Education Outlook for Orissa 2010

The ASER Report 2010 shows that learning levels across disciplines, from Standard’s I-V are low, for example, it is reported that only 9.1% of Standard II children tested can read Level 2 (Standard 2 Text). The percentage of those living below the poverty line between ’99-’00 was 47.15%, nearly double that of the national percentage.

Pratham in Orissa this Year

Geographical Coverage: 3000 villages across 30 BEPs
Children Reached: 82,025
Volunteers Mobilized: 4,287

• Pratham is currently running the ‘Read India’ (RI) program through 30 BEPs, as well as an Urban Learning Centre (ULC) program and the ‘Library’ program in the Cuttack district in Orissa. The Read India program is operated out of the BEP’s through government schools as well as community centres. Although formal written consent hasn’t been obtained by Pratham to teach in government schools, in many blocks, schools, local leadership such as Gram Panchayats and Village Education Committees (VEC’s), and villagers themselves give oral consent, allowing Pratham to teach in a school environment.
• The ULC program in Cuttack adopts a tutorial model, where children given help where required. There are currently 7 ULC’s running in Cuttack, as well as 24 ‘Libraries’, where children are taught to read. These programs operate out of Pratham’s own centres, located in Cuttack’s urban slums. Pratham pays teachers for both programs a nominal sum, in order to motivate their teaching as well as to give them a form of self-sustenance. The teachers are young women and men from the local communities, between the ages of 18-23.
• A special learning enhancement program is currently being implemented in collaboration with UNICEF in the Koraput district where 1200 government school teachers are being trained in the CAMaL methodology.
• Six government primary and upper primary schools in the Baranga block have adopted the CAMaL methodology – an outcome of Pratham Orissa’s partnership with Tata Power
• Pratham is currently in the process of rolling out its Education for Education (EFE) program in Orissa.

Future Plans

Pratham plans to set up ‘PRATAP’ Centres (Pratham Training, Assessment and Placement Centre) in order to begin its transition to a post-secondary institution which will not only be accessible to volunteers but to all youth. These centres will be run in conjunction with the EFE program initially. At this time, a village census has been conducted, which includes details of proximity, travel times, and travel costs from villages to proposed EFE centres. Locations have been selected, and two separate EFE models have been designed – the dispersed model, and the mini centre model. The mini centre model will entail a physical centre in which the classes will take place whilst the dispersed model will entail individuals taking the program to the locations and running them out of community spaces.