(Chairperson : Prof. K.G. Rastogi)
1. Shri S. P. Govil, Nehru Bal Samiti, Trilokpuri, East
Delhi
The Nehru Bal Samiti is following the participatory development
strategy. It is not receiving any fund from the Central or State
Government. Initially there was no infrastructural facilities
available but after 10 years with initial donation of 50,000
contributed by the parents of the local children community, the
infrastructure has been raised.
Their present enrolment is 1200 children. The society is running
600 adult education centres and 50 non formal education centres
exclusively funded by their innovative fund raising strategy.
For the last three years - no dropouts have been reported on
account of economic, teaching or any other reason. Their teaching
strategy includes Picnic, Outing, Drama, Music etc. and these NFE
centres are visited by the formal school students for sharing toys,
preparing skits etc.
2. Mr. Dinanath Batra Vidyabharti, Delhi
They have 15,000 educational centres, 80,000 teachers out of
which there are 5,000 NFE institutions which are called as "Sanskar
Kendra". These Sanskar Kendras work for Lok Shikshan, Saksharta,
Swasthya, Swadeshi Bhav, Swadesh Prem etc. Their slogan is ``Ek
Vidyalaya - Ek Sanskar Kendra'' which denotes one urban school will
run one Non-Formal School. They have chosen the sensitive and
neglected areas like South Bihar, North East, J. & K. etc.
In these "Sanskar Kendras" a 12th pass youth is selected from
the village who undergoes a 3 months training in all subjects,
before imparting education to the learners.
This society have also initiated a "Saraswati Rath" which
comprises of books, Audio Video material, pictures etc. and it
moves from village to village enabling the people to see and hear
the material at the end of the day. They have also initiated one
``Chaupal Patrika'' in which the weekly news is pasted on the
chaupal. The villagers come and discuss the news and the student
from the village explain the details.
3. Indira Varadaraja, Principal Coordinator, Anand Bharti,
Gurgaon.
Their Foundation is run by Anand Group of companies. Their
target learners are those who are staying in the vicinity of their
companies located in 9 different parts of the country. They work in
the field of child labour and for that they sensitize civil society
in avoiding Child Labour. They ensure that the committee member
comprise of NGO's, industralists, local administration, residents.
Their emphasis is on providing vocational programme for adolescent
girls through funfilled, interactive and experiential training.
They are emphasizing on life skills learning for adolescent
girls.
4. Prasad Dasgupta, Project Coordinator Majhihira Basic
Education Institute Majhihira,
Purulia (WB)
Their institution is working for the last 60 years based on
Gandhian Basic Education. They have found that proper Home
Environment and Mohalla Environment is necessary for education.
They are running 100 NFE centres and their innovative strategies
are :
- Mobile Library facility - Providing books at home.
- Small saving in terms of 10 paisa or one handful of rice per
week which is doubled and returned to them for higher studies.
- Cultural programme for parents - As part of literacy
mission.
5. Ms Subhashini, Ruchika, Social Service Wing,
Bhubaneshwar
They initiated literacy mission for street children for
elimination of child labour. They have developed their own
curriculum, study material and evaluating process. Their book
contain writing space at the end so that the whole book is
completely read by the learners. Their recommendation is that the
material should be catered to in the regional medium and the pay of
the NFE teachers should be raised.
6. Shri R.N. Mehlawat, Jan Kalyan Samiti, Rewari
They have been running their NFE centre for the past 8-9 years.
Their certification is done by Haryana State Education Board.
Their suggestion is:
- Creation of mobile PCP and Teacher training units.
- District Administration and NGOs should join hands
- Need based programmes should be initiated.
7. Sister Cyril Loreto, Sealdah, Calcutta
They have created a school within a school for such children -
where they can come whenever they are free.
Her formal school has 700 children from elite groups and 700
from slums but they enjoy same facility and opportunities. Her
submission was that the street children are unreached because they
are thought unimportant but in fact they are very clever,
courageous and intelligent In her school, every child from class V
onwards becomes a teacher and teaches any street child who comes to
the school.
She suggested that the teaching hours for the open learners
should be equal to the formal school learners and also an
innovative idea of bare foot teacher training in the villages.
8. Chandan Singh, Lok Sevayaten Sanstha, Bihar
They have 100 NFE centres and have been working from 1996
onwards. They have conducted research activities and their findings
are:
- Skill based learning and teaching is required.
- Participatory method in which participation of all the learners
should be ensured.
- They have found that genetic factor is not a regulating factor
for intelligence.
- Teachers play important role in motivating the learners. But
reaching and their commitment is required.
Chairman, NOS, clarified the points raised by the
participants.
- In OBE predominant place will be provided for pre-vocational
education skills and entrepreneurship skills, because for example
in the area of tailoring and stitching learner lack skills in
displaying, marketing, timely delivery, funding etc
- He clarified that the teachers taking the PCPs should be
properly trained in finding out the learning problems of the
learners. They should be trained in diagnostic and remedial
measures.
- For evaluation Open Walk in Examination system will be followed
in which each institution will be provided the Blue Print of the
paper and the signed duly signed by the NOS authority which will be
further counter certification by the institution. The coordinator
of the institution will also certify the personality traits of the
learner.
Prof. K.G. Rastogi, chairing the session ,extended thanks to the
participants and said that National Open School is for children and
children are not for NOS. Not only the quantity but quality
education is and will be the strength of NOS.