New Interventions Programs
In responding to the challenges of inclusive growth and sustainable development, government cannot go it alone. New spaces continue to open up for civil society interventions in education, health, job insurance, in comprehensive anti-poverty programmes encompassing training and skill upgradation, credit and market assistance. A key element for effective intervention is the 'skill to create partnerships' through networking and collaboration. After many years of field experience on the "learning curve" of action for sustainable development, TDSS undertook three new interventions involving collaborative partnerships with other civil society organizations. Learning to walk in "new directions", we hope "to create new roads of progress" (cf. P.M Manmohan Singh, Feb. 2007), utilizing innovation and crossing boundaries to bring together different points of view and different perspectives for developing sustainability.
Non-formal educational interventions for Dalit and Tribal Society
"A road is made by walking…" (Chinese Proverb). In November (11 – 12) 2006, TDSS ventured a new path, by walking with six others involved directly or indirectly in the social sector.* (1) to explore practices and perspectives for greater efficiency in non-formal educational interventions for Dalit and Tribal Society.
The initial outcome of this first step was the formation of a "Resource Pool", under the aegis of TDSS to initiate, facilitate and provide back-up support to efforts in non-formal education for dalit and tribal society at primary and pre-primary levels. An important dimension of this partnering is to explore and incubate new ideas in the field.
Currently our "Resource Pool" is engaged in a collaborative strategy to respond to a demand that is increasingly being heard from the Adivasi tribal communities and dalit communities of Western Maharashtra, viz. the demand for English learning viewed by Adivasis and Dalits as a key tool towards economic improvement.
[In an increasingly globalized world, English has become the chief medium of communication (particularly in the sphere of Communications Technology which is spreading rapidly even in the rural areas). Hence the need to include English learning as part of education from an early age – a need felt and expressed by the communities themselves. The use of Adivasi local language with the state language (Marathi) as the medium of instruction will continue. However, English will be an additional component in the curriculum, not a replacement for the local languages. Significantly the Adivasis, communities themselves do not feel threatened by the 'alien' culture that English might impose.]
There is urgent need, in fact for materials suited to the needs of rural adivasi learners, materials that reflect their reality and are at the same time sensitive to other issues such as gender and class. A media package is being developed and produced that will serve as an educational aid to adivasi teachers and learners. The media package consists of 20 pictorial charts and one audio CD and will aid the teaching and learning of English alphabets and words. The charts will focus on contextual learning and enhance relevance.
For any lasting change in elementary education learning, teacher education has to be strengthened. The strategy envisaged, therefore, provides space for sustained programmatic intervention for growth and learning of teachers first through orientation workshops and then through follow-up. This will facilitate continuous teacher development inputs that are closely linked with classroom practices and needs of teachers.
A field test of a learning prototype chart was carried out in TRAMP Mumbai, which had developed a pictorial chart primarily for Marathi Language teaching and learning but also useful for teaching arithmetic and for initiating discussions on environment. The impact on teachers and children was striking. (In fact this test evoked a lively debate as to the dangers of this chart replacing other display materials in less striking presentation).
The collaboration we have begun to engage in will enable us to network across 10 districts to meet the educational needs of 500 learning centers covering formal and non-formal education programmes in Adivasi and dalit areas of three districts.