to offer a high protein snack of peanuts, roasted gram and molasses everyday as most of the girls subsist on a diet limited to rice and potatoes. The children are looking significantly healthier with white patches on the skin fading and hypopigmentation of the hair reduced with improved nutrition and supplements.

Your Support Makes this New Year Possible.

Thank you for your continued support of the Kaliyahcka Girls' Learning Centre. None of our plans for the Learning Centre for this coming year would be possible without your support.

Ashwini Batra

FORRAD

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Jan 22, 2024
KALIYACHAK LEARNING CENTRE FOR GIRLS - 2023

By Ashwini Batra | FORRAD, Program Manager

Students Pay Attention to Their Lessons

KALIYACHAK KANYA SHIKSHA SETU

The Kaliyachak Learning Centre for Girls operates on the premises of Samaj Kalyan Mandal, a community-based organization and a long-term partner of FORRAD’s. The centre has classes from Standard 1 – 6 and runs 6 days a week from 6.30 am to 8.45 am after which the girls return to their chores at home or attend the government day school in the village.

THE SCHOOL IS NOW A LEARNING CENTRE

The year began with the decision to convert the school to a Learning Centre. This was done for several reasons:

All the girls coming here are now enrolled, and most are attending, classes in the government schools.

While their enrollment in the state school is essential and desirable and will help them with their future, the need for our centre however, continues, as the education provided by the schools is as yet inadequate, and most students attending the Centre have not attained learning levels commensurate with their age.

Most students of the centre are first generation literate and do not have an environment that facilitates learning at home. The centre provides a space to prepare them and their parents for school.

STUDENT STRENGTH

The Centre continues to have 141 girls on its rolls. And 24 older girls and young women are participating in the 6 momth training program learning to sew.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR

The priority this year was to consolidate the learnings from the workshops conducted for the teachers in the previous year. The teachers were encouraged to make learning more child-centric, interactive and fun. Saturdays are now spent entirely for extracurricular activities. Children do art and craft, enact scenes from their books and play games.

The distribution of nutritious snacks daily. The provision of the snacks encourages the parents to send the girls regularly to the centre. Significantly, the nutrition provided to the girls has helped them achieve parameters of height and weight as per their age. A recent malnutrition assessment of 45 children conducted by FORRAD in the hamlet of Saristabad showed normal readings only for 5 children, 2 who were being breastfed, and 3 who come to our learning centre.

Coordination from the Delhi office. Regular video calls have helped in monitoring the various activities at the centre. The calls have helped identify areas of concern, where teachers themselves require assistance in improving their classes.

Acquiring soft skills. The students attending the centre are first generation learners, and their parents are unable to help them prepare for school. Over time the students have learned to groom themselves for school, be punctual, participate in group events, greet their teachers and acquire similar social skills that will prepare them for more formal environments.

Parent – Teacher meetings. Meetings with guardians are held once in two months and these meetings have helped convey the importance of girl education. It is a platform to discuss the value of encouraging the children to read, do homework, be regular and consistent with their studies. The teachers ask the parents to be more involved in their children’s education and take more responsibility towards their grooming and nutrition.

Children’s day celebrations. 14 November this year had the teachers performing two skits for the children. This was different for both the children and the teachers. The girls were thrilled to see their teachers perform on stage and are now looking forward to enacting short plays in the coming year. The teachers too learned to get over their inhibitions and perform. It became a learning experience for all and an enjoyable one too!

TAILORING CLASSES

The sewing class continues to be very popular with girls and young women of the community. Many more women from the surrounding villages have registered for the class. A new sewing machine was added to the existing machines as more students needed to practice on the machines.

The course lasts 6 months, where each student learns to make everyday items of clothing for women, men and children.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

The school has had a productive and intense year where the aim was to ensure that the teachers were more focused by preparing schedules in advance and adhering to the curriculum. In the coming year we look forward to improving academic performance of all children, and we will concentrate our efforts and focus our work to this end.

Thank you very much for your solidarity and support. None of this would have been possible without you.

Please click the links below for the full report and for our three year plan for the Centre.

Calculating the Solution to the Math Problem

Math Lessons at the Kaliyachak Learning Centre

Links:

www.forrad.org

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