Q): What is Project Based Education?
A):This program is based on an idea suggested by our friends from Holland and adopts a practical, creative stance of stimulating interest in education. The approach is to educate the children through specific projects on water, personal hygiene etc. We have already done considerable ground work for this program and tested it out over 3 groups consisting of 20 students each. The first group targetted the children of construction workers, the second group for snake charmers and the third for the children going to government schools.
What had been done till now: The program takes up the group of children, aged 6-14 years, from different villages and arranges field trips to expose them to ideas,methods and the scientific way of thinking. To illustrate one aspect...the children are taken to the river and brought about to collect water samples, then taken to a pond, lake stream in turn and asked to compare the quality of water in different sources. They are shown a microscope and encouraged to use it for analysing the different samples and comment on their findings and \the possible aspects which affect the quality and purity of water. These field visits occur once a week fora period of 6 weeks. The idea is to whet their appetite and curiosity and to instill in them a love for academics.
Now what we wish to do is to utilise the experience gained through those three groups and develop modules and kits for primary and middle school children.

Q)Why does this program show a consultant fee ?
A)The modules which are used to implement the hands-on learning technique of Project based education: these modules are devised and developed by the consultants. the consultant fee pertains to this.

Q): Can you tell us more about the Non Formal Schools? Are they different from the regular schools?
A): Non Formal Education forms the core of the literacy program. But first a word about the NonFormal School itself. For the school dropouts there is a scheme in the government which enables them to appear in exams to enroll themselves in the 6th standard. The focus of the Nonformal schools is to coach such kids and help them to join the regular schools. They are made more interesting to children through combination of games, events and other cultural activities. In addition to this scheme, what we have done is to run sessions where children are assisted for an hour or two (after school), to do their homework. This helps the students who are lagging behind to cope up, and reduces the dropout rate.

Q): What is the age group targetted in NonFormal Education? How long has this program being running?
A): The age group is 6-14 years. We've been running the program since 1994 .

Q): How many schools are you running now?
A): As of now, we run:
1 Formal School (Vidya School). This school, from kindergarden to II standard, is on campus of HIHT and teaches the children of the doctors and other professionals. This has been operating from April 1995
Non-formal Schools (labour basti and Sapera Basti)
Sapera Basti: There is a community of snake charmers where a school have been started so that the children do not get the habit of begging with snakes as their parents do for their livelihood. The parents go in for begging with snakes in the case where there is festivals or fairs.
Labour Basti School: A school have been started in the community of construction workers. There is no age bar for entering the schools.

Q): Are there special amenities that you provide for the children?
A):We provide teaching aids, teaching kits, stationery for school use, furniture, study kits, and library resources for our schools. Competitions, games, and activities like cultural and sports events, drawing and poster competitions are also held in all schools to fuel all-round development. The children are furnished with uniforms and general clothing (both summer wear and winter wear). Milk and fruits are also provided as the children from labour basti come from poor families.
For the really bright students, we seek to award scholarships and give them the oppertunity to harness their potentials. Our budget therefore brings up a column for the same, targetting 5 children

Q): Where does the mobile library come in?
RDI: The one feature that severely handicaps all the efforts to bring literacy to the doorstep of the villagers, is inaccessibility. We are in Garhwal: the villages lie scattered on the steep slopes of the Himalayas, and the rugged terrain poses a formidable challange. Transport is thus an integral part of the education program and in the efforts to connect the far-flung villages to the outside world. The Mobile library program addresses one key feature of education..the availability of literary resources. Monthly magazines,newspapers, books for children of different age groups, complete with illustrations and simple language would be circulated among the villages.

Q) why has the adolescents program been taken up?

A) Because the confidence and the morale of the youth in the mountains is very low. No one likes to admit that he is from the mountains. There is no pride in one's heritage and identity as a Gadwali. Intrinsically, the mountaineous people are beautiful people. Simple, honest and extremely hospitable. However the influx of external contacts and influence has had a very negativ impact on the younger generation of the region. Commercialism has contributed a lot to the erosion of values. The most hard hit are the youth, who have become directionless.

Q) Does HIHT give any funds to RDI for its projects?
A)Yes, HIHT does step in when the funding for an ongoing project is abruptly discontinued ; it takes the necessary steps to see that the work is not left unfinished.

Q)Why has water management and sanitation program been taken up?
A)Villages in the mountains, consist of a few dwellings scattered on the slopes of the mountains. The women spend considerable time and effort in fetching water. This project involves helping the villages to identify the plausible sources of water and employ cost effective methods of tapping it

Q)What is the socio-economic background of the children and their parents (e.g. education, occupational)?
A) In Garhwal, main community is Garhwalis with all types of staff as Brahmins, Rajputs Scheduled Castes and other backward castes. Overall: Mostly parents are working in the terrace farming and their wards help them after school

Q) Where are the proposed 10 NFE schools going to be -- on RDI campus or in the villages?
A)The 10 NFE schools are in 10 villages. The NFE will be carried out in all the 10 villages in Year I and II. The rest of the programs will be carried out in 5 villages in Year I and in rest of the 5 villages in Year II

Q)Technical Education: How do the costs break up? Where is this training going to be imparted? In the villages? Or at the RDI campus?
A)As regards technical education: the tailoring project shows a cost of 2,25,000 for 50 girls which comes out to be Rs 4,500 for each girl for a period of six months: which is a cost of Rs 750/- per month for each participant. The training for tailoring is on site ( RDI campus)

Bee keeping is for 10 students with a cost of 50,000 : which is Rs 5,000 for each student pertaining to a training period of 15 days campus training and one year on-the-job training. This is an enterprise which is essentially mobile. the bee boxes have to be transported continually from one place to another throughout the state to expose the bees to pollen bearing trees and orchards. the entire unit travels as many as 500 miles just to shift the location each time. It all depends on where the (blossoming) orchards are. sometimes the orchards are near, some very far. So the Rs 5,000 for each student is for the entire year expenses which comes out to be Rs 416 per month : to cover the costs incurred when the student is on the move with the bee boxes.

Regarding the computer courses : Rs 40,000 for 10 students : ie a cost of Rs 4,000 per student for a 6 month course.

Q)The project is very modular and each of the modules is not too big to bite for one chapter. I can see that it is going to be a pain in the neck to coordinate the 8 odd components from 8 odd chapters, each working in their own timeframe, etc. I can also see that the organization would like a lumpsome for all projects so they can start everything together..

A)Regarding the point raised concerning the modularity of the project: this was the first question we had put to RDI when we started working with the proposal: namely, do they need one lumpsome amount to get the project going or is there an alternative?
The answer that we received from them was that funding can proceed separately for the different modules. As and when the funding goes for a particular module, the work for that particular module will be carried on. If the entire project can be funded as a whole, that would be good. But they are also open to having the funding flow separately to the different modules in different timelines.
The way it is is this: the plan RDI has drawn up for Garhwal region has been broken down into seven distinct compartments. Each compartment, is to a very great extent, independent of the others.
Isnt this one of the strong points of the project? isnt modularity, for that matter, the key to a workable solution on any platform whatsoever, be it development or be it software/C++ ?

Q)- Almost all the requested cost appears to be recurring costs, to me. - What concerns me most is that it is noot obvious to me how the cost ~$29k, if it is all recurring and assuming it doesn't decrease, is going to be sustained every year. If there is a deal from the Govt that once things get started they will maintain it, or from other chapters, it would be nice if this is clearly stated.

A)Regarding sustainability: this is a vital issue that concerns every project, yes, but it is not easy to give an answer as to how it is going to be tackled. When i first started working on this proposal and was asked this question by Asha-MHV , i called up RDI and spoke with the Director. What came out of the discussion was that there is no simple or straightforward solution to this matter. They have been working on it and in lieu of what they are capable of doing , the steps that have been taken up are:
1. The program that has been detailed out is for a period of two years. But the plan for the Non-Formal Education (NFE) and and Program for Adolescents is to motivate the NFE instructor or the adolescent peer educator to carry these programs on a long term basis with community pitching in for the cost of their salary.
2. Of the income-generating activities carried out by RDI, i was told that the people earning out of the skills they have acquired, are required to give a portion of the income for supporting the literacy efforts in their village.
3. Mobile libraries: Initially the library will run at the existing NFE centers or the clinics.Later on, one of the adolescents coming out of the Program for adolescents will take up this responsibility and carry it furthur.
The strongest point of the project is that the viability of all the sub-programs has been tested on a small scale. The groundwork has been done. Now it is about implementing on a larger scale.
This brings into focus an important point. That, once we go through this stage and are able to show the success of the plan, we will have a platform to attract future funding, be it from the government or be it from other sources. But to speak of this possibility before this plan has been implemented seems to be too early.

Q)I think the project is very good, reaches lot of people, from a *very* trusted organization -- RDI, also i would like to especially acknowledge the asha-rdi people, they seem to have been *extremely* competent in coping up with the demands of such a large project.
I would definitely say this project *should* be supported for WAH, though one minor question is -- all the costs appear to be recurring costs -- i was looking for some infrastructure costs, but there appear to be none -- so what will the school do for the third year?

A) I guess your question is the same as Presi had posed in his initial review - how will the organization sustain itself if most of the costs are recurring costs?
The costs involved in this project are recurring, true.But the fact is that the education project is yet in its inception. It takes time for a project to grow strong enough for it to take off on its own. Sustainability cannot be achieved overnight. In the meantime, we, the Asha Stars project , who are comitted to the project on a long term basis will do what it takes to keep the project going until it has achieved sustainability. The efforts for sustainability have already been set into operation...it is a matter of time before those efforts bear fruit.

Lastly, A brief overview of how the project stands:

Does it have a well-thought out vision?

the facts: The project has been drawn up, based on its mission, "To develop integrated and cost effective approaches to literacy and development of the mountaineous area that can serve as a model for the country as a whole " and as its vision , "To enable overall development of children and adolescents by ensuring primary education, increasing technical capabilities and focusing on a holistic approach towards life"

A crucial step towards the empowering of any individual is that literacy alone cannot suffice. Skills to earn a living are equally important. This the project addresses very clearly in its plan.

Neglect of the woman and the girl child is the most glaring factor in the way of development, especially more in the Garhwal mountains, where the men leave to find jobs in the cites and in the army. The biggest program that RDI has been working on, addresses women and their health ( not presented here). In the education program presented in this proposal, the technical training program targets as many as 50 women in its tailoring program, and incorporates literacy within it ( the first half hour every day is devoted to literacy)

#2: Does it have innovation?

One of the seven programs: Project Based Education stands out clearly in this aspect. It focusses on imparting education through "learning by doing" techniques. The concept of this program is totally new and hence this program is being developed from scratch.

Program for adolescents: This is another innovative program targetting, for the first time, Garhwal adolecents and their problems specific to their background and community.

Mobile libraries: Garhwal villages consist of a few or more households scattered on the slopes of the mountains. As such, the villages lack resources natural to any community. The mobile library program takes into cognisance the glaring lack of literary resources and creatively addresses this problem by combining it with the other facilities that RDI provides: namely the existing health clinics and NFE centres ( run by RDI). So the infrastructure costs for this program have been dealt away with.

Functional literacy: Adults are faced with the constraint of very little time and energy to go through the traditional way of education.This program therefore targets equipping the adults with the functional aspects of literacy, namely opening and handling bank accounts,carrying out transanctions etc.

#6: The project should address the scale - replicate the idea in many places

This comes out as the strong point of the project, in that, the viability of all the sub-programs has been tested on a small scale. The groundwork has been done. Now it is about implementing on a larger scale.
While addressing the scale problem, the project will bring into focus the different factors that enter the picture when the scale is made bigger. The lessons learnt will therefore help in addressing the basic mission of the program as stated in the proposal.

#7: The project should compliment what the govt. does and use their resources whereever possible instead of replacing them and doing their job for them.

This holds true. especially as seen in the NFE program. this has been very clearly brought out in richa's site report under "education related activities : non formal education".