GYAN SHALA (School of learning)

India www.gyanshala.org

• Ensure high quality school education

• Bringing poor children on par with those studying in best schools

• Highly cost effective

Trigger and Initiation

• Envy-surprise that Bangladesh had pulled ahead of

India in poor girl’s education, and China was far

ahead in school education, both even with lower

spending.

• Failure of a (i) well designed, (ii) well funded, & (iii)

well implemented APPEP in raising learning levels.

• Universal enrolment was on the horizon even in ’95

• Problem area was “quality on scale” & “cost”

• Presence of very good ‘boutique solutions’, or ‘large

scale supplementary education programs.

• Gyan Shala- Quality on Scale, Accountability of

Outcome, Appropriate low cost, Futuristic Curriculum

Current Profile of Activities and Programs

• Around 12,000 out-of-school children in 450 slum classes

in Ahmedabad, covering grades 1-7.

• Around 7000 children in 68 Govt./ municipal schools in

quality improvement pilots.

• Program replication in Patna and Nalanda dist. in Bihar,

Having around 11000 children in grades 1-3.

• Replication started in Kolkata.

• A new 3 yrs. program for adolescent girls.

• Proposal to start bi-lingual low cost high schools for lower

income groups.

• Research based policy advocacy and client education to

promote socially accountable public-private partnership in

the school education for poor

•Our total program cost, including room rental, and all learning

material is < Rs. 2800/ (elementary) and < Rs. 3600/- (middle)

Representative Representative

Gyan Shala students tend to perform better than government school students, even though its

cost is less than 1/4th. Also, students taught by Gyan Shala trained teachers in AMC schools

perform better than the other students at AMC schools. Compatible with SSA framework.

Gyan Shala shows a way out

Learning Outcomes- Gyan Shala Students

vs. Public Schools (MIT study)

393939

525350

0

20

40

60

80

100

Language Maths Overall

Control Schools Treatment Schools

Learning Outcomes – Gyan Shala trained AMC Schools

vs. Other AMC Schools – Grade II (Study by Independent

researcher from Baroda & Education Initiatives)

Source: GS Annual Report, Linden Complement of Substitute? Effect of Technology on Student Achievement(2008), Gyan Shala documents and internal reports Secondary

Research, Monitor Analysis

% Marks

Scored

% Marks

Scored

87%

63%

40%

31%

50%

38%

0%

50%

100%

Language Mathematics

GS Class III

Public, Gr. III Public, Gr. IV

2009-10 Assessment by EI

2009-10 Assessment by EI

CfBT Assessment, 2010

CfBT Assessment, 2010

CfBT Assessment, 2010

CfBT Assessment, 2010

Determinants of Learning outcome • Learning Outcomes = F (learning capability,

teaching effectiveness, curriculum plan and

material, pedagogy and class atmosphere).

• Learning Capability = F (natural talent,

parental support-push, child’s motivation)

• Teaching effectiveness= F (pre-service

education, ongoing training, academic

support, supervision, curriculum material)

• Gyan Shala focus:

– Ongoing teacher training-support.

– Budget allocation for all determinants of LO.

Major design Innovations

• A large reliance on ‘children’s capacity to learn’ then on ‘teaching effectiveness’, backed up by investment in high quality detailed curriculum and learning materials.

• Replace highly skilled Principal-Teacher combination with a front end of modest skill two level teacher team and back-end of very high caliber design-training-management team, which assures quick scaling up and sustainable high quality at large scale with mostly modest skill teachers/staff.

• Design of class processes to maximize children’s and teachers’ time on learning tasks, and learning through interaction.

• Recruitment strategy that selects not the established experts but those on learning phase, so an internal learning culture is established.

• Suitable decentralization of power, linked to accountability.

• Standardization to minimize management complexity.

Key Program Norms

• Conform to State and National Curriculum norms, informed

by international emerging trends.

•State Text book are used, along with other books and

learning aids.

• 3-4 hour of high-intensity academic work followed by

other activities each day, so girl children can attend the

classes even with home pressure.

• Classes are held close to children’s home so they do not

have to cross street to reach school, which eliminates a

major schooling barrier in urban areas.

• Total learning hours in a year would be more than in other

full day Government-municipal or private schools.

• Children are mainstreamed in other recognized schools on

completion of three years Gyan Shala module

Some other features of Gyan Shala

• Good Class Facilities- Furniture, lighting, & ventilation

• Lots of learning material: (30% of program cost)

• Daily worksheets for each subject, 660/yr./class

• Learning aids and activities for group work

• In-class library, wall display and toys

• Assignments and exercises on all subjects daily within the

class, so no need of homework.

• Daily group learning activities and repetition of concepts for

reinforcement

• Each child gets individual help from the teacher daily, so no

need of any tuition support

• Use of Newspaper daily in Grade 3 as additional text

Teaching in a functional Environment

Group Work by children in Class

Teachers in training

Plenty of contextually suited Learning Material

A Model for Bringing Change in Govt. Policy

1. Demonstrate a replicable model to provide high quality,

low cost, primary education for poor children

2. Conform to state curriculum but aim for international

benchmarks of quality

3. Independent verification of program performance

4. Offer to replicate the package in government schools to

build support and affect larger numbers.

5. Make an irrefutable case for the low cost high quality

school system solution which is accountable

6. Seek policy change for allocation of no more than 5%

of government budget for accountable public-private

partnership, and larger budget for learning material. #

Quality Assurance Mechanisms

• Abundance of books, learning material/ aids & worksheets.

• State of the art design of class processes-transactions.

• Ongoing contextually rooted design improvements, direct contact

between designers-cum-managers and class rooms.

• Child centered pedagogy and positive class environment.

• Continuous teacher training; annual, bi-annual, monthly, weekly and

daily components. Daily teacher guides.

• Extensive support and supervision for teachers, for error correction

and backup support. New teachers development.

• Internal staff development cycle & management discipline.

• Institutional accountability through formal measurement of learning

attainments & total unit cost targets and linking budget to performance.

• Conform to National Curriculum Framework.

• Neutralize socio-economic constraints on class attendance. #

Why Scalable- Replicable

• Reliance of such manpower for all hierarchical levels,

that is easily available on a mass scale.

• Internal systems for staff and processes development.

• Standard model of self contained total system with limited

external contingencies and dependence, for ~450 classes.

• Carefully charted growth/ evolution path.

• A suitable mix of standardization with annual redesign/

review of the total package.

• Keeping the same team for design and management.

• Reliance on systems tested in large organizations.

• System of accountability to dominant outsiders/ funders. #

Why Institutional Sustainability

• Scalable (through replication) on a mass scale.

• Competitive/ socially acceptable low level of total cost.

• Assured measurable quality, as per Indian national

curriculum and widely accepted social norms.

• Fits into the existing system enabling the mainstreaming

of the children after completion of Gyan Shala module.

• Funding on the basis of measured results/regulatory

norms

• Works well even with first generation learners.

• Suitable for addressing the emerging demographic

challenge of fast expanding urban (slum) population.

• Corresponds to the world class school/class processes.

• Inbuilt mechanism of quality assurance and human

resource development.