New lessons for civic schools

The emphasis, though, is on sprucing up the teaching methodolgy in the 1,236 primary schools catering to four lakh students. 8220;In Standards I to V, we have asked teachers to divide students into three groups according to their learning levels,8221; says Gawande. The initiative, taken up with the help ofthe NGO Pratham, was meant to be taken up last year. 8220;But it is only this year that we are seriously pursuing it,8221; Gawande says.

The three learning levels are Prabhutva mastery level, Prerna average and Pratiksha poor. We haven8217;t found the exact English translations for these levels,8221; says Dr Rukmini Banerji of Pratham.

The concept originated from the realisation that most teachers taught so that an average8217; student would understand. 8220;The teaching did not catch the interest of either the intelligent or below-average students,8221; says Gawande. The problem is sorted out by grouping children, he adds.

At the same time, it is not that intelligent8217; children or others are kept in a separate group. 8220;We have asked schools to intermix the three groups. It is like small classes within a big class,8221; says Gawande. While teachers were expected to work with the third group during recess or before or after classes, 8220;it is not happening,8221; admits Gawande. But it is a step towards addressing the problem;after all, a Pratham survey undertaken earlier had shown that 25 per cent of the 500 students tested in Stds III and IV of municipal schools had difficulty in reading and writing simple letters, while 33 per cent children could not recognise and write numbers 1 to 100.

Pratham has pitched in with balsakhis8217; to help in classes 8212; wherever demanded 8212; under the guidance of teachers. So far, 850 people have been appointed, says Dr Rukmini, with funds coming from a Central government grant.

Teachers have also been held accountable for their students8217; performance. Every month, they have to submit reports on the number of students at each level. An increase in the poor8217; level means the teacher will have to give an explanation. Beat officers in each ward are expected to study the reports. The progress has been slow so far, Gawande admits. 8220;The improvement is only 1-2 per cent, but we8217;ve just started. Gradually, we are expecting changes,8221; he adds.

The BMC is also looking at creating a better schoolenvironment. 8220;Due to paucity of funds, we cannot paint our buildings, for instance,8221; says Bhau Gawande, BMC education officer. 8220;But we can ask children to draw pictures, put up their drawings on walls.8221; Further, looking at the lack of learning material in each class 8212; where only textbooks are strictly adhered to 8212; schools have been instructed to decorate classrooms, adds Gawande.

Plans are also afoot to ensure clean playgrounds and gardens, he adds. In schools where there is not enough place for a garden, authorities have been encouraged to make full use of corridors as a place for keeping potted plants. 8220;We are not getting that much of a response,8221; shrugs Gawande, 8220;as even the corridors are small.8221; But that hasn8217;t stopped the department from trying.