every child needs a teacher campaign

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  • 8/8/2019 Every Child Needs a Teacher Campaign

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    Report

    On

    Global Action Week - 2006

    Prepared by

    Maitrey Environment Education & Research

    Association

    Organised By

    ActionAid India, Catholic Relief Services,

    Christian Children Fund, CARE, Oxfam

    (GB) India Trust & Their Respective

    Partners.

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    Real education has to draw out the best from the boys and girls to be educated. This

    can never be done by packing ill-assorted and unwanted information into the heads of

    the students. It becomes a dead weight crushing all originality in them and turningthem into mere automata.Mahatma Gandhi (Harijan 1 December, 1933)

    Background

    Right now over 100 million children and over 800 million adults in the world, wake up every

    day without the hope that education offers. Every day that people are denied an education,

    leaves them in ignorance and in poverty.

    Global Campaign for Education was formulated in 1999 as a body constituting of Oxfam,

    Action Aid, Education International and Global March Against Child Labour in influencing

    the framework that emerged from the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000, creating

    more space for civil society to engage in future education policies. Global Action Week

    (GAW) celebrations had been integral part of the efforts being made every year by Global

    Campaign for Education and its networks both nationally and regionally.

    Sadly the world remains off-track for achieving even the minimal targets agreed in the

    MDGs. 100 million children do not attend school; 60% are girls. At current rates of progress,

    some 86 countries are off track to reach the target of giving all children a complete primary

    education by 2015i. And the picture is even more bleak when analysed on a regional basis; on

    current rates of progress, Africa will not succeed until 2150. Furthermore, this year the one

    Millennium Development Goal set for 2005 to achieve gender parity in primary and

    secondary education was missed in over 90 countries.

    However, major challenges remain; where access to education has improved, systems are

    struggling to meet increased demand and the quality of education can suffer. And there

    remain many countries where fees, charges and lack of education infrastructure keep large

    numbers of children out of school. It is therefore imperative that GCE keeps up the pressure

    that is starting to see some positive, if slow results.

    This Year Global Action Week is called Every Child Needs A Teacher1. It is our

    opportunity to continue demanding that politicians and officials keep pledges made to ensure

    that every child is not only able to go to school, but is also taught by a well-qualified teacherin a class no bigger than 40 pupils.

    The key messages behind the Global Action Week are:

    Achieving EFA depends on having enough teachers (1:40)

    Teachers need to be professionally trained, adequately paid and well-motivated

    for this to happen

    In order to achieve this, there must be sufficient financing for the expansion ofeducation systems

    Global Action Week 2006 demands focus on recruitment, training and retention of teachersto enable the expansion of education systems without compromising quality. Both access andquality issues need to emphasised given that poor enrolment and high push-out rates are

    linked to the poor quality of education, as well as discrimination that girls and ethnic and

    other minority children experience in the classroom. If the world is to get back on track for

    achieving Education For All, leaders must face up to, and tackle, the looming crisis in the

    teaching profession.

    1In this context, GCE uses Teachers to encompass all those who educate others in formal and or non-formal settings. The term

    therefore refers to facilitators, educators, tutors and animators within the formal and non-formal education system.

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    Uttar Pradesh

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    Since Independence Uttar Pradesh has witnessed several, central/state government

    educational programmes aimed towards achieving the goal of Universalization of

    Elementary Education (UEE). The impact of these efforts became more visible

    during the previous decade (1991-2001) when there has been a steady and significant

    growth in the literacy status of the State. With the launch of UPBEP (UP Basic

    Education Project) in 1993 the efforts to achieve saturation at Primary level by 2007and at elementary level by 2010 gained tremendous momentum. Since then the

    State's Education Programmes were being implemented through UP Education for All

    Project Board. Presently DPEP III is being implemented in 36 districts (2000 2005).

    SSA that commenced in 2001 covers all 70 districts of the State. Hereby all the

    educational initiatives in the State are implemented under the aegis of SSA.

    In 1999-2000 the Department of Education and the Government of Uttar Pradesh,

    took the initiative to formulate a more focused, State specific Education Policy. This

    process involved the State Education Department, the State Project Office, SIEMAT,

    experts from NIEPA and eminent educationists from U.P. Despite this good

    beginning, which lead to formation of an interim policy document, the StateEducation Policy is yet to be finalised. There have been no concrete steps to endorse

    the State Education Policy in the legislature and to involve the larger political

    leadership in accepting it as a formal policy document of the Government. The need

    for a clear policy is self evident in a State such as UP that continues to lag

    educationally despite concerted efforts in the recent past.

    The State has made efforts to make education both qualitatively and quantitatively

    accessible by expanding the schooling system, opening more schools, providing for

    maintenance, organising training of teachers, administrators and teacher educators and

    revising curriculum. Given that primary schooling is gradually emerging as a social

    norm and people want their children not only to go to school but to receive quality

    education as well. However, their efforts to enroll children in the educational

    mainstream are in vain when learning is not happening in schools. The status of

    several lakhs of children in primary schools across the State gets assimilated in one

    single statement of a disappointed parent in Sitapur district - Earlier class two pass

    could read postcards, now they cant even write their names. Those in school are in

    no better position that those who dropped out it is estimated that at least one third of

    those enrolled drop out before they reach class 5. Of these the majority are girls

    irrespective of social group.

    Some Facts on Scenario of Teacher affecting Education in Uttar Pradesh

    Uttar Pradesh ranks 27th position Female Literacy out of 31 states.

    Female Literacy rate 42.2% compared to Male Litercay-68.8% (Approx-

    2/3rd of Male Literacy)

    Rural Female Literacy rate- 36.9% compared to Rural Male Literacy 66.6%

    (1/2 of male literacy rate)

    Dalit Female Literacy rate in UP is only 10.69%

    There is adverse teacher:pupil ratio at 1:55 impacting on the quality of

    education.

    16.1% Schools with single teacher

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    Only 13.3% enrollment in Schools with single teacher

    39.8% schools have no female teacher where total no. of teachers is greater

    than or equal to 2

    49.6% schools have Student-Classroom Ratio(SCR) greater than 60

    Enrollment in schools with SCR>60 is 66.1%

    Drop out rate for Scheduled Cast students for class 1-5 is as high as 56.88and 1-8 is 72.41

    Only 8% of girls complete 8 years of education in UP(A world Bank report

    Filmer and Prischett, 1998).

    Drop out rate for Poorest household is 4 times of the richer (as per world bank

    report)

    28 lacs children do not have physical access to elementary school (world bank

    report 2002 poverty in India challenges in Uttar Pradesh

    The caste profile of teachers is a critical issue as many teachers carry

    discriminatory attitudes and baggage that affects their interactions with

    children in classrooms expressed through verbal and behavioural signals. Teachers are not bothered about disciplining the children.

    Classroom practices continue to reflect rote learning, bleak and bare learning

    spaces, poor activity sessions, and corporal punishment. They are also unable

    to use multi- grade teaching practices to reach out to all children.

    While recruitment of teachers has been prioritised by the government, their

    deployment is highly politicised due to which placement in far flung schools,

    more needy schools, in remote rural areas is difficult. Even if they do get

    posted they may not join, or take long leave or use political connections to get

    transferred to a place of their choice.

    Even with more teachers and para teachers the schools continue to have high

    PTR.

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    The Need for Focus on Teachers

    Without quality teachers there will be no EFA - they play the pivotal role in

    education reforms and systems

    Teacher salaries make up the biggest part of national expenditure on education

    and are therefore critical within the EFA financing gap Teachers are under pressure rising enrolments, pressure from HIV/AIDS,

    low salaries and poor living conditions. Poor conditions have an especially

    negative impact on female teachers

    Well trained teachers are the critical factor in providing access and quality in

    education, yet rarely are their voices listened to by education policy makers.

    Receiving quality education is highly dependent on sufficient numbers of

    teachers.

    Uttar Pradesh has resorted to hiring ill-trained and badly paid teachers (often

    called para-teachers) as a cost saving strategy. However this has resulted in

    declining levels of quality, especially in rural or disadvantaged areas, wheresuch schemes tend to be put to trial, further exacerbating and reproducing

    educational inequalities.

    Including girls and children belonging to ethnic and other minorities requires

    education that is relevant and free of discrimination. Teachers need training to

    sensitise them to learners diverse needs, and teacher recruitment needs to

    ensure women and teachers from ethnic and other minorities are adequately

    represented.

    Good teachers, especially female teachers, are particularly important for

    helping girls stay in school

    Issues around supply, quality and valuing teachers apply to varying degrees in

    rich an poor countries

    Our Demands are:

    Increase domestic financing to get to a pupil to teacher ratio of 40:1

    Increase the supply of professionally trained teachers

    Improve teachers terms and conditions to attract more competent and

    dedicated people to the profession

    Ensure teachers have a central role in education support networks: PTAs,

    SMCs, district and regional EFA fora

    Ensure that all dialogue on education policy and practice includes teachers andtheir representative associations

    Ensure proportionate representation of women and ethnic and other minorities

    in the teaching force by introducing positive discrimination measures in

    teacher recruitment procedures.

    Ensure support for female teachers (especially those working in remote rural

    areas) and gender sensitive teacher training

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    Every Child Needs A Teacher Campaign Uttar Pradesh

    Action Aid, Care, CRS, CCF, Oxfam their respective partners and other NGOs like

    Maitrey ERA, AIM, etc have come together to organize and campaign for Every

    Child Needs a Teacher in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This way the campaign is being

    built in around 40 districts of Uttar Pradesh with a similar number of voluntaryorganizations providing the impetus at the Districts. The campaign is an ongoing

    process until the EFA benchmarks are achieved, however from 10-30 April, 2006 a

    focused and intensive campaign on the theme of Every child needs a teacher has

    been carried out.

    Agency and their

    partners

    Activities

    Oxfam Nukkad Natak, Childrens Parliament, Procession, Painting

    competition , Workshop of Media and civil societies,

    Testimonials of Children, Signature Campaign, Shikshak

    Jagrukta Rath

    CCF

    CRS

    CARE

    Action Aid

    The activities at District Level were collated at State Level in the form of:

    Photo Gallery

    The Photo Gallery was put up for public viewing on April 27 28, 2006 at Gulistan,

    Hotel Gomti, Sapru Marg, Lucknow.

    The photo gallery consisted photographs depicting the following themes: The state of the building/ space it covers.

    The infrastructure i.e. state of classroom- blackboard/ sunlight

    availability/ windows/ doors/ walls/ roof

    Outside i.e trees/toilets/

    drinking water/ boundary

    wall etc.

    Teacher conducting a class

    Teacher managing the

    children

    Teacher - pupil ratio

    Teacher-classroom ratio

    Teaching learning material

    if any displayed in school

    Photograph of the case

    study success- failures

    Activities during the month

    of April 2006 for GAW.

    Activities done throughout

    the last year for working on

    the issue

    of education.

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    The Photo Gallery was inaugurated by Honble Minister for Basic Education, Uttar

    Pradesh, Shri Kiran Pal Singh who agreed that teachers are an important pillar for

    foundation of quality education. He informed that in the current financial year 50,000

    teachers have been

    recruited to improve

    the teacher:pupil ratio.He praised the

    organizations working

    on the issue of

    education and coming

    together of them to

    focus on the issue. He

    also suggested that a

    panel be made of the

    organizations from

    different regions who

    may meet him with thescenario on Education

    as viewed by organisations and suggestions thereof. This would give government first

    hand information of the gaps if any of their efforts being made inorder to achieve

    Millennium Development Goals and more than that every child gets educated and

    they are not left in ignorance and in poverty.

    Research & Photo Documentation

    Purpose:

    Qualitative and quantitative analysis of existing scenario of Teacher related issuesin Primary Education.

    Objectives:

    To collect and understand the facts related to existing scenario of Teacher and

    children

    To investigate gaps in quality education keeping in view school improvement.

    To identify successful and replicable practices in primary schools.

    To collect the evidences for advocacy.

    To identify effective inputs and facilitation areas for School Improvement.

    Methodology:

    Participatory Rural Appraisal

    Focus Group Discussion

    Observation

    Sources and

    Areas for information collection:

    District, Village and Community Profile, School Profile, Parents Teachers

    Association, Villages Education Committee, Status of school going children,

    Peoples Organization Status and Views of their representatives.

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    Majority teachers are irregular and

    there is significant correlation between distance of teachers

    residence from school and their

    attendance.

    Shikshamitra are regular and

    teaching better.

    Percentage of female teacher is

    visibly high (76%)in urban areas.

    Teachers are burdened with additional workload.

    In Jaloun dacoit problem is one of the major constraint in school functioning.

    All Shikshamitra and three fourth teachers are trained but quality of teaching

    is questionable.

    Quality of education is one of the major reasons of low attendance and drop

    outs .

    One-fourth teachers expressed the need of quality training.

    Parents are not aware of need and importance of education in the life of their

    children resulting in indifferent attitude.

    Children support their parents in source of income-generation.

    Poverty of parents.

    State Level Workshop

    A State Level workshop was held on April 28th, 2006 at Hotel Gomti, Sapru Marg,

    Lucknow.

    Participants

    *Chief Guest : Mr. J.S. Deepak, IAS, Secretary Basic Education

    *Panel Members

    Ms. Kanchan Sinha, Programme Manager, Oxfam(GB) India Trust- FacilitatorDr. Rakesh Chandra, Lucknow University - Chair

    Mr. Abhimanyu Tiwari, UPPSS,

    Mr. Jayant Krishna, TCS,

    Mr. Ashish Tripathi- TOI

    *Action Aid and their partners

    *Care and their partners,

    *Catholic Relief Services and their partners,

    *Christian Children Fund and their partners,

    *Oxfam(GB) India Trust and their partners*Other NGOs like Maitrey Environment Education & Research Association, AIM etc.

    Mr. J.S. Deepak, Secretary, Basic Education, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh to Chair

    Dr. Rakesh Chandra, Lucknow University to rap-up the session

    Ms. Neeraj, CEF Country Incharge,

    TPR:

    General 1: 39 (ranges 1:11 to 1:84)Dalit 1:263 (ranges 1:140 to 1:712)Female 1: 83 (ranges 1:29 to 1:127)

    PTA/ MTA: Passive

    VEC: Formed but Non Functional

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    The Programme

    Presentation of State Scenario & GAW Activities

    Panel Discussion on Joint efforts of Government and Civil Society to put an

    end to the crisis of providing quality as well as access and also fulfilling the

    GAW theme of 2006 Every Child Needs A Teacher Sharing of Regional Experiences/ Learnings of GAW/ Open House

    Press Briefing with NGO and Regional Partners

    The workshop started with the welcome note by Ms. Sunita Siddharth Shanker

    thereafter Photo Documentation was screened for the participants of the workshop

    giving an insight into the status of education with emphasis on impact on education

    due to teachers and how the organizations present had worked to organize

    communities to take up the issue to the policy makers.

    Ms. Kanchan Sinha invited the panel members on the dias

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    i