Back to Schools – An intervention to ensure the progressive learning outcomes of children from Mahadalit communities in Tajpur block of Samasitpur, Bihar

The pandemic has affected the education of children in Bihar and is adversely affecting their growth. Dalit Vikas Abhiyan Samiti is bridging the gap by providing educational competencies and resources to children in government schools, according to their age and level of learning (class from I – V Std) for next six months. The organisation is setting up 20 Supplementary Education Centers (SECs) for remedial classes of 40 children each thereby positively impacting at least 800 children. They are also working on a back to school campaign.

The schools have been closed for almost 1.5 yrs since March 2020 with COVID 19 pandemic. The digital education as promoted by national and state governments have barely made heir reach to 12% of children as an outcome of very poor internet connectivity in rural areas and poor android mobile phone accessibilities. This has not only stopped the learning process of children but has resulted in de- learning and keeping them outside the teaching – learning process i.e the learning loop. Besides due to government policy these children have been promoted to the next level of classes and would be facing the subject knowledge gap due to non-studies in previous academic year in Schools. Further this will result in low confidence and gap in reading, writing comprehension making it uncomfortable for the child to retain in schools and large scale drop out among children of the educationally most backward Mahadalit communities. 

The project will address the gaps in educational competencies of children according to age and level of class from I – V Std in government schools expected to be reopened in next 15 days.

·        Operationalizing Supplementary Education Centers (SECs): Remedial courses will be administered at village level supplementary education Centre through volunteers for 2 hours every day to fill gap in class appropriate learning among children for next three months so that the child is able to comprehend the subject matter on the current class to which she/he has been promoted. This will be followed with supplementing the educational process of current learning level as per class enrolled. Each SEC will support 40 children and 20 such centres will be run for next six months (15th feb 2022 - 15 August 22) under the proposed project.

·        Back to School campaign will be organized to bring the children back and retain children in School’s post CoVID pandemic.

·        Capacity Building of SEC volunteers on inclusive teaching methodology to address the learning outcomes of the children.

·        Promoting Covid safety protocols in schools and villages among children through: Behavior change communication, sensitization of govt. schools’ teachers and community.

The project will impact in improving the educational competencies of the children of the mahadalit communities enabling their retention in the schools and improved learning outcomes. This will also promote the inclusive educational process in schools and also motivate parents to send their children to schools.

To capacity building initiatives of the volunteers will not only develop a cadre of resource groups to support the supplementary education in villages but also support the home-based learning among the larger group of children. The cadre of volunteer will keep on raising the educational issues at various platforms for improvement of educational services in schools.

Promoting covid safety protocols through Behavior change communication and vaccination drive to promote the safety cover for children in the age group 6-18 yrs against covid infections thereby reducing mortality and morbidity among children.