Accelerated Learning through Nutrition in Learning Camps

India’s National Education Policy 2020 mentions: “The highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school by 2025. The rest of this Policy will become relevant for our students only if this most basic learning requirement (i.e., reading, writing, and arithmetic at the foundational level) is first achieved.” We find that in Haryana, 71% of Grade-3 students cannot read Grade-1 level text (ASER, 2019) and the average scores in Hindi in Grade-3 was ~59% (NAS, 2019)

To ensure the attainment of foundational literacy in young children, Language and Learning Foundation is conducting a home-based learning model called “Har Ghar School” in 7 districts of Haryana. Summer learning camps and community classes are an integral part of the initiative. Through the “Har Ghar School” program, we are reaching 55%-60% of the students in the intervention districts with academic support from teachers and volunteers. Our aim is to reach all children to support them in foundational learning during school closures.

To improve student attendance, our strategy is to provide nutritional support in the summer camps.

• Organize summer learning camps as a part of the existing intervention (May-June 2021): Summer camps are a proven method to bridge the learning gap, minimize learning loss, and can prove useful for learning during the pandemic. Summer camp would aim at targeted literacy instruction for grades 1 and 2 children. The summer camps will be organized through a collaborative effort of the system, school, parents, SMC & community for 20 days in May-June 2021. In the summer camp, grades -1, 2 & 3 students will get access to learning material, storybooks, and workbooks from LLF. The currently inducted community volunteers or school teachers will teach 3 hours daily during the summer camp.
• Provide Nutritional Support during the camps through additional funds: To ensure attendance in the summer camps, refreshments (fruits, juices and biscuits) will be provided to students in the duration of the two hours. The cost per child for receiving the nutritional supplements will be Rs. 5 per day.
• Monitoring of the summer camps by the system: The LLF staff, BRP/ABRCs, SMC members will monitor implementation of the summer camp by tracking student attendance, nutritional supplements received and the number of camps held in every block.

At the end of the program, the children will be well-placed for learning during the pandemic through a combination of support structures provided by LLF such as graded workbooks and reading books, storybooks, academic support by volunteers and teachers, and access to spaces for formal learning. In addition, the members of the community (Volunteers, parents and SMC) will be involved in the implementation of these camps. The nutritional support for learning will be advantageous for these students and serve as motivation for the families to send their children to summer camps. The outcomes are listed below:

1. Minimize learning losses in young children caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Provide adequate nutrition for young children to ensure learning during the pandemic.
3. Provide adequate opportunities for academic support and formal learning during the pandemic through summer camps.

The impact will be demonstrated by measuring -

• Change in attendance: Change in Student attendance to Enrolment ratio in “Har Ghar School” classes and at the end of summer camps.
• Change in learning outcomes: Sampled learning outcomes assessment at the beginning and end of the camp.