Education Outlook for Jharkhand 2011

According to the recent, ASER Report 2010, 34.3.0% of children in Std. I in Jharkhand can identify at least letters and 37.8% children can recognize at least numbers after attending 6 months of school. However, issues remain at higher-level competencies – 40.9% of children in Std. V cannot do basic division.

Pratham in Jharkhand this Year

• Pratham is currently running the ‘Read India’ (RI) program through 6 BEPs. In absence of formal written consent from the state government, Pratham has reached 500 villages to teach children informally inside Government schools, through its Read India Program.
• Pratham’s efforts extend beyond the classroom, reaching parents and local officials through meetings and fairs to encourage communities and Village Panchayats (committees) to focus on learning outcomes. Villages have participated to work towards improving the quality of education among primary school going children and also towards identifying and supporting volunteers.
• In the Dhanbad district, Pratham runs a well-funded BEP, supported by Tata Power Ltd, one of the largest power companies in India. Pratham started this project in 2009 in 100 villages and have since scaled up to cover all 300 villages of the block this year.
• In Dhanbad, a joint visit by Government Officials was conducted to analyze the damage caused by a teacher’s strike. During the visit, officials observed that even in the absence of Government teachers, unpaid volunteers continued to run classes. This motivated them to extend their formal support in Dhanbad.
• Being a state adversely impacted by the spread of a left wing armed insurgency (Naxalite), the Pratham team faces issues such as ‘bandhs’ (strikes), which have often disrupted the operation of Pratham programs and affected mobility of Pratham personnel.
• In addition to the Read India Classes, Pratham has recently launched the EFE program in the state.

Pratham Arora Centers for Excellence (PACE Programs)

The Hospitality Training Program is a three month residential training program, offered at the PACE centre in Aurangabad, which prepares youth for the Housekeeping and Food & Beverage sectors of hospitality. 7 volunteers from Jharkhand are currently enrolled in this program and are completing the course in Aurangabad. At the conclusion of this program, volunteers are placed in  three or more star hotels. This program is running in partnership with Taj Hotels, with Taj providing support in the form of curriculum, training of master trainers, assessment of students, placement, internships, and joint certification. This is a fee-based program; volunteers without financial means are enrolled under the “Learn Now, Pay Later” Pratham scheme.