Social Entrepreneurship and Social Inclusion by Rama Krishna Reddy Kummitha

Author:Rama Krishna Reddy Kummitha
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer Singapore, Singapore

Education

Education is one of the major thrusts of the College. The College runs pre-primary school and night schools to educate children in rural areas. The teachers in these schools are recruited from the communities. The selected youth as teachers undergo a residential training camp for 30 days before taking up the charge as Barefoot teachers. The target group to become teachers is again those who are the most excluded and have an interest in education but do not have any employment. At night school, the curriculum is decided by the teachers, who follow the practical learning approach, which is mostly suited to the local environment and needs. The curriculum, for example, includes information relating to common civic needs, such as how a post office functions, how to use a bank, a police station, and so on. Barefoot teachers are selected by the rural communities wherever the night schools are in operation. The main purpose of initiating this particular educational initiative under the Barefoot approach is to adapt the education system according to the needs of the learners. The schools are reoriented, in terms of mutual learning, where the teacher also learns from the children.

Ratandevi, who has been associated with Barefoot College for more than four decades, explained about the evolution of Barefoot schools in Tilonia. In the early days, there was an adult education programme, in which no adult showed any interest in attending. Instead, it is the children who attended the programme. Accordingly, the organisers decided to change the programme for children by initiating experimental schools. Centre for Education Technology, one of the academic Centres in Rajasthan, funded the project. They chose three schools in Tilonia, where several villagers were selected and provided with training in order to work as teachers in these schools. The project worked well for three years. Despite its success, political pressure did not allow the programme to be extended so they had to hand the project over to the government. Having seen the success of the project, the government of Rajasthan adopted this pattern in all schools in the state under the scheme, Siksha Garmi Yojana.

With this background and the learning from the earlier venture, Barefoot initiated night school programmes in 1975. This was further driven by local demand where parents were not interested in sending their children to school as they are expected to work with the parents or look after household activities or to look after their younger siblings. Night schools, thus, have been an inspiration to the villagers and parents who were happy to see their children getting trained and educated, as well as helping them in the daily activities. In the day the children help their parents in their search for livelihood and at night, they attend the night schools. Night schools offer five years of primary schooling. After gaining basic education at night school, it is found that most of the children continue to attend high school, whereas a few of them are forced out of education. The children

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