Society for Community Participation & Empowerment (SCOPE)

In India, the primary concern regarding education has revolved around the quality of schooling, a key focus of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). Despite the allocation of infrastructure and resources for primary education, maintaining satisfactory educational standards has been a challenge. Pratham, as the first national NGO to address this issue, has played a pivotal role. Collaborating with partner organizations, Pratham has conducted Annual Surveys of rural school children since 2003, covering 20 villages in each district and 30 households in every village, focusing on children aged 6 to 14 years. This initiative represents a significant citizen-driven effort and stands as the largest survey of its kind in the country.

The survey tools were tailored for each state, facilitating simultaneous data collection across all 580 districts during September to October each year. The findings are compiled into a report published annually on January 14th in Delhi, and disseminated to district,

The program targets the two primary chronic challenges hindering the quality of education in rural schools across our country: teacher shortages and teaching quality. It specifically caters to children aged 10-14 (in grades 6 to 8). Trained and dedicated volunteer teachers conduct interactive sessions via Skype in the local language for students residing in remote villages. The program adheres to the state curriculum. These teachers may be located anywhere globally. Students participate in these sessions in a digital classroom equipped with broadband connectivity.

The program was initially tested in four primary schools located in four villages within the Dharwad block, namely Managundi, Baad, Nigadi, and Benakatti. Through this initiative, children engage in learning English, Mathematics, and Science.