EQUIP Project
www.eurekachild.org
Problems addressed
• 50% children in 5th standard cannot read a paragraph in
Tamil. 10% cannot even identify letters.
• 50% children in 5th standard cannot even subtract two 2digit numbers.
• Science education is just rote memorization – no
concepts, no experiments, no connection with the real
world.
• Many 4-year-olds in balwadis cannot even match two
identical pictures - something even 1-year-olds in middle
class families easily do.
Reasons for this state
•
•
•
•
No School Focus on Basic Skills: Focus on exam mark & textbook
memorization and not on ensuring basic skills.
Lack of Learning Resources: No access to learning resources. Schools and
teachers have no libraries, no reading materials, no activity kits, no
science experiment materials, etc. Balwadis have no learning aids or even
simple toys.
Ineffective Methodology: Teachers lecture and read out from books.
There is no focus on activities or even demonstrations in class. No
avenues for children to think independently or to work in groups or to
learn by doing. Poor training of teachers. Teachers are not trained in
practical ideas nor on good teaching methodologies.
Low community involvement: Low community interest and involvement
in education. Poor children have no access to a learning environment at
home.
Two Pronged Implementation
Strategy
Improve
Learning Quality in Schools
We work with teachers to bring about
measurable improvements in
specific learning skills like reading,
maths and science. We train and
motivate teachers, provide teaching
learning materials and change
classroom practices through regular
visits and practical demonstrations.
Create
Community Learning Initiatives
We mobilize village volunteers, train
them and start village libraries,
children’s learning centers, form
science clubs, math clubs, sports
clubs, etc. We also get the
community volunteers to both help
schools improve as well as to
pressurize schools to deliver quality.
Results So Far
• Primary Education:
– Improving Reading Skills of Children
– Improving Basic Math Skills of Children
• Pre-primary Education
– Visual Recognition, Counting, Motor Skills and Sensory Skills
– Pre-reading and pre-writing skills
• Secondary Education
– Science Education
– Math Education
– Life Skills and Health Education
• Community Initiatives and Community Learning Centers
– Village Libraries and Children’s Clubs
– Science and Math clubs
– Support Centers and Summer Campaigns
450,000 children in 7300 schools improved their Tamil reading skills through our
Padippum Inikkum Reading Campaign. Across 5 districts, children who can read
went up from 54% to 85% within 5 months of our starting the reading campaign!
Padippum Inikkum
• Group activity based reading program
• Aim: Is to bring rapid improvement in reading levels of a
child
• Structure
–
–
–
–
Initial Evaluation and Categorization into 5 levels
Everyday 1hr level specific activities
Child-to-Child reading methods
Reading materials and story boards to make it a fun event
Impact of PP
• Reaches about 4,50,000 children
• Teachers are taking more active
participation in these activities
Padippum Inikkum Levels
5 Reading Levels
Level 4: Child Reads stories fluently
Level 3: Child Reads sentences but not
stories
Level 2: Child Reads words but not
sentences
Level 1: Child Reads letters but not
words
Level 0: Child Cannot even identify
letters
Arivial Anandam
• Do-it-yourself experiments for children
• Low cost science experiments as a means
to teach
• Encouraging a child to think and come up
with their own experiments
Impact of AA
• 1,30,000 Children in 900 schools are
benefitting currently
• Children are able to relate real world
science phenomena and able to quote it in
their answers, instead of memorizing and
repeating the books
Eureka Public Library
• Community based learning using “Library in a Bag”
concept
• Aim is to use this as a booster to Padippum Inikkum
program
• When community involves, the schools feel responsible
to deliver better quality education
• In addition to library style learning, additional activities
with games, fun events and activities etc.
• Encourage formation of children clubs
Impact of EPL
• This is still in experimental phase
• 90,000 children in 2000 villages are using this
right now
• Several constraints to implement the program..
e.g. finding volunteers in villages is hard
• Providing reading materials appropriate for the
age and sufficient amount is difficult
Proposal
Changes
• The project has been
changed from
original
Tiruvannamalai
district to Sivaganga
district
Sivaganga Details
•
•
•
•
•
•
Revenue Divisions 2
Taluks 6
Blocks 12
Town Panchayats 12
Revenue Villages 521
Panchayat Villages 431
ASER Findings in 2005
% Children who CANNOT READ …
% Children who CANNOT SOLVE numerical
written sums of …
Level 1*
Level 2**
Subtraction or Division
Division
AGE : 7 to 14 ALL
25.1
63.7
36.2
67.8
AGE : 7 to 10 ALL
36.6
80.5
51.0
83.4
AGE : 11 to 14 ALL
2.3
30.4
6.5
36.7
GOVT : Std II - V
41.2
83.9
56.4
86.3
Data Insufficient
Data Insufficient
Data Insufficient
Data Insufficient
0.6
30.1
6.2
37.3
Data Insufficient
Data Insufficient
Data Insufficient
Data Insufficient
PVT: Std II - V
GOVT: Std VI - VIII
PVT: Std VI - VIII
*Level 1: Ability to read a small paragraph with short sentences of std 1 level difficulty. Subtraction: 2 digit subtraction with borrowing
**Level 2: Ability to read a text with some long sentences of std 2 level difficulty.
Division: 3 digit divided by 1 digit.
EQUIP Update
• Reading program started in all the 12 blocks
• Science and library programs in 7 and 4 blocks
• Of the 1108 primary schools in the district, we started a low
intensive reading campaign 1054 schools
• From these schools, 695 schools were identified, where the teachers
were very enthusiastic and are now running an intensive reading
program (Padippum Inikkum Intensive program) in these schools
• The science program is running in a total of 215 schools and the
libraries are being run in 250 villages with the help of 4 local NGOs.
EQUIP Update
Block
Kalayarkovil
Illayankudi
Manamadurai
Tirubhuvanam
Sivagangai
Tirupattur
Singampuneri
S. Pudur
Kalal
Devakottai
Sakkotai
Kanankudi
PI First Step
(Reading Prog)
143
100
91
99
114
98
68
57
95
74
75
40
Total
1054
Number of Schools Reached
PI Intensive
Science
(Reading Prog)
Program
60
60
32
60
28
60
38
60
49
60
31
68
21
57
16
60
60
60
30
695
215
Children’s
Library
50
100
50
50
250
Padippum Inikkum Details
• Campaign started at the end of Aug. 2007
– Padippum Inikkum School and Village Intensive Program: To be done in schools
that are cooperative and where teachers are willing to do reading evaluation and
in villages with village volunteers.
– Padippum Inikkum First Step Program: To be done in all schools for the 5th Std
students to pull up children who have difficulties in reading words or sentences.
– Reading Melas: District team also planned a series of reading melas in villages to
generate excitement about reading.
Padikkum Inikkum Details
• Key Points
– Good rapport with district administration
– After the initial 2 block pilot program, with AshaSV
support it was expanded to full district
– Positive praise regarding the materials used for the
reading program
PI Intensive Classes
• 695 Schools + 386 Villages with 21821 children
• Consists of very enthusiastic teachers
• In 386 villages, volunteers are identified and through
them reading kits of 1st and 2nd grade were provided.
Standard
1st Std
2nd Std
3rd Std
4th Std
5th Std
Story
Level
32%
42%
49%
Sentenc
e Level
28%
28%
24%
Word
Level
27%
48%
23%
18%
17%
Letter
Level
36%
36%
11%
8%
7%
Cannot even
read letters
37%
16%
6%
5%
4%
PI First Step
• 1084 schools in the 12 blocks
• Less Intensive classes for the 5th standard students
• Does not have 5 level groups. Instead have 3 levels (can
read, cannot read and partial ability )
• Teacher training and materials were provided.
• This is the first step towards launching the full fledged
program
Reading Mela
• In order to encourage reading outside of school
• It was first conceived by Sivagangai team and later used
in other districts
• Entire community is involved.
• Unlike school, children ask the questions, while adults
respond.
Eureka Children’s Library
• Started out with 250 libraries in 4 blocks
• 7620 children part of this scheme
• Training for volunteers to engage children
in various activities (21 training sessions)
• Children converted the stories to dramas
– 162 village level drama were
performed
– 17 of these were selected for block
and district level
– 30 children from district participated
in state level drama
Arivial Anandam
• Running in 214 schools in 7 blocks and 50 village science clubs
• At present they have completed exhibition in 7 schools.
• Every 2 months after a round of training and a kit for 10 experiments
on one topic is provided
• School Science Clubs: We are forming clubs in school level for
children interested in science. We have started these in all the 214
schools
• State is borrowing some of the ideas for its Activity Learning Method
program
• Information from Arivial Anandam is spread to about 422 blocks (all
12 blocks in Sivangangai by the state) through video cd’s prepared by
the team.
Future Plans
• The fulltime team is also getting built quite rapidly. The
documentation and communication systems in the district are still
weak.
• It is important to supply some material every month to the schools.
Monthly education magazine – for teachers and volunteers – to
ensure this need is met.
• Sales of low cost science and language books in schools and villages
through our volunteers and fulltimer.
• Expansion Plans
– Reading program to all the 1000 schools and 450 villages in all the 12 blocks in
the district.
– continue the science program in the 7 blocks
– organize a series of village level and block level exhibitions and young scientist
network activities.
– increase the number of village libraries from 250 to 300 in the next 3 months.
Q&A