Education Outlook for Karnataka 2010

• Though school enrollment is up to 95% in rural Karnataka, learning levels are in a dire state. 50% of rural students in Standard 5 cannot read a Std. 2 level text, and over 50% of Std. 4 students cannot do simple subtraction. Mysore is not the poorest region of Karnataka, yet, like many places in India, it contains pockets that lag far behind acceptable standards for quality of living and education, both in the city itself and its surrounding areas. Pratham Mysore has targeted these areas for programming, so that the weakest villages and slums of the Mysore region receive the support they need to develop, and to ensure Pratham’s goal: “Every child in school… and learning well.”

Pratham in Karnataka this Year

• Pratham has recently begun a new Read India Block Excellence Program (BEP) in the poorest block of the Mysore District of Karnataka. The BEP was launched in August of 2010, and has already reached over 5000 children, though it is expected to reach over 8000 at capacity. Volunteers have been trained in Pratham’s activity-based learning methodology, using which they give after-school support classes to weak students in Standards 1-5. Children are assessed at the outset of the program, so that volunteers and block-level staff can track their progress. Pratham’s efforts extend beyond the classroom, reaching parents, volunteers, and local officials through meetings and melas to encourage a community focus on outcomes.
• Pratham has been working in urban Mysore since 2002, focusing initially on providing pre-school education to children in the most vulnerable neighborhoods of the city. Since that time, Pratham Mysore’s balwadi (pre-school) programs have expanded to 225 centers in 14 Mysore slums. These balwadis provide 3-5 year olds with critical early literacy instruction, as well as creative activities related to cognition and physical development, and activities focused on good health and hygiene.
• In conjunction with the community pre-schools run by Pratham, we have begun to offer Certification in Early Childhood Education courses for women in Mysore. These programs are co-offered by Karnataka State Open University, helping to prepare balwadi teachers with theoretical knowledge on child development while providing opportunities for practical experience and hands-on learning.
• Pratham Mysore also runs a unique “Learning Bridge” program, connecting professionals in the city to rural learning centers for special programs on topics of the community’s choosing. Educated professionals head to villages around Mysore to give informal classes on everything from astronomy to Karnataka history, sharing their knowledge with community members and children while providing these children with a special chance to have their questions answered on exciting ideas outside the usual curriculum.

Being Resourceful

• Pratham Mysore is doing great work to develop self-sustaining programs while protecting the natural environment, with a unique program to encourage corporate paper recycling, in which the profits generated from the recycled paper are used to support Pratham classes and projects.

Pratham’s Partner in Bangalore: Akshara

• In Bangalore, Pratham works in partnership with the Akshara Foundation. Akshara has established a partnership with the Karnataka’s Sarva Shikha Abhiyan (SSA), the education department which determines curriculum and instructional approach for the state. (http://www.akshara.org.in/)