Project Proposal for a Rural Non-for mat Education Centre.
Item
- Title
-
Project Proposal for a
Rural Non-for mat
Education Centre. - extracted text
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Project Proposal for a
Rural Non-format
Education Centre.
'fkoi/ncL
Nay
LsA- blocN
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rCGo 3^
Kirsty Sadler
10.2.85
\'ie are what we think
All that we are arises with our thoughts
With our thoughts we make the world 1
Buddha
'
Caminante, no hay camino
Se hace el camino el andar 1
'
Walker, there is no footpath
The footpath is made by walking '
Itrom a latin American folk song.
SUMMARY SHEET
PROJECT TITLE
Ananda Vana
AIMS ?
To set up and run an informal education centre -cum
village resource centre.
SECONDARY /YIMS s To implement and extend an experimental 'out of
classroom* approach to education relevent to the
needs of the rural poor.
TARGET POPULATION ? JO children of school-going age
lower socio-economic strata.
LOCATION 2
and women of the
Ungra vill age, Kunigal Taluk, Tumkur District,
Karnataka, S.India.
PEOPLE INVOLVED : Kirsty Sadler& one“otber
full time staff, members
of the local community as part time staff.
DURATION ;
Indefinite.
10 years.
Initial commitment of instigator is
PROJECTED COST : Initial (non-recurring)Rs 96,500
Monthly
Rs 4,800
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SHOWN KEEN INTEREST AND
IN VARIOUS WAYS :
£6,892 )
£ 530)
GIVEN INITIAL SUPPORT
prof. V.Padaki, AljTIRA, Ahmedabad.
Prof.K.S.Jagadish, Convenor, ASTRA, Indian Institute of Science.
Kartikeya Sarabhai, Environmental Education Centre, Nehru Foundation
for development, Ahmedabad.
Harry Fernandes, Decor, Bangalore.
M.S.Farook, Regional Design and Technical Development centre, All
India Handicrafts, Bangalore.
Prof. L.S.Prahalada Rao, Addl. Sectretary of state for Ecology and
Environment, Karnataka.
Settle Hjgh School, North Yorks, U.K.
Prof. Klaus Witz, College of Education, University of Illinois, USA.
Vana^a Ramprasad , OXFAM, Bangalore.
Proposal written and instigated by Kirsty Sadler, Ungra, Karnataka.
10.2.85.
CONTENTS
Page
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1.0 Aims « OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOO
I • I School timings
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1.8 Examinations
1.9 Other activities OOOOOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 12
2.0 Areas needing further research <>000000000000.000 12
2.1 Projected scheme of work for 1985 00000000000000 15
2 0 2 Budget OOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOOO 1^
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2.6 Existing crafts and trades
16
2 # 7 Women OOOOOOOOO.OOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOO.OOOOOOOOOOOO l6
2.8 Educational levels in the local community ••••«• 16
2.9 Existing educational facilities »............... 16
J.O Local traditional arts
3.1
17
Proposed methods of funding .................... 17
;n?ETOICES
A. A discussion of thy the bi-medium Kannada -English approach is
to be initially adopted .
L. Information about the staff.
G. A more detailed analysis of the educational approach.
D. Activities of local men, women and children on a seasonal basis
E* Literacy and years of schooling amongst local communities.
P. The status of women in the local communities.
-I-
INTROBUCTION
There are many approaches to rural development, in fact, the
term 'development' has come to be used in so many ways that it is
now difficult to find a common usage of the word. To some, it implies
the increased quality of life of the poor in terms of health, food,
shelter, clothes etc. ' Others lay more stress on the liberation of
women from their drudgery and lack of domestic and political power.
To yet others, 'development' means nothing if not first preceded by
radical changes in the social order.
One point however, on which
most development workers are agreed, is the necessity of individual
development of the rural poor in terms, for instance of self-reliance
, managing their own affairs, growth in competance and skills, shaking
off their exploitative chains, awareness, conscientization.
This process can be seen to be taking place to a greater or
lesser dgree through projects all over India
through health,
technology, agriculture, income generation schemes, or through
specifically educational projects.
To a large extent, the degree
of opportunity for individual development depends on the intervention
strategy of the instigators coupled with their personal qualities
such as value systems, degrees of open-mindedness, their ability to
form non-heirarchical relationships with those around them etc.
As a result of various approaches to 'development' coupled with
personal attributes such as those mentioned above, a range of recogni*
ably different strategies for intervention can be seen to have emerged
in India.
At the top end of the scale is the project which has been
completely pre-planned by the instigators, through a combination of
their research, allegiance to a particular philosophy or ideology
(eg Gandhian, Marx, Schumacher, Vivekanenda), reading and discussion.
Often these projects have large financial resources and may even plan
to to re-structure every aspect of local life from health to economics
to education to belief structures. The project is planned, worked out
in detail and then ways are sought for its implementaion with
varying degrees of local participation.
Change usually occurs fast.
Right at the other end of the ladder would be the individual who
goes 'barefoot' to the village, lives with the people , with little
plan other than to be of some use. By his/her very presence, he/she
may act as a catylyst for change; people may become organised into
sangams or village associations which then work for the changing of
their environment and way of life.
Usually these individuals evolve
ways of working in response to the prevailing conditions while living
in the village. In between these two approaches, there are of course
many ways of working involving various degrees of dialogue and underst
anding between project workers and the community. Notice that at the
top end of the scale, development workers are likely to talk of
'people's participation' wheras at the other end, workers would have
the dream of 'people's instigation'.
-2-
Through working in rural communities in India and to some extent
in S.E.Asia, my personal approach ha developed more along the lines of
the later example.
In creating Ananda Vana, 1 have few concieved
goals in mind other than to gtry to create an environment in which
the children may be allowed to develop their natural potentials ,
understanding of the world, and self confidence to the extent that
in the future they may be able to direct their own lives. Perhaps
some of them will be the future 'development workers' of the area
perhaps some will inevitably use their education to aquire more
renumerative jobs in the cities, perhaps some will attain skills through
which to maintain a livelyhood in the local community.
Although one would see it as desirable that the child grow up to
be an active agent of social change in the local community, or at
least to be a supportive member of it, my personal feeing is that as
a member of the educated elite who has had maximum opportunity for
directing my own life, I have no right to impose further iimitstsions
on the labouring classes. It is our job to remove
those limitations
which have been imposed on these people , by the class structure
for centuries.
It is hoped however, that through a growing understan
ding of the social forces operating in the larger Indian environment
, and a real understanding of the local villages, their problems and
strengths, the children will eventually be able to choose their mode
and place of work according to their abilities and interests in full
awareness of wha.t that may mean for themselves, their own village,
and society at large.
1.0
AIMS
In describing any educational strategy it is conventional to
start with one's aims. To a large extent, those have already been
covered in the introduction. I am more concerned with initiating
a process through which children are free to grow and develop in what
ever way may occur, given the opportunity, rather than working towards
a specific end product. I do have a strong belief in the inatc
goodness of the childand in the child's ability to learn given a
loving and stimulating environment. It is my experience that given
this, in the absence of negative influences such as fear, indoctrin
ation, competition, the majority of children will flourish. However
, more specific objectives could be represented, as follows;
I. To create a system of education whicij will help to prepare children
for their future life regardless of how many years they spend in
school.
2. Literacy and numeracy
5. The ability to think critically and rationally in all spheres of life.
4. To develop self confidence , the ability to formulate and then
trust one's own value system.
5.The ability to ask relevent questions, and a love of truth that demands
that one does so.
6. A knowledge of and respect for manual skills relevent to local
needs.
To develop creativity.
8.
To gain an understanding of the structure of society at the village
and national levels, and one’s current place in that structure.
9.
For the children to be firmly rooted in their own culture while
gaining a knowledge of those forces and ideas which operate outside
it.
10.
To create the opportunities for the' students to gain a means of
livelihood through skills training, agriculture or University
studies or any other means they choose.
-4-
I.I
SCHOOL TIMINGS
The school year will be arranged around, periods of low intensity
village activities. There will be a break in August for the rice
transplantaion season, again in December for the harvest and a longer
break in April and May for the marriage season. (See appendix D ).
On a day to day basis the children have to contribute to various
village activities eg collecting water and firewood, grazing animals
, looking after siblings • During the initial stages of getting to
know the community and preparing the site, a survey will be carried
out to find out at what times of the day there will be the fewest
demands made on the children's time.
The school day will then be
planned so as to create minimum conflict with these activities.
It is intended that during the school months, the school building
and resources will be available for the use of the community seven
days a week and one or two hours each evening. Children will not be
set any homework but will be welcome to make use of the school facilities
outside school hours. It is hoped that:close links will be made
between the school and the community so that the school may be used as
a kind of learning resource centre. Mothers of th . children attending
the school will be particularly encouraged to take part in school
activities and to make use of the resources in any way they wish.
Evebtually it is hoped that a women's literacy-cum-discussion group
will emerge to meet once or twice a week in the evenings.
1.2
STAFF
Well, initially the only full time member will be me, However,
A former work collegue ( please
see appendix B) will probably
join as a full time member of staff towards the end of '85. Various
other people will be involved from the local community in teaching
various activities such as carpentry, building, crafts, traditional
dance etc.
A 'helper' wall be employed on a full time basis to act
as a watchman -cum-handyman.
1.3
THE CHILDREN
The^will never cater for more than 25 to 30children . The close
relationships demanded for this kind of education prohibit any larger
intake. If the system proves to be viable and there is a demand for
its replication in the future,, this must take place through the creation
of more small schools, not larger ones.
-5The school will admit only those children who have as yet had
no formal schooling and an. of the ages between 4 and 7 years. As
they grow older, more younger children will be taken. With the intended
approach to education there would be various problems attached to taking
children who had already bc-en conditioned in their attitude towards
school and learning through the government system.
The children will be welcome to attend school fot as many years
as they see fit. If they wish to attend while studying for state exams
as external candidates , or even for external degrees, they will be
welcome to stay on to do so and will given all help possible. On the
other hand it is hoped that through close links with ASTRA (Applications
of Science and Technology to Rural Areas, situated close by), there
will be ample opportunity to train in a skill at the ASTRA training
centre (currently being developed).
Although the school will be- open to children from all sectors
of the community, it is likely that the majority of child? a will come
from
those sectors which constitute the scheduled castes and the
poorest families. Efforts will be made to keep the ratio of boys to
girls roughly equal, but if there is any discrimination it will be
in favour of the girls in an effort to counteract existing social forces
which curtail women's development in virtually all aspects of their
lives (see appendix? ).
1.4
THE BUILDINGS AND GROUND'S
The initial school structure will be a very simple one , built of
mud and thatch using technologies developed by ASTRA and local archite
ctural stlye. It is hoped that in the future if we need further
buildings, the school and staff will undertake the task together .
The grounds will total 4 acres.
The grounds will house the
school structure, staff accomodation, out—door study groves, play
areas , a vegetable garden and agricultural plot to be planned and
managed by the school. A series of smaller ppots ( 6X4 ft) will be
allotted , one to each child, to be planted according to taste. One
acre of land will be planted with coconut trees to provide an additional
source of income to the school. It is hoped that the land will provide
opportunities for learning about agriculture as well as bringing in
an income. Other income -cum -learning activities will include
bee-keeping.
-6-
1.5
SCHOOL ORGANIZATION
There will be ^10 classes or grades. Children of all ages will
work together. This method is being used very succesfully in several
small non-governmental schools in K-mataka as a result of the pioneeing work of David Horsburgh.
It has many advantages . The oldor
children help the younger ones to learn thus consolidating their own
knowledge- and reducing the distinction between student ano teacher.
The spirit of competition is almost entirely ruled out,since all
children will work at their own pace usually at different stages of
learning using diffeme tn at erials, there will seldom be anyone to
compete with. The mixing of different age groups also reflects more
nearly the home and village environment .
No marks or grades will be given. In such a small school there- will
be ample opportunity to discuss work with teachers or older students.
Morality will not be attached to work standards, eg, anaccurate piece
of work will be described, as 'accurate* not ’good' , while an innacurate
piece will be described as such, not 'bad'.
There ’will be no punishment. Children will be welcome to study
or not to study, to attend or not attend. This lack -.,f coercion, coupled
with the development of close relationships will eliminate the need for
this. Of course, a child who spills paint on the floor will be expected
to clean it up while a child who disturbs others will be asked to
carry cut that activity elsevrhere (eg in the g-arden) but these are
practical, not moral issues, and will be kept that way.
1.6
APPROACH TO STUDY
In developing this approach I have been greatly influenced by
the writings of such people as Paulo Priere, Ivan Illich and John
Holt. However, the methodology has evolved gradually over the past
few years through experience ’.nth children; trial and error, watching
, listening to their ideas, while working as a teacher. A more detailed
diagramatic analysis of the
pproach is given in appendixC. This
analysis came after the emergence of the methodology .
Whatever has evolved up until now will provide a starting point
from which to work with the children. Since it is still to some
extent experimental the approach is likely to deielop, be modified
or change according to further experience with the children here.
Since- attendance v.jJ r be entirely voluntary and tho usual methods of
coercion will not b<; present (exams, punishment, competition), tho
education will have to be enjoyable, stimulating and felt as relevent
t the chldren's lives. If it is not, there simply will not be any
children and hence nr. school. The school is there to serve the needs
of the childru'n and not vice-versa.
-7-
W© put children in school in order to prepare them for life in
the outside world. Paradoxically , we try to do this by isolating
them from that world . Many children are confined to the classroom
for 14 years of their lives, after which, they are let loose on the
world in the hope that they can find their way ar >unc! it.
Information available in the classroom is second, third or fourth
ha id. The world is divided into neat parcels of 'subjects' which arc in
t>irn filtered and screened by the examining bodies and educationalists
an1. delivered steralised in the form of printed text books.
Che
major lesson children learn at school is how to survive a six hour day
of monotony and boredom. Another lessen they learn is to trust
second-hand knowledge, often from dubious sources, never questioning
the aurthority of the text b ,ok or the teacher.
In an attempt to make the children's studies seem more alive
and enjoyable, the teacher resorts to the use of pictures, games, films
, outings ( and now even computer simulations of the real world), in
fact anything to try to bring a little of the real world into the class
room.
Why not take the children out of the classrroom and let them learn
about the world directly through interaction with it ? To do this
one must drop the subject barriers. Although all the situations for the
study of the sciences and all th.-, scope for the creative arts exist
outside the classroom, one will not find any situations of pure maths,
physics, cr rule poetry except in the classroom.
Faced with the task of studying the world around them, one does
need a few starting points, some taxonomy to lead to an inter
disciplinary study of issues relevant to the children's lives.
In the past I have succesfully used such topics as;
AIR- WAT HR. EARTH, EIRE and FOOD, LAND, WATER, FORESTS, WILDLIFE.
Many others could be tried eg, PAST, PRESENT , FUTURE or perhatps
FAMILY, VILLAGE, TOWN, CITY ?
The following examples show how this approach has so far been
put into practice.
Example (l) was carried out in the Tibetan Children's Village in
Himachal Pradesh as a class Biology project submitted
towards th • class 12 Biology ex.amination.
Example (2) was one amongst several topics studied as part of a
science curriculum I developed for class 7 students at
P.ishi Valley School, Andhra Pradesh.
In both cases the work was limmited by constraints from the school
authorities and the examining bodies, but a far greater degree of’ freedom
existed thin in the vast majority of schools.
-8-
Example (l)
Topic; Water
After some general discussion, the class decided to investigate
their own village water supplies. This led to a detailed analysis
of the local water cycle involving a lot of maths, research methodology
, quantitative techniques of measurement, statistics and experimental
design. Defects of the supply and sanitation systems were identified
which eventually led to the improvements of these facilities.
Gut of the study of the sewage system came an interest in the
microbial content oi the water. Water samples were looked at and related
to local water-bourne diseases. A survey was carried out to find out
the incidence of these diseases in the area. Trips were made to the
local hospital and close links were formed between the students and
the staff running a health worker training programme. Preventative
and curative measures for water-bourne diseases were discussed with
the students and other members of the village. Resource material on x
sanitation , water pumps was studied and an interest taken in the
socio-economic factors involved in determining the quality of water
supplied to a community. Creative writing and poetry emerged
to express id. as and feelings which had occured during the. study.
Buddhist symbolism was often usee , a form through which these Tibetan
children could express themselves clearly.
Example (2)
Topic Food
The children 'carried out a comparitive , quantitative analysis
of the diet at the school and that existing in the local village.
Again, their work led to direct action. Suggestions were made to
improve their own diet and that of the villagers (who mostly worked
for the school) and some were implemented. Diseases relating to poor
diet were investigated and a survey carried out about their prevalence
in the area.
Many questions were asKzed about why food distribution is so
unequal, and 'unfair' especially when the calorific needs of manual
labourers and office people were estimated. A brief review of world
food supplies was made and the incqualitie highlighted in the knowledge
of there being adequate food in the world to feed everybody with a
balanced diet.
The children (who came from upper-middle class backgrounds)
wrote about their reactions to their first ever visit to a village
house, and produced a drama based around the more emotive issues.
The children planned to take over the school -citchen for a day and
cook a cheaper and more nutritios diet , giving the workers a day off
and using the money saved on the food to up-grade the village school
diet. Unfortunately the school management intervened at this point.
However, the children did take their Saturday lunch to the village
-9-
school and swap it with that of the village children. Friendships began
to form, and the Rishi Valley children suggested that they share their
arts and crafts periods with the village children.
A report was compiled of thoir findings and sent to the management
suggesting methods of upgrading the nutritional content of the
school food using less expensive ingredients, and using the money
saved for the food at the village- school.
During the work the children tackled mathematical problems
usually introduced at the class 10 level, went way beyond the
understanding of diet and diet-related diseases required at the class
12 level, produced some high quality creative writing, art work and
drama. They learnt survey and research techniques including
statistical analysis and recording of data. They learnt something
about the structure of their society and learnt a new respect fo±
the village people ; at the start of the term they were throwing stones
at them. See Fig. (l<).
When learning from their environment children need little help
in matters of motivation. The studies are close to their hcartt. They
learn thatt through an understanding of their world and their actions
they can change it. They are inevitably led to the study of reference
material to help them in their understanding and suggesting solutions
to local problems.
The classroom becomes a resource centre, a quiet place for study,,
practice o^-skills, analysis and discussion. The teacher does not
’teach’ at all , but facilitates the learning of the students
through suggestin sources of information, possible directions of
enquiry, and by challenging wooly thinking.
In class discussions
it has been found best for the teacher to sit at the back letting a
student take the chair, or leave the classroom altogether requesting
that one of them takes the minutes.
Thu above examples wore both carried out within the restrictions
of science curricula. It is hoped that in the future the work need not
have such a strong scientific bias. For instance, local history can be
studied through going to the village and talking with some of the older
members of the village and then monitoring the changes which are taking
place.
While the younger children will learn mostly from the school
vi-cinityand through direct interaction with it, s they grow older the
children will go further afield to the villages and fields, using
increasing amounts of reference materials. See appendix C ; The Child's
learning environment and age .as related to Piaget's theory of Cognitive
Growth.
- 10Fig (l)
AN OUTLINE OP' THE FOuL PROJ :C_,_
What kinds of
food do we eat ?
xtest food
7 in lab
List what
we eat
everyday.
What kinds of
food do we need __
ind why? •.
How much
do we need■
nd why?
How does this
vary with ;
Quantitative
analysis of
nutritional
concent of
cur diet.
?
Does this bare any
resemblance to what
different kinds of
people in
actually
eat? In India?
weaknesses
i Jc-nV find.
■ WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT ?
Occupation?
—
Analysis of local village
worker's diet
What happens if you
Suggestions
Use the money saved \
eat
pl for improving------- -;gin changing our diet
I the diet
| to up-grade the
\ Too much?
Too little
village school
\
Survey of others
f ood.
V
What are the related
-'opinions about
\
illnesses?
our suggestions
_R..V, children swapped
•1/
'their Saturday lunch
j
What are the most common
c4 atist 5. cal analyst ' ■
with that of the
illnesses in rich arid in
o’, •r.-voy results
v??.j.nge children
poor communities?
I
. written ■ eport
children suggested
Sur
Qf common
-ent to the
------- 1 that fuy de their
ailments in R.V.
-.n-negor-.t
’ arts anc crafts at toe
3chooK
1 village school and
Y
Educate other
<___ : get to know these
members of the
*
children.
i
school
i
!
—}Tuke over the R.V, kitchen for a day, '
D? splay of work,
cook, clean e.nd serve , and give the
I
Drama written enc
workers a day of paid leave .
perf ormed .
;
-IIAdvantages of such an approach
I.
A high degree of motivation and enthusiasm displayed by the
children.
2.
Little scope for cultural alienation arising from the use of
'foreign' materials as subject matter.
3.
In depth knowledge and understanding of local culture and problems.
4.
Opportunities for linking study with action.
5.
Encourages creativity, analytical skills, questioning skills.
6.
Encourages integration
with the community.
7• Encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning.
8.
Should encourage the continuance of learning when the children
art not in school (see appendix C 'note').
9.
Low cost ; not dependant on elaborate equipment or buildings.
10.
Shoh a system could be used in many different cultural situations
since it is not dependent on the preparation of vast amounts of
locally applicable material.
1.7
LANGUAGE MEDIUM
Although the main orientation of the school will be towards
the use of the local Kannada language, it is envisaged that in order
for the children to gain a fluency and literacy in English
that part of the day will be spent in the English medium.
Hini and Telegu will bo taught as second and third languages.
Seo appendix C for a discussion of the reasons behind this
policy.
1.8
EXAMINATIONS
There will be no examinations or tests carried out at the school.
However, those students who decide to enter for the state examinations
as external candidates will be given every help in doing so in
terms of exam practice, exam technique etc.
A study of the examination curriculum showa that apart from
basic literacy and numeracy, the exams are confined to testing those
subject areas tbe studied in the two years prior to the exam.
Candidates who have been learning through the above system should
not be at any disadvantage if they later embark upon the exam
curriculum.
- 121-9
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Activities such as agriculture (cultivation of the school plots)
, carpentry, pottery. tailoring, batik and tie-die will be jiven
equal importance m rhe time-table to academic work. Much time will
b ■ spent on leaxnin; traditional songs and dances. We hope that the
c.ildren will fcelt that manual skills are of equal impertaato
the .-.'crld as are academic ones.
2.C
AREAS MEHBIjMC FURT.fiR RESEARCH
In a certain sen.se , the running of the school will be a research
in i.self trying to find .a valid alternative to the present education
system for rural areas.
Sc far this 'out of classroom ' approach has not been used
with the family yr:.uping system or in a school which has no
compulsory attendance. During the evolution of the school , these and
other elements will hopefully be put together and ways of doing this
will emerge.
A study of school going and non-school going children's da'ly
^Ctivitic-s will be made and the school timings will be based around
this.
In the future it is hoped that a similar approach to study will
be developed in ~3cr for children to study for state exams. This
will involve an in depth analysis of the curriculum content •-.nd the
preparation of new material.
Educational materials-to assist the children in their studios
will be produced continously by the staff.
An analysis of learning situations in the villages and fields
will gradually accumulate in order to learn basic concepts normally
taught under specific subject headings.
Since it is unlikely that an educational process such as inis
has ever be..n tried before to this extent, it is pplanned that a log
bock will be kept , recording the development of th-_ school an< tne
children's learning. This will aid the teachers in critically examining
their work and direction. This log book could also possibly be if use
at a later date to others working in the non—formal education 3ucton.
Although the project is not primarily aimed at rese 'rm, i is h
hoped that the school will be as much a learning situation fcr the
staff as it will be for the students.
2.2
Mid Jan •
to
Mid March
PROJECTED SCHEME OF WORK FOR 1985
Start living at the site (ASTRA providing accomodation)
Start to learn Kannada
Write proposal
for funding agencies
Set up trust fund
Get to know surrounding villages, women and children
Carry
out survey's
on shildren's activities and
women's schooling and literacy rates.
Get to know local
March
Purchase land
to
Ehiploy 'helper'
J Tjne
Dig well
schools and teachers.
Ppant trees, fences, prepare land
Build staff accomodation, move in
Instal electricity
Build initial school building
July
Prepare educational materials
to
Set up craft facilities
August
September
October
to
Break , if above accomplished.
Open school for about 10 children ages 4 to ?•
Second teacher joins full time.
December
Mid December
Break for harvest
Mid Jan
Re-open.
-n 2.1
BUDGET
INITIAL, N0N3REDURRING EXPENSES
£
Rs
4
acres of land
WOll
O*000000000000000000000000000000000®0000000000
10 9
000
1857
Y 14
School building o.o.ooo.o.oooooooo.ooo. ....... ° ° ° • 12,000
857
Electricity instalment o".......................... 10,000
’ 714
Preparation of land
and maintenance tools
7,000
500
Staff accomadation
.....................ro. ....... 10,000
714
lOy 000
Y I/]
School furnishing ...o». = ..<>o.0ooooo.o = o.<..5 *000
214
Staff accomodation furnishing
t
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO^OOOO
It
t
....................
2,000
145
OoOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOO
2 000
143
......o.........
1,500
107
Equipment for other crafts
1,000
71
Books (initial) oo"-...............................
2,000
145
To t al OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 98,5 00
6,892
tt
tf
Carpentry tools
•
RECURRING EXPENSES
Monthly;
Rs
£
• • • • °•• •°.». •>. . .... =..«... -.„ .. „ .. 1*200
107
OOOCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCO •1,200
107
•
Staff salaries
Helper1S .sal ary 0000000000000000000000000000000000
400
28
School running costs ••••o"...................... 2,000
145
4,800
550
Total
0000000.0000000000000.0.0000000.0.00.000000
Anual Total
«oooo....oooooooooooooo.ooooo..oooooo
57,600
4115
TRUST FUND
The land is being purchased in the name of
purpose, liny
a trust set up for the
donations recieved over and above the estimated costs
will be added to the trust fund.
provide an income to the"school.
At a later date such a trust may
o
'I
-152.5
THS SITE
The school site is situated on the outskirts of Uhgra Village
g- km from the ASTRA sita, a group working in appropriate technology
and skills training. We are close to the river SHimsha , 115 km
from Bangalore, in Kunigal Taluk, Tumkur District, Karnataka.
The area is rural, largely free of urban influences, the economy
virtually exclusively agricultural. The are a is not one of extreem
poverty, this is mainly due to the provision of some irrigated land.
The area could be described as Typical of rural India in terms of
health status, per capita income, literacy levels and the status
of women.
The school site is surrounded by 15 villages within a 5km radius.
The plot of 4 acres of land was offered at a price of Rs6,500 per acre
although the marketable value is about I<s 10,000 per acre. This offer
was made out of good will towards the project.
2.4
L/tND
Note ; Figures quoted from 2.4 to 2.8 are from an ASTRA
survey carried out in 1977- These will be updated soon, but there
is little reason to think that they will have changed significantly.
The total area of land around the nearest 6 villages is 4056 acres.
Out of this land, 27% is irrigated for part of the year, 29% is dry
,19% uncultivated and 25% uncultivable.
The major crops grown are ragi (millet) , rice and sugar cane.
There is a large inequality in land distribution. For example, in
Uhgra Village, the poorest 51% of households hold 15% of the land while
the richest 7% hold 29% of the land. The richest 25% of households
own 65% of the land.
2.5
POPULATION
The population is distributed by age as follows ; 16% children
under 5 years, 50% children 6to 15 years, 28% adult males and 26%
adult females.
The average family size is 6.24 + 0.26 members.
The caste distribution is broadly as follows ; 2% Brahmin,
80% Vokkaliga (farmers) and 9% Harijan + 6.4% depending on the
village.
162.6
EXISTING
CRAFTS AND TRADES
There is a real shortage of skilled crafstmen in the area, partic—
lary for carpentry and masonry work. The distribution of crafstmen is
as follows (in the nearest 6 villages) ; One goldsmith, one basket
weaver, one barber, two potters, two tailors, two carpenters, two
mat weavers, four blacksmiths.
2.7
WOMEN
Women have p. low socio-economic status. They work approximately
double the hours that the; men do, for considerably less "wages. They
consume less food, and spend the major, if not the whole part of
their earnings on the household budget. Their literacy level is low
and the years spent in school (if any) are considerably lower than.
that of the men. They have virtually no access to luxury "items or entd—
ertainment.
2.8
EDUCATIONAL LEVELS
Literacy 17% + 5»2% of the population
Primary education 8.9% of the population
Secondary schooling' 5% of the population
College education 1.5% of the population.
2.9
See appendix E.
EXISTING EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES
There are primary schools in most villages. They are however
largely inadequate to meet the local needs. For instance, Ungra
primary school consists of two small bare rooms, over 100 pupils
and two teachers. In practice, by no means all of the registered
pupils attend. Some come for the free meal and then return home.
There is a secondary school at Yedavani serving itself and 5
villages. The school caters for children from class 8 to class 10.
Conditions here are similar to that of th. Ungra primary, school.
The local college taking children from class 10 to class 12 is
15 km away. The children must walk, cycle or take a bus if they can
afford it. Throughout the schooling system, th. drop out rate is
veyy high and attendance poor.
I will not attempt a discussion of the reasons for the failure
of the present 'education system. The reasons are many and there is
much literature available ion the subject. The situation at Ungra is
typical of situations throughout the developing world.
-173
3•0
LOCAL TRADITIONAL ARTS
Performances of traditional songs and dances have all but
disapnared from the area. Traditional dramas arc occasionally staged
but this is an all male pursuit, women of 'lesser morals' being
imported from the city to fill female roles, (in former times the
village women would also take part ).
Evidence of creativity in the arts is hard to find. Woven
mats and rugs ar;. plain and functional. Rangoli patterns on the
sand in front of the houses are often poorly done. However,
bullock carts are often painted with a great deal of imagination
and colour. Perhaps this lack of art form could be a function
of the time and energy required just to ensure subsistence level
living , in a climate of a general decline of traditional practices
in many spheres of life.
3.1
PROPOSED METHODS OP FUNDING
It is intended that running costs for the school will come
from Indian sources through one or more rural development agencies.
An application is also being made through the Department of
Environment and Ecology to the Karnataka State Council for Science
and Technology.
For the initial , non-recurring expenses, appeals are being made
to individuals and organizations within India and abroad.
The land is being purchased with the money from an intrest
free loan made by a Bangalore well-wisher. It is hoped that as a result
of the appeal, we can pay him back soon.
At present th .• instigator is' living at Ungra at a cost of Rs 10
per day fur food with few other expenses while at the site. However
trips to Bangalore for organizational matters, seminars etc are
a great deal m.rc expensive. Present living costs are now being
met by sporadic donations from f lends . A more reliable source of
income will have to be found during the first few months.
APPENDIX A
A n account of why th^ double medium Kannada -English
approach is to be adopted.
The decision to initially adopt a system where Kannada is the
language medium for the major part of the school 'lay, while English
will be used during the remaining part has come about after much
discussion and consideration tak, ing the foliowin,; experiences into
account ;
Of people who have undergone education in the Kannada medium
Of people who have under-rone education in the English medium
The needs expressed by the local community
Experience ( my own) of working with minority language groups in India
A consideration of the available resource material available in the
Kannada language
Discussions with those supporting the current movement to increase
the usage of Kannada at all levels of Karnatka society in order to
create a stronger sense of identity amongst fits people
A consideration of the limitations which present day society imposes
on the
i'
,
non-English speaker
The need for the children to be firmly rooted in their own language
an'1 culttre, t > have a real knowledge oi the beauty of their own
language and the ability to use it creatively in their daily lives
The experience of David Horsburgh who developed the double—medium
system in response to the needs of the children in a school in
Karnataka for the rural poor.
As a result of these discussions and actualities, hearing
varying viewpoints, certain issues on which all seem agreed have emerged;
I.
That the children will need a real fluency and literacy in the
local language since this is the language they will use throughout
their daily lives.
2. That this literacy and fluency is essential for the children to
gain an in depth knowledge and understanding of their own culture.
J.
That the Kannada language will only give access to those
vxrittun materials produced in the Karnataka State and that the
availability of non-fiction reference materials in the Kannada
language is insufficient for a student to persue many topics
( eg relating to agriculture, rural development, national /inter
national politics, information about the rest of India) in depth.
4. That a written and spoken fluency in English is, atpresent essential
to any one attempting serious studies in a hi '.her educational
establishment , or to have e.
access to information in many
spheres of life ..3 do those commin,; from the upper and middle classes.
5. That the current usage of English in Karnataka is unnecessarily
high and tha the usage of Kannada should be increased, at all
levels of society.
7. That tlnis is unlikely to happen in the next 50 years to th degree
that a non-English speaker will have the same degree of opportunity
fax for choosing his/her direction in life as cwill an English speaker^.
CCFAiVlcNiTY HEALTH CELL
O
47/1. (First Floo.-)3:. Murks noad
I
David Horsbrugh stjrtcd teaching in Karnataka in thu lac -.1
Telugu medium in an inovative rural school about 20 years ago.
He produced excellent educational materials in the local language
and w s not therfor restricted in findin-? existing appropriate
local lan,guagc medium educational materials . However, the students
soon expressed a need to have access t > materials which were notspecifically produced for the classroom in order tprrsue their
studios in greater depth.
The kind of non-fiction resources they
required were then, as now, not ".vailable in the local medium, being
produced from all over India or outside, or by institutions in
Karnataka which publish in Eh Tish,
In response- to this need, David started to tech Ehglish as an
additional language while Kannada md Hindi continued to be taught as
other useful languages.
He found that the teaching of a language for one period
a day was not conducive to the children becomming truely fluent and
literate in that language. The problem was highlighted when some
students were accepted to higher educational establishments and mixing
with students and teachers from other States, and needing access to
reading material not available in JPeleguHe then experimented with spending part of th day in the English
medium. He found that thr -u.rh this , all the children became fluent
and literate in the Ehglish language while still using l.Telegu.
for the major part of the day both at home and at school. The great
emphasis placed on th- study of .Telegh
literature , local history,
traditional art forms, an-' culture ensured that this usage of English
was not at the expense ;f loosing touch with the local language and
culture.
This double-medium approach has now been adopted by several
schools in Karnataka which are going a Ion'-' way towards meetin,-? the
needs of th urban and rural poor. This compromise seems tc be ther
only realistic solution given the present usage of both languages
at the level of the STatc and the Indian Nation. It will be adopted
by .Ananda Vana subjeot to future experience of the needs of the
local children.
APPENDIX B.
Information
about th., staff
There will be
two full time members of staff, myself and one
other. It is likely that the other staff member will bo a former work
collegue who is well experience'! in rural, education , having acted
headmaster of a nOn—government .1 rural school for the past 5 years
and himself survived the governmental rural education system in India.
Due to present work circumstances it is unlikely that he will be able
to join the project until October, but in the case of financial resources
being available for his stay here, he could join earlier.
Details of my own back-round
XUISTUJE J.SADLER, ? -JOE 26 years, Nationality British.
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS s
Bsc,Hons. Botany (subsidiaries in Geography,
Geology, Zoology, Pre-history and Archeology)
Post Graduate Certificate in Education
(Options in Education in Developing
Countries, Development studies)
RSA and ITTI certificates in Teaching
English as a second language.
The last four and a half years since leaving University have been
spent in study, travel and work in various fields of education all
of which have added up to giving essential experience for the present
work.
After leaving Sheffield University in Juno '80, I travelled in
S.E.Asia and. worked in S.E.Kalimantan (South Borneo) helping a doctor
with an infant nutrition and education programme. I returned to
the UK to learn to teach English as a foreign language and used
this to earn money in Italy (running an intensive English course
for Italian pilots and aircraft mechanics) for another trip to
S.E.Asia.
Realising that I wanted to work in education in Asia, I studied
for a P.G.C.E. at the institute of Education in London University
which ran courses on education in developing countries.
In June '82 I returned to Asia, this time to India to work with
Tibetan refugee children in Himachal Pradesh. I acted, head of the
biology department in the Children's Village school and worked, to
develop relevant and enjoyable study methods and materials for the
children there.
On finnishing my contract , I returned to the U.K. and in Jan '84
took a temporary job in a Yorkshire,government school as a science
teacher.
This was a time for re-assessing government education systems both at
home and abroad ( and my pi.ace within them) . I confirmed that there
was little I enjoyed more than working with children, but little
I found more distasteful then the existing government education
systems with all theii use of fear, indoctrination, descrimination
against children commin ’ from lower socio-economic strata and the lack
cd opportunities for any real individual growth ol the child. The
Yorkshire school wa probably one of the most pleasant English government
schools one could wish to work for.
Recieving a job offer from a progressive school in S.India, I
returned hi.re in April ’34 to persue my desire to create something
for rural children’s education. The period at Rishi Valley school
in Andhra Pradesh introduced me to the ways in which the more progressive
and forward thinking schools were working. I learnt much in the
six months that I worked there but was forded to leave in October due
to political differences. The school, though experimenting with
exiting educational methods, was basically elitist and operating
at the expense of the surrounding rural area of intense poverty.
After all the exploration, experimentaion and gaining of experience
I now felt ready to settle on a more permanent basis and and to try
to put some ideas into practice. I recieved great help from friends
and well-wishers in Bangalore which finnally led to the decision
to set up next door to the ASTRA group in Karnataka.
My commitment to the school is indefinite . Uhgra will bo a
home as well as a place of work. Although efforts will be made to
ensure that if at any time I have to leave India (eg due to now
visa rostri ctions) that there are people to carry on the school
, in the absence of such an event the initial commitment will be
for about IG years. This should be long enough to firmly establish
th'c system of education , to see many of the children through it
and to ensure the continuance of th<_ school.
Other activities I hope to persue include writing for the
children's page of a S.Indian newspaper, and the formation of a group
of individuals workin. • in the non-formal education sector to meet
once or twice a year to share ex periences, and run work shops.
APPENDIX C
A more detailed analysis of the proposer1
educational approach
(I)
Problems of alienation at the vill.y~c school level as affected
by the- content material use'1 for study
VILLAGE
TRADITIONS
4 CULTURAL
ENVIRONMENT
SCHOOL
;
;
'
Education through!
CHILD---- a study of
Study
materials \
material
comraing frjm\^ content
an alien culture ,
I
20th CENTURY
HIGH TECH.
SOCIETY +
WESTERN & CITY
CULTURE
L--------------------
BARRIER
Little continuity or connection
between home and school ; the young adults drop out of school
or continue their educati ;n at the
expense of being alien-fated from thar
cultural background.
Componants of the existing education system and its methodology
( i i)
Componants of th.- existing schooling process
!
________
I. DEVELOPMENT OF
THE CHILD
IN TERMS OF , EG;
Conceptualskills,
Discipline
Analytical thinking
Creativity etc
,-T-
2. CONTENT
MATERIAL
'
Selected body of
knowledge presented
to the child
3. ~EXAMINATICN
CURRICULUM
& REQUIREMENTS
Even smaller
(arbitrary?)
section of
mankind.'s knowled ;
THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ( EXISTING CLASSROOM Ai-x-HOACH ) |
. a I lE.E1EIT_.
..
THE CHILD
is taken out ofl society, and
in the classroom , studies (2)
to develop (l) in order to be
competent in (j) in preparation
for (4).
j\i' ■
4. THE WORLD
OUTSIDE THE
CLASSROOM &
the child's
future life
within it.
The validity of the proposed process of education rc-sts on the
assumption that the content material (2) require in order to make
progress in (l) and ($) and , more importantly to prepare the child
for (4) need not bo presented to the child inside the classroom or in
the form of selected and packaged information. The child can use his/her
surrounding enevironment as the basis for study, thus reversing the
direction of flow in diagram (i) , but due to the techniques used, in
the study ( in terms of learning to use more untraditional thought
processes) and having access to reference materials comming from
cutside the cvillage culture, barriers between the village, the school
and the national enciroment s will be reduced.
Seherratic Diagram > f Proposed Approach
(iii)
VILLAGE
TRADITIONS
& CULTURAL '
ENVIRONMENT
1
(a) CHILD
zx j
1
THOUGHT PROCESSES
CLIMATE
mainly static
(e) CHILD
New possibilities I
for change/retention
cf traditional.
methods, values etc.
dx
SCHOOL
A Learns to question
I
and investigate his/
her local environi
ment.
’
TEACHING STAFF
RESOURCE MATERIAL
STUDIOUS
ENVIRONMENT
(c) CHILD
/
Discussion, analysis X
practice of new
skills
THOUGHT PROCESSES
eg, reduction!sm
empirisism,
scientific
analysi s
i
(b) CHILD
Through books
visits, finds
out how familiar
issues are dealt
with elsewhere
i
'd) CHILD
|
Studies village ,<___
environment in
, reater depth
20th CENTURY
HIGH TECH.
SOCIETY +
CLIMATE
eg
political,
changing values
, technologies,
ways of life
Similarities between proposed method of education
and those of pre-school traditional societies"
(iv)
Little or no distinction between 'learnin;
'play' , 'work'
and 'leisure'
The child participates in village activities while learning
Mixes with both sexes and all age—groups
Loams through listening to his/her elders and caring for
those younger than him/her
Learns through exporimentaion, investigation and play with
his/her immediate environment
Gradually assumes more responsibility in the community
Most of the above is done through choice, there is no
compulsory education.
Note ; for those children who on various occasions will not be able
to participate in school activities due to demands made from
heme, it is hoped that participation in the village activity
will aslo be used a subject matter for discussion and analysis
at school, eg, participation in the harvest could provide a
basis for an investigation into the methods used, participation
in religious /cultural festivals could precipitate discussion
• about or research into their value and origins.
(v)
The child's learning environment and age as related;/ to
Piaget's system of cognitive growth
AGE
LEARNING ENVmONiW'IT
BABY
mother .
TODDLER
House
KNOWLEDGE
1
CONCEPTUAL
ABILITIES
1
pre—concrete
Concrete
xr
CHILD
TEENAGER
ADULT
House, garden,
village, fields
Beyond the home
and village
0
&
Extended to inform ation
camming through printed
matter, the media,
from other's experience
of the world
CM
formal thought
abstract model—making
APPENDIX E
Season—vase and activity^—wise- energy expenditure of men
and women in hours per lay worked
Source, ASTRA
Hrs / woman
Aug.
Dec.
SECTOR
Hrs/man
Apr.
Aug.
Dec.
Apr.
AGRICULTURE
0.69
5.16
2.20
0.29
LIVESTOCK
CARE
1.64
1.84
1.64
1.02
1.7
1.02
DOMESTIC
0.54
0.54
0.54
3.41
5.41
5.41
TOTAL
2.8?
4.58
6.72
10.2
9.05
Note;
2.62
5.09
Figures arc ci ven for the lowest (April) and peak(Aug & Dec)
periods of activity. The marriage season is in April. The
school holidays will correspond to these three months.
Total number of hours per day spent , on average by children
under 14 years on domestic and live-stcx related activities = Jhrs.
Children do not normally take part in agriculture.
Literacy and years of Schooling
APPENDIX E
5
6
26.2%^ 12.5%
15.2%
16.1%
17.9%
15.2%
4.8%
5.6%
9-5%
&.&>/>
7.2%
3%
2.9%
6.2%
5%
2.4%
1.4%
1.5%
0.9%
1.5%
CATEGORY
I
2
5
Literates
17.5%
21.5%
Primary
Er1 uc at ion 11.4%
8.5%
Secondary
Education
4.6%
7-T%
Collece
Education
1.1%
4
Average
The numbers refer to the 6 nearest villaces ; I , Arjunahalli,
2, Hanchipura , 5» Keelara, 4, Pura , 5»Sug.zabahalli, 6,Ungra.
Source, ASTRA,
d'TaAIaZ'
cj iAJcXTQa
V<dgG<A CexAkYKU-vA^
A. study was carried out over the past year by ASTR/i which aimed
at understanding the role of women in the functioning of the local
agricultural and domestic economies. The study gave the following
information .
WOffi'I'S LABOUR IN UNGRA.
In Ungra. village, 79% of the total adult women work in the
agricultural and industrial sectors. 51% of the working population
is made up of women,. 75% was contributed by hired women, 27%
by family members, working in the agricultural sector, while
2,5% of the women worked in the industrial sector, weaving baskets,
mats and leaves.
WAGES AND INCOME
Women earned a maximum wage of Rs 0.9 per hour and a minimum
o£ Rs 0.5 per hour. Women were served one meal pEE day for all
agricultural operations except for winnowing for which they
recieved three meals per day.
Men recieved two or th ree meals per day plus beedies and
coffee for all operations. Their maximum wage was Rs 1.5 per hour
and minimum , Rs 0.75 per hour.
NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED
Taking domestic and agricultural work into consideration, in
all seasons, the women worked at 1 --ast double the hours that men did.
To quote ASTRA ;
1’ In all, it is clear that the operations which involve
bending, equating, or walking arc usually assigned to
women while men perform activities which involve
animals, equipment, and skill’1.
NUTRITION
The ratio of food intake of men to women was found to be 1.75sI*
T^e ratio of food intake woman to child,k was ill.4. Women serve
the men and children first, then eat what is left.
SPENDING OF INCOME
Observations and interviews with village women indicate that
the women provide the major part of the household'expenses from their
earnings, while the men spetd the major part of their earnings on
beedies, coffee, liquor, clothes, visits to the cinema etc.
EDUCATION
The literacy rate amongst Ungra women is very poor. The proportion
of school going boys is greater than that of girls at every level
of schooling, increasingly greater with age.
’’On the whole, women are largely denied access to education*’
- Media
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