Gramin Shiksha Kendra

1
Gramin Shiksha Kendra

• Project in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan.
• Asha has supported teacher and staff salaries,
  library and TLM over the last 7 years for 2
  schools at Jaganpura and Bodal
• GSK started in 2003 today have 4 schools and
  550 children
• Children make a daily newspaper, bal panchayat
  etc. They also publish a monthly magazine called
  Morange, which is edited by a professional poet,
  Prabhat. The children's work has also appeared in
  Chakmak.
• Experienced staff, most have master's degrees in
  education.
• School operations are child-centric
• Typical school day 8a-11.30a (class),
  11.30a-12.30p (lunch), 12.30p-2.30p (class),
  2.30p-5.30p (evaluation and planning for next
  day), 5.30p-6.30p (interaction with villagers).

2
Uday Pathshalas

• UDAY Pathshala, Jaganpura Started on 15th June
  2004, with 45 children (27 Boys, 18 girls), three
  teachers and a support staff on a land given by
  community in a thatched temporary structure. At
  present 231 children, 11 teachers and one support
  staff, the community has donated the land for the
  school, 8 classrooms constructed, tap water,
  electricity connections, a big playground,
  separate toilets for boys and girls.
• UDAY Pathshala, Bodal Started on 1st July 2006
  with 74 children (26 boys, 38 girls) and 3
  teachers under a peepal tree. At present 99
  children, 6 teachers, on schools own land, 8
  classrooms and two extra rooms, well, hand pump
  and a big playground, separate toilets for boys
  and girls.
• Uday Pathshala, Sawai Madhopur A self sustaining
  school for urban middle class. Started on 16th
  July 2007, currently with 35 children and two
  teachers in a rented building.
• Uday Pathshala, Katar-Faria Started on 1st July
  2009, currently with 151 children on a land
  donated by community. At present running in 6
  thatched classrooms, has a big playground. The
  school has a toilet and a hand pump.

3
Site visit (April 2012)

• Deep, Vibha's projects monitoring employee in
  India, visited in April 2012.
• GSK continues to maintain excellent academic
  standards, extra-curricular activities, child
  participation levels, community relations and
  book-keeping.
• The teaching takes place through very interactive
  and participatory methods with a focus on
  encouraging children to seek answers themselves
  by utilizing their natural curiosity about things
  around them.
• Vijay was working with children from class 2 and
  3 on understand shapes and sizes through looking
  at similarities and differences of objects. He
  patiently took them through a process of learning
  by asking facilitative questions rather than
  telling them. It was a great experience to see
  the children discussing and debating amongst
  themselves in search of answers.
• Jaganpura is the first school set up by GSK and
  is indeed a model school with its low cost
  ergonomic buildings, very experienced teachers,
  huge school campus and good facilities for
  toilets and drinking water.

4
Updates (Vistaar)

• The Vistaar program is now working with 14
  government schools.
• The government schools now build their own
  teaching materials, and perform CCE everyday.
• The main focus of GSK in these government schools
  is teaching methodology and monitoring learning.
• Trainer teachers from GSK visit all 14 schools
  regular and provide input and guidance in
  developing weekly plans and monitoring through
  CCE methodology.
• They also use the CCE methodology to track
  teachers progress.
• Next, GSK will provide appropriate books and
  reference materials for children and teachers
  respectively so that work on language training
  can be accelerated.
• Vistaar is funded by HKF and is supported by the
  local collector, DIET (teacher training college)
  and UNDP. The DIET's college principal is the
  head of it's steering committee.

5
Updates (Jaganpura)

• The school this year completed its 8th year and
  now has been established as a Resource School in
  the region.
• It is already supporting the communities and
  teachers of 14 government school through programs
  like continuous support to government teachers in
  planning and evaluation, school management,
  development of libraries, teachers and head
  teachers training.
• The number of children in this school has reached
  the 200 mark which is the maximum number we plan
  to take up. This year 12 children passed out
  class VIII, all of them have been admitted to the
  Government Secondary School at Ranwal. We are
  supporting this school also in our outreach
  program Vistaar.
• Sports Apart from establishing it as centre of
  academic excellence the school has also
  established itself in sports. This year the
  school won the district football, kabbadi,
  khokho, handball events. Some 40 children have
  been selected in the district teams of various
  teams.
• From year 2012-13 onwards, this school will be
  fully supported financially by Heisley Family
  Foundation, USA.

6
Updates (Bodal)

• After running Uday pathshala in Bodal for 7
  years, GSK adopted the government primary school
  at Bodal under Adopt A School Project of
  Rajasthan Education Initiative.
• GSK closed the Uday Pathshala location and
  admitted all the children to adopted government
  school.
• All the teachers from uday shifted to the
  government school.
• Government will continue funding the mid day
  meal, SSA regular funds like repairs etc.
• The running cost will the the responsibility of
  GSK.
• The government would withdraw their teachers for
  five years and after that slowly appoint them
  back as GSK withdraws.
• The total number of children in this school is
  now 120.

7
Asha SV

• Approved budget for 2011-2012 Rs 1,163,000 for
  teacher salaries and administration costs (Rs
  80000).
• Change from 2010-2011 -20
• 1st instalment (50) sent in April 2012 11,100.
• Outlook for 2012-2013 Since we will be funding
  only the Bodal school, the funding requirements
  will further come down significantly.
• Future outlook and exit strategy GSK has started
  executing on their plan to obtain institutional
  or government support for the Uday Pathshala
  schools. The Rajasthan government will eventually
  take over funding for the Bodal school in 2017.
• Donor updates Asha Austin stopped funding this
  year. New agencies are HKF and HFF. Vibha is
  continuing support, and is evaluating a proposal
  to adopt some schools under the Vistaar program.