Policy Play

At a block level, news of something new travels pretty fast. Before the inauguration of the new building, the Block Education officer (BEO) had made a quick visit to see the new building. Over the last three years, the school in Kalaunjar has acquired quite a reputation. From a school where learning levels were the lowest to becoming one of the best schools in the district, Kalaunjar has endured a tough but fulfilling journey.

Majority of children in India go to government schools and yet their systems are not very conducive to change. Given Quest’s history in Samastipur with Anandshala, the government connections in place helped a great deal.

"कलॉन्जर अब कोई शिक्षक जाना नहीं चाहते क्यूंकि उन्हें पता है

कि वहां पर आनन्दशाला है और काम करना पड़ेगा वो भी समय पर।"

- प्रवीण कुमार सिंह , ब्लाक रिसोर्स पर्सन, कलयाणपुर

Petition for new teachers

For effective teaching, the student - teacher ratio must be 30:1. In Kalaunjar there are 6 teachers and 1 headmaster for almost 700 students. With that ratio, there is only so much that training can do. The Quest team got a petition signed from students, teachers and community members to increase the number of teachers at Kalaunjar - 5 copies of which were distributed to various government officials.

Unused capital

Before the construction of the building, Quest had approached the government for giving funds for the construction of the new building. The government had agreed and soon enough 12 lakhs were deposited in the school bank account. When no one was willing to sign papers for tearing down the existing building, the money was sent back unused to the government.

Even for the construction of the kitchen, the government had given funds which were never used for their intended purpose due to corruption.

Constant communication

The government received constant communication about what was happening in the school and some officials have been a part of different training sessions as well. This buy in from the government, though only namesake at times helped build trust from the school and the community.

Looking back

An understanding of the government system and policies and building a relationship with the government is key to driving change in public schools. It makes working with people easier and faster.

While we are working in contexts like these, it is also important to evangelise change and shift the perspective to be open to innovation.

"सरकार को सिर्फ रिपोर्ट चाहिए, क्लासरूम में पढाई हो रही है या नहीं

इससे उनको कोई फर्क नहीं पड़ता!"

- विनय ठाकुर, शिक्षक