Special education assistants appointed for the Vidya Sahyog project. Focus on Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS). It aimed to benefit over 2800 students from Classes I to III with focus on English.
New Delhi: As the education budget 2022 put more focus on digital education, Haryana education department has assigned 40 out of the 78 Sanskriti Model primary schools in Gurugram to NGO Lotus Petal Foundation under the Vidya Sahyog Programme. This is being done to improve learning outcomes in government schools and improve school enrolments. Currently, the pilot project is under implementation across 14 schools in Gurgaon in collaboration with the Department of Education.
The project will run on a hub and spoke model to bridge the identified teaching gaps, delivering live lectures in government schools with 2-way student teacher communication from remote teaching facilities, replacing pre-recorded videotutorials on the subject. This will help students meet the learning outcomes of the grade, while encouraging opportunities for girl students for a focused learning, thereby addressing gender equality issues.
Speaking on the collaboration, Sheel Kumari, Gurugram Block Education Officer said, “Lotus Petal Foundation has been successfully conducting online English classes with the support of our teachers in 15 Model Sanskriti Schools in Gurugram. The online classes will soon be implemented across 25 more schools. We have noticed an enhancement in the learning levels of the children and are looking forward to expanding these classes to all 78 Model Sanskriti Schools in the Gurugram block. These classes will strengthen the learning foundation of the children and lead them towards a brighter future.”
Kushal Chakravorty, Founder, Lotus Petal Foundation added, “The new Model Sanskriti Schools established by the Haryana government is a move in the right direction. These schools introduce the English language from Grade 1. We are happy to support the government in strengthening this initiative by helping them with digital learning methods to enable children who are facing challenges. Given the times we live in, digital is the way forward. The initial results have been encouraging and show that government-non-profit partnerships can create a good ecosystem for delivering quality learning outcomes for students.”
Same grades from two different schools will join a virtual classroom, thereby encouraging participation among students, giving them an opportunity to interact with other schools and engage in a healthy competitive learning. To track the progress of every student, a learning analysis will be done through periodic assessments every 3 months, with remedial classes on Saturdays for students who need assistance and cope up with the curriculum.
As a first step, the NGO will strengthen the e-learning infrastructure by providing webcams, microphones, and internet connection across these schools. This intervention will help the Education Department to reduce the learning gap of over 2800 students from grades 1st to 3rd and improve their performance with focus on English language.
Lotus Petal Foundation was established in 2011 as a single man’s initiative to promote equal opportunities for children irrespective of the social strata, and create positive social, economic change among the urban poor.
(India CSR)
