Ensuring Quality Primary Education for Children in Remote Manipur Villages

Summary

The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, talks of free and compulsory education for all children in India. However, the ground reality is very different. In villages of Manipur, a non-functional Government Primary school is a common sight. For the rural communities, their children’s only hope at quality education is from private schools. This creates a disparity for children from underprivileged households whose parents cannot afford the fees for private schooling. Widening gap in the quality of education in public and private schools often alters the future for children from resource poor households. INDIAdonates partner, Participatory Action for Sustainable Development Organization (PASDO) promotes community action and responsibility in ensuring effective functioning of public education system in Manipur.

PASDO has identified five villages with 5 government primary schools that need to be strengthened in Phungyar block of Kamjong District, Manipur. They will work to optimum children’s learning in these schools in a two-fold approach. 

The project aims to make the learning environment interactive and engaging for children, by promoting extra-curricular activities and activity based learning methods, thereby retaining children’s participation in school and providing them with a quality education. The project will establish joyful learning centers in each school, equipped with different teaching learning materials suited for an experiential and activity-based learning models to create a child friendly education environment. The joyful learning centers will promote experiential learning through story-telling, painting, poetry reading, sports etc. The joyful learning centers will be equipped with books for the children, materials for Painting, sports equipment and other requirements for different activity-based learning sessions. The project will also organize an annual event, ‘Education Mela’ at each of the schools, giving the students opportunities for harness and showcase different skills. 

On the other hand, the project will work with the rural communities to orient them about the importance of regular, uninterrupted childhood education, raise awareness through community workshops to ensure enrollment and continuation of students at village government primary schools. They will build the capacity of the village communities, especially the members of School Development and Management Committee (SDMC) and form a Parents’ Committee to take ownership of the public education system and ensure functioning of the schools and that quality of education is maintained. The project aims to strengthen the SDMC though regular workshops and meetings regarding their role in enhancing the quality of education in the school under the purview of the RTE Act. The project will facilitate parent-teacher meetings at regular intervals, bringing in more accountability in teachers and more participation from parents. 

The project aims for a complete overhaul of a currently mostly non-functional government primary schools in 5 villages. 

Your contribution will ensure quality primary education, and in turn a chance at a bright future, for primary students in 5 villages in Manipur now and for years to come.