Systemic Change

Gyan Prakash Foundation has adopted a systemic perspective to understand the problems plaguing the rural government education system across India. It has identified two core areas which can lead to a transformation of the system. 

  1. Strengthening Cluster Based Teacher Professional Learning Communities
  2. Community Ownership of Public Education

Strengthening Cluster Based Teacher Professional Learning Communities

Shikshan Parishads were institutionalized at the State level in August 2016 by SCERT. In the current academic year, approximately 5,700 Teacher Collectives (TCs) were conducted across 17 districts in Maharashtra, with over 90% teacher participation.

456 clusters across the 17 districts are regularly conducting them on a monthly basis. Out of these, Shikshan Parishads in 146 clusters are taking up the concept of personalized learning plans and encouraging teachers within the cluster to prepare and implement them in their classrooms.

Data Driven Shikshan Parishads

Community Ownership of Public Education 

Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and School Management Committees (SMC’s) need to work together to deliberate and consolidate their vision for education. This enables coordination of information and resources to implement the collective vision of the community towards education of their children. Gyan Prakash Foundation works towards strengthening these structures to improve their functioning and communication across their different levels. The organisation’s work around governance in the four districts of Maharashtra, has been recognized by the SCERT. It published and disseminated training modules on SMC designed in collaboration with Gyan Prakash Foundation in 2013 and again in January 2022.

Gyan Prakash Foundation works with each stakeholder in the ecosystem to align with the competency based approach – parents, teachers in schools, School Management Committee, Cluster Level Functionaries such as the Kendra Pramukh and education institutions such as DIET. This is done to ensure sustainability of the change process by building ownership amongst the stakeholders.

Strengthening Parent Engagement in Learning

Gyan Prakash Foundation’s work in strengthening SMCs in the 17 districts has led to more than 30% schools (about 10000 schools) regularizing monthly SMC meetings. Of these, around 3500 schools carry out quarterly Academic Review Meetings with Parents, which includes a one- on-one individualized parent and teacher meeting where every child’s strength and progress is discussed. This gives parents an opportunity to  engage in their child’s learning.

Parents as Early Teachers

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Parent involvement in early years can have a profound impact on the child’s learning, health and behaviour. The ‘Parents As Early Teachers’ program supports rural parents of preschool-aged children to engage in their child’s learning by creating active experiences at home that build on the joy of learning and strengthen the parent-child bond.
The program is implemented with parents of children attending the Integrated Child Development Services Anganwadis (preschool centers). By activating the Palak Sabha (parent meeting) platform to create awareness among parents and leveraging a technology platform to disseminate videos on supporting holistic child development, the program influences parental mindsets, encouraging them to take responsibility for their child’s development and learning with confidence and consistency. Through these efforts, parents become more engaged, proactive, and equipped with the knowledge and tools to support their child’s early learning journey effectively.
The technology platform enables the team to track and analyze data on parental engagement in real time. This data serves as a foundation for action, helping identify trends, tailor interventions, and provide targeted support. Additionally, it allows for nudging and motivating parents through personalized insights and recommendations, encouraging greater involvement in their child’s learning journey Currently, the program is being implemented in six blocks of rural Maharashtra in collaboration with ICDS, and is supported through the Rotary Global Grant Project.