Education in India

Community college initiative by the Madras Centre for Research and Development of Community Education

Mylapore Times (dated May 29 - June 04, 2004), a local neighbourhood newspaper in Chennai, interviewed Dr. Xavier Alphonse, a Jesuit priest who set up the Madras Centre for Research and Development of Community Education (MCRDCE) in 1999 to facilitate the growth of community colleges in India. For the last five years, the centre has been actively involved in this process and has, till date, helped to set up 111 colleges.

Dr. Xavier Alphonse, director of MCRDCE, has served as the Principal of Loyola College, Chennai, for three years and currently works in the English Department of this college. He set up the Madras Community College in San Thome in 1996, worked here for three years and visited 18 community colleges abroad, before he decided to set up the centre.

Here's the text of the interview.

How would you define a community college? It is a place that makes people fit for a job. It is an alternative system of education to empower the socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged. Here, we concentrate more on skill development based on each individual. Anyone can join - school dropouts, degree holders who want to learn a particular skill - we even have students from the rural areas. Anyone from the age group of 16 to 47 years can enroll.

What is this 'alternative' system of education?
First, we concentrate on teaching life-coping skills. This covers self-esteem, motivation, time management, dealing with loneliness and failure - a complete attitudinal formation of the individual. Second, we have a dynamic relationship with employers. So far, formal education and industries have been like a railway track, they never met. But with community colleges, they are very much a part of the process. Internship is a must for everyone, because we believe that hands-on experience is invaluable. Here, we follow a reverse process as compared to formal education. We conduct a complete analysis of the employment scene and see where people are required. We have assured job placement.

Why were community colleges started ?
The movement began in order to give equal opportunities to all. In my experience as a teacher, I have seen that the poor always get eliminated. They needed a space of their own. According to a UNDP survey, there are 550 million people in India without skills, though we are ranked seventh when it concerns information technology skills. Obviously, skills of the day are not reaching the poor.

What is the role of the centre you run?
We are the facilitators. Before we help to set up a community college, we conduct meticulous and extensive research on the community. We approach industries or organisations for help and sponsorship. I design textbooks and the centre also helps in teacher training. We have trained more than 650 teachers so far. Now we are trying to make the projects financially viable, as no fees are charged. In the sense, if they cannot pay, we don't throw them out. Some of the students have been known to pay the institution after they get jobs and they even sponsor the education of some of their juniors.

How is the movement progressing ?
It is a positive growth. For our centre, I believe that we have crossed the first stage of conceptualising and implementation. Now we need to concentrate on consolidation and quality sustenance. Personally, I want the community colleges to go to rural areas as well. We need to set them up there, hone skills in integrated farming, horticulture and tapping native medicines so that they can give back to the community. Another thing we need to concentrate on is the vertical growth of the students - how to induct them into other universities for higher studies. I am trying to link up with open universities for this purpose.

The MCRDCE web site provides some more information.

The Community College movement started in India in 1995. As the Community Colleges were emerging, there was a need felt by the Community Colleges to have a Co-ordinating Agency. To respond to this need, The Madras Centre for Research and Development of Community Education (MCRDCE) was started in January 1999. It is an undertaking of the Jesuits of Tamilnadu Province to help, facilitate and consolidate the Community College Movement. The Centre is the unit of the Loyola Technical Institute Society, Madurai.

MCRDCE is a service agency that helps the various Community Colleges in different aspects of the Community College system. It is not a body of accreditation that gives recognition and approval for the Community Colleges. It performs the functions of helping the agencies to establish Community Colleges, monitor them continuously and evaluate them periodically. It has succeeded in bringing all the Community Colleges for five Consultations during the last two years. It has also conducted two national workshops involving the NGOs in India and existing Community Colleges in collaboration with the HRD Ministry. It has fulfilled the function of net working among the Colleges and sharing of information. It has provided a direction and a focus to the Community College Movement.

For more details, contact
Madras Centre for Research and Development of Community Education
Gokul Villa, 'A' Block, Flat No. S5&S6, 2nd Floor,
No. 250, R.K. Mutt Road, R.A. Puram, Chennai - 600 028. E-mail : [email protected]

The Promise Foundation is applying psychology towards improving education

I recently came across The Promise Foundation, an interesting Bangalore-based organisation, which is applying psychology towards improve education. According to their web site,

The Promise Foundation is involved in applying the behavioural sciences to promote educational, social and economic development.

The Promise Foundation is deeply committed to systematic and scientific research. We examine aspects of the behavioural sciences that are linked to education and social and economic development. We conduct our own research to test existing theory and develop models relevant to the Indian situation. India presents a situation where the paucity of resources and urgency of need do not allow for the luxury of research that is not directly linked to application. Our attempt is to follow the action research model and the driving force behind our efforts at scientific investigation are to develop applications. Therefore, while we do believe that research must inform practice, we also have learnt that practice could lead and shape research. It is our attempt to translate relevant theory and research into applications that facilitate behavioural change amongst the economically disadvantaged.

Our modus operandi has been to blend direct service delivery by The Promise Foundation's teams, with training other organisations, to replicate these services in their locations. Our programmes are implemented at three levels:

• Direct implementation by our teams in schools, slums and rural areas, through workshops and intervention programmes. We currently work directly in about 55 schools spread across a range of Indian towns and cities.
• Training Programmes for adults working with children and youth from socially and economically disadvantaged homes (e.g. teachers, wardens, non-formal educators, animators, pre-school teachers). Our training courses are skills oriented and are firmly rooted in research findings.
• Consultancy to Government, Non-Governmental and International Organisations for training their workers and developing sustainable systems for programme implementation, assessment and appraisal. We currently work with close to 150 organisations that are involved with children and adolescents.

Most importantly our objective is to function as a Resource Group, that would provide consultancy to other organisations already working for children and youth. It is through our training programmes that we hope to see our interventions replicated on a larger scale.

The Promise Foundation's interventions follow the course of the person's growth and comprise three core programmes across the developmental spectrum.

• Stimulation Intervention Programmes (SIP), focusses on early childhood care and education, for children deprived of quality experiences for social, emotional and cognitive development.
  
• Programmes for Assisted Learning (PAL), is an accelerated learning programme targeting children who are at risk to failing and dropping out of school.
  
• Work Awareness and You (WAY), addresses the career development needs of high schoolers and helps them find answers to questions of planning for fruitful employment in the future.

A list of research papers describing their findings from research over the past decade are available on their site. We need more such efforts to help improve education by systematic study of the many challenges we face.

Gandhi, Aurobindo and Tilak on Education

The National Council of Teacher Education has put together a comprehensive compilation of

• Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts on education. It is available for download as a 169 page MS-Word document (707kb).
  
• Sri Aurobindo's thoughts on education. It is available for download as a 72 page MS-Word document (288kb).
  
• a series of articles on Lokamanya Bala Gangadhar Tilak's thoughts on education

They have also put together President Zakir Husain's thoughts on education, which I couldn't find online.

A list of NCTE's publications are available online.

Chennai NGO runs an open school

In the context of an earlier post which discussed the possibility of working through the National Open school, I came across an effort by a Chennai-based NGO that is trying to do just that.

The Montfort Community Development Society (MCDS) in Chennai - an NGO managed by the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, is reaching out to thousands of families in the urban slums of Chennai and rural centres in the neighbouring Districts through Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and Integrated Community Development Programmes.

As part of its activities, the MCDS runs the Montfort Open School which "prepares school drop-outs and failed candidates to appear for Std.VIII, X and XII examinations." I have written to them to find out more about their activities and will post details after I hear from them.

A school voucher model for rural India

Gurcharan Das, writing in the Times of India says

The government presented the free and compulsory education for children bill in the winter session, and we are celebrating as though we had beaten Australia in cricket. We should hail it as a great blow against the curse and shame of child labour. But we are not, and for good reason — we have lost faith in the state’s ability to run schools.

We accepted capitalism and the liberal reforms in 1991 because we thought that as the state withdrew from running businesses, it would pay attention to education. Having abandoned the socialist ideal of the equality of result, we now hoped for greater equality of opportunity, as so many capitalist societies in the West and the Far East have achieved. But this did not happen. Government schools remain unreformed, the gap persists, and a sense of betrayal mocks us.

Gurcharan Das refers to an article titled Primary Education in Rural Areas published in the Economic & Political Weekly a few months ago which proposed a model that is cost-effective, self-sustaining and has reduced scope for corruption, designed mainly for rural India. The model suggests the following:

• State will provide 'free and compulsory educaiton' to all children subject to the limits of its economic capacity;
  
• Competition ensures better service at lower cost;
  
• Human beings per se are not avers to learning (education). IN other words, given the proper environment, every child yearns to learn;
  
• The prime objective of primary level education is to help the child acquire the ability to read and write;
  
• The state will build schoolrooms around a playground and lease them out to qualified teacher entrepreneurs to run primary schools from standard I to IV according to the curriculum designed and approved by the state;
  
• The state will continue to support primary education by giving education vouchers to all eligible children which can be used to pay fees in any school of their choice run by the teacher entrepreneurs;

Das makes a strong case for trying out the above model.

School vouchers were first mooted in Prime Minister Vajpayee’s Economic Advisory Council in 2000. They have been tried in many countries with varying degrees of success, as a World Bank report brings out. In India, primary schools are in such distress that we owe it to ourselves to test this idea in at least one district, perhaps in Rajasthan, which is home to the best innovations in education. Through the test we will gain conviction before expanding vouchers nationwide.

We should also be prepared for opposition from vested interests — teachers, bureaucrats, and politicians don’t want to become accountable. But if the test succeeds, it might revolutionise primary education just as the STD booth revolutionised telecommunication. Mind you, the STD meter also started out as a test in one district.

He mentions Rajasthan as a state which is home to the best innovations in education. I am not aware of the innovations that are being tried out there - if any one knows, I'd be very interested in hearing of them.

School Complexes

The Education Commission set up in 1964, under the chairmanship of Dr. D.S. Kothari (normally referred to as the Kothari Commission) produced a report after two years of study. The report had described the idea of school complexes. The District Primary Education Program web site describes the concept of school complexes as mentioned in the Kothari Commission Report as follows:

The concept of school complexes was developed in Kothari Commission Report (1964-66). It is based on the assumption that High and Higher Secondary schools have better laboratory and library facilities, which can be utilized by the primary and middle schools. These schools have also better qualified and trained teachers; they have larger and well-developed playgrounds and games materials. Five or six primary and upper primary schools, as per convenience, may form a complex and get their academic and administrative support from the nodal secondary/senior secondary school. The attached schools in the complex, may arrange co-curricular activities, give better exposure to their students at the thus formed school complex rather than taking up the matter at block or district level. In case of temporary absence of the teacher due to illness, the school complex head can provide a substitute from a neighbouring school. A large number of academic issues and problems can be discussed at the school complex level by arranging a meeting of all the teachers or otherwise. Thus many states have evolved their own guidelines and formed school complexes.

The school complex model is very similar to the model I described in an earlier post. What I called the Central Unit (CU) could well be the nodal secondary/senior secondary school and the Local Units (LUs) could be the primary and upper primary schools that are attached to the CU. But I don't know if the school complex concept has been implemented anywhere over the past 35 years since the Kothari Commission Report came out. If anyone knows something about this, please do let me know.

Another thought that struck me was that the private schools that are being set up with substantial investments by various corporates like Reliance, Birlas and various other organisations involved in education could possibly become the CU and set up satellite schools themselves to leverage their infrastructure better. Need to think this through a bit more and try and write up a concept note on what a private school can do.

The National Institute of Open Schooling and the Centre For Learning in Bangalore

Two institutions in the educational space - the National Institute of Open Schooling (formerly called the National Open School) and the Centre for Learning in Bangalore point the way to some interesting possibilities.

The following is excerpted from the NIOS web site, which is not very user friendly - the Table of Contents is not linked from the home page at all.

Academic Courses:

• Secondary Education Course: This is offered to those who are desirous of completing 10th standard education leading to Secondary School Certificate
  
• Senior Secondary Education Course: This is designed for those who have passed 10th standard or equivalent and would like to continue their education for 12th standard. This leads to the Senior Secondary School Certificate.
  
• Vocational and Stand Alone Courses

This means anyone can take the Class X and Class XII exams without having to go to a conventional school.

Admission Details: Essential requirements for admission to the Open School include:

• Proof of age. The Admission Notice 2003-2004 states that there is no lower/upper age limit for Registration for NIOS Examinations. However, NIOS will not be responsible for Non-Admission to other institutions of higher education on account of the age mentioned in the certificates granted by NIOS.
  
• Minimum educational qualifications which can be either self-certicate or a certificate of having passed class V for the Secondary Education Course and a pass in the Secondary Examination from a recognised board of Secondary Education for the Senior Secondary Education Course.
  
• Supporting documents which can be a self-certificate or a Transfer certificate from any school for the Secondary Education Course and an attested copy of the Certificate of Matriculation / Secondary / High School Examination from a recognised Board of Secondary Education.
  
• Registration for a course is valid for five years from the year of registration allowing nine chances to appear in the public examination held twice a year during this period. A two year gap is essential between passing of Secondary (class X) and Sr. Secondary (class XII) level.
  
• Choice of Subjects: any five subjects from a given list is required for certification with no compulsory subject/language.

This means one can take the Class X and XII exams at any age as long as one is above ten years of age, though one has to wait for two years between taking the Class X and the Class XII exams - don't know why they want this gap. Choice of subjects is again completely free as opposed to fixed combinations in a conventional school.

There is a list of

• School Boards that have recognised the National Open School Examinations for eligibility for the Senior Secondary Education Course (Class XI and XII).
  
• Universities/Institutions that have recognised the National Open School Examination fior eligibility for undergraduate college education.

Most state and central boards figure in this list. So presumably anyone passing the Class X Open School Exams can join any conventional school for Classes XI and XII. Most major universities and all IITs figure in this list - so presumably anyone passing the Class XII Open School Exams can join any of the universities and IITs in the above list to pursue higher education.

This opens up a potentially huge opportunity. Here's the idea:

Set up an institution to function as a "school" but without formally being affiliated to any board of education. Take in students from KG all the way to Class XII, and follow an independent syllabus/curriculum, but aim to prepare the students so that they are able to take the Class X and Class XII exams through the National Open School (or ICSE depending on the student's choice) as private candidates and prepare them well so they can crack the exams with high scores. All students who pass the Open School exams can then enter the mainstream (for admission to Classes XI and XII in a conventional school if they so desire and for admission to undergraduate courses in colleges and univesities as well).

The institution has no need to follow the pattern of a conventional school. It is free to set its own educational agenda, innovate in the use of educational methodologies and do things things the way it thinks is best for helping the children learn.

The Centre For Learning in Bangalore shows the way

There is actually a working model on these lines out there in the real world. The Centre for Learning (CFL) in Bangalore does precisely this. They have their own educational philosophy inspired by J. Krishnamurti and they set their own curriculum. They have been in operation for over ten years and moved to their own campus 40 km from Bangalore in the year 2000..

The biggest challenge CFL faces is to find a way of raising enough funds to set up the basic infrastructure and then make ends meet each year. They continue to depend largely on donations and describe their financial situation thus:

Being small, the school cannot meet all its expenses from fees. We have, from the beginning successfully resisted the pressure to limit admission to children from wealthy families alone. Increasing the number of students has not been an option either. Costs are tightly controlled. Salaries for staff are need based. Fees are not discussed before admission is offered. Families are encouraged to view fees as a contribution to sustain the school rather than a fee for a service.We have successfully put in place, with parents' cooperation a fee structure that reflects the famiy's financial situation.

This, of course, exposes the school to constant financial "anxiety"! Currently fees meet approximately 60% of expenses. The income from the endowment fund contributes 20%. We depend on the generosity of donors to help meet the deficit. We would like to augment the endowment fund so that we are do not depend, in the long run on donations, except for infrastructure.

CFL has pioneered the concept and operationalised it, but it still needs to tune the model into a self-sustaining model that can be started with some seed capital and then generates enough income through fees and other means to meet operational costs each year. How can that be done? I will attempt to describe some ideas towards a self-sustaining model in future posts in the coming days.

Adding value to a Bachelors course in Economics

What is a B.A. in Economics worth today? Why do people opt for it? Most people to whom I've posed this question seem to think its just for the piece of paper which says they've completed an undergraduate education, which is a pre-requisite for being eligible for most jobs in the organised sector. They could just as well have opted for a Bachelors degree in history or sociology or any of the other myriad subjects.

Is there a way of adding value to a Bachelors degree in economics from the point of view of all the various constituents who have a stake in it? To do so would mean addressing the needs of the three main constituents

1. Students (and maybe parents when it is they who make decisions on the courses for their wards) who need to choose the course the want
   
2. Colleges that offers the Bachelors in Economics course
   
3. Employers who expect to hire people with a good set of skills and abilities,

and making a B.A. in economics highly desirable for all of them.

Here's an idea:

The institution turns publisher/consulting firm for local businesses and publishes a survey of the local economy and undertakes commissioned market surveys/studies and creates a new revenue stream for itself.

The students who opt for the B.A. Economics course go through a three step process, in addition to their regular course work, during their three years of study.

• First Year Students: Will collect the raw data and do a lot of field work and learn about data collection techniques, how to pose the right questions, how to ensure quality control in data collection and so on
• Second Year Students: Will analyse and interpret the data collected by the First Year Students to discern patterns/trends and arrive at conclusions about the local economy andr prepare commissioned reports for local businesses. They will learn analytical skills.
• Third Year Students: will publish an annual branded product (print+CD-ROM+Internet) and market it to make the product a revenue earner for their college. The students will learn how to package, price, promote and market the product on a commercial basis. They also learn to go and pitch to local businesses to do consulting work for them (generating customised reports and studies) and negotiate a fee for it.

The faculty will guide the Third Year Students who will in turn guide the Second Year Students, who will in turn guide the First Year Students.

The Benefits:

• The colleges open up a new source of revenue at zero or minimal cost (the students do all the work as part of their course work and don't get paid anything extra)
• The colleges create a brand and raise their profile in the community
• The students learn skills to seek and gather information, analyse and interpret the information and finally to package and market it as products of value to people to who would be willing to pay for it. These are precisely the skills that employers would be looking for and every student is trained in all of the above over the three years of their course. This makes the students highly desirable in the eyes of potential employers.
• The students learn how to work in a team and assign work to others, set standards and work towards a common goal of putting out a product. The product will be a tangible symbol of achievement for all.
• The employer community will have access to a large pool of trained people each year, with a set of skills backed by the experience of having dealt with the market.
• Local businesses will have access to a research and consulting firm (the local college) capable of providing relvant, high quality data and reports in a timely manner at a reasonable cost.