ASER Centre

"Kahan se aaye ho maadam?"

2012-01-03T15:19:00.004+05:30

By Gurtej Sandhu

On a field-visit to conduct a follow up on a survey that had been conducted in October we found ourselves (Sakshi and I) being asked this question a lot. And each time we explained that we were from a ‘dilli ki sanstha’ which conducted surveys to assess children’s learning levels in schools. This survey was a follow up of the main survey already conducted in October. We went to four villages in the District of Panipat and this visit provided me with the unique opportunity to see the Haryana countryside from a very different perspective.

I have always lived in cities and the only villages I had seen were on the way to visit my grandmother’s in Punjab. Every year my family would drive from Delhi to Punjab, and this trip brought back many fond memories of car rides through Panipat where my mother would spend endless hours buying the famous Panipat Pachranga pickles and towels from the many shops there. This field visit was very different from the ones I was used to. We embarked from Delhi in a Haryana tourism bus which was pretty comfortable. Having travelled in Delhi DTC buses I was prepared for the running and the jostling to get on the bus and all that comes with taking public transport in Delhi.

My colleague Sakshi who I was travelling with is a long distance runner who loves adventure and travelling. She has backpacked through most of Europe and has visited the states of Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh for similar follow up surveys. She ensured that I was comfortable at all times and I could have not asked for a better person to travel with. The honey bread she dug out from her bag and the bourbon-chocolate biscuits that we munched on all the time started our field-visit on a very sweet note. She arranged for us to live with relatives in Panipat who opened their homes and their hearts to us. I was touched by the kindness and the hospitality they displayed to a complete stranger. Sakshi’s aunt reminded me of my grandmother who loved to feed me. When we reached Panipat she treated us to the most lavish homemade lunch ever and once she was sure we were well fed she gave us her son’s car to drive around looking for villages and to conduct our re-check survey.

With the radio to provide a soundtrack for Sakshi’s very adventurous driving we set out to find the first village on our re-check survey. Among the first villages we arrived at was village Nimbri. This village was located closest to the town of Panipat. All the roads very well paved and it was the only village among the four we visited where I found no open sewers lining the sides of the alleys and paths along the village. The village was well laid out and almost all the houses that we went to were pukka. I think this was so because this village was really close to the town of Panipat and the main highway. When we started the recheck we were happily assisted by the people in the village. They were very keen to help and were curious about our work and once we explained that we were there to re-check a survey that had already been conducted by volunteers word spread pretty fast and everyone we met on the way was very helpful.

We found ourselves there on a day with a lot of political activity happening. The main crossway or junction of the village was buzzing with old men and their hookahs. It was the day before the sarpanch elections and we found ourselves walking next to political party volunteers who too were going house to house to pass out pamphlets. Since this was my first experience in the field and the first household we conducted a re-check at is pretty vivid in my memory. We met a girl who had finished class 12 and was currently enrolled in first year in college. But in the survey sheet she had been shown as a current student of class 12. The survey sheet also said that the volunteers had gone to her household and conducted the survey which they had not. The family was very welcoming and were very helpful and found time in spite of how busy they all were since as I mentioned above, it was the day before the elections.

This is also where I met the smartest class 7 child I have ever seen. When we went to a house in this village we explained the ASER recheck process to a mother of two. She was visibly upset that someone would mark her children without testing them for real. She kept insisting that we make her daughter read and do math form the testing tool we were carrying. She was one of the proudest mothers I have ever met. She explained that her daughter had passed class 5 and 6 in the same year with great marks. She had asked for special permission to be moved up to class 7 since her daughter felt her current curriculum was not challenging enough. I still remember how embarrassed and shy the girl got because the mother was bursting with pride and was going on and on about how wonderfully smart her child was.

After this we went to the next village which was about 20 minutes away. Sanauli was located very close to the main highway as well. Being the wedding season this village was buzzing with activity. We walked up to a few children playing cricket in the playground and asked for help. They took us to the households we were looking for. Here too we found that the volunteers, who had conducted the survey two months ago in October, did not do any checking as per the protocol that they are required to follow. They had handed out PRATHAM pamphlets instead to make sure that in case the village was picked up for re-check the children would recall somebody coming to the village from PRATHAM. We did find that the information about the households in this village was correct unlike the last village where we were having great difficulty in finding the households. The first household we went to in Sanouli , we asked the children we met to read out from the ASER testing tool, the language and math level that they were at was very low compared to what they had been marked at. This was the case in almost all the households that we went to in this village. The houses were not all pukka houses. The only pukka house I found belonged to a Chaudhary sahib and that was the only house in that at village that was on the main road leading up to the village. All the other houses were located in small and thin winding alleyways where if a buffalo decided to walk through there was no space for anyone else. Either side of these alley ways had open sewers. We were on the seventh household when a man walked up to us and said that he was a helper of the ASER volunteers who conducted the survey in October. He tried really hard to be helpful. And among the many helpful things he said he kept insisting that Sakshi and I leave because it was too dark and that we should come again next morning. It was far from dark and we had only 2 households left anyway, he remained with us every step of the remaining time we spent there. This concluded the first day of my recheck field visit.

Next we left for Assand. The logic behind this was that it was closer to the remaining villages, approximately within the radius of 5-20 kms and would serve as a great base camp. This was Sakshi’s maternal grandmother’s parent’s home. I found myself staying with a joint family. This was a first for me. Here too we were welcomed with open hearts. Upon our return after the re-check survey all day, I was treated to hand ground saag and makki ki roti with more butter and ghee than I have consumed in the last year. Sakshi’s cousin runs a very popular beauty parlour and after dinner she gave me a haircut that was long overdue and I had been putting off. I never expected to find myself being so lavishly taken care of. She was a really friendly person and we got along really well.She brought out the dormant Sardarni in me and I found myself acquiring a haryanavi/punjabbi accent. It felt like I was at a slumber party and all the tiredness of the first two days of my trip were gone. We stayed up late talking and giggling which is something I so did not expect.I had expected grueling hours and bad food. I had reservations about going to a state which is notorious for its treatment of women. But I found that everyone we met was so polite and cordial to us especially upon finding that we were conducting a follow up survey and that our work had something to do with education. This basic knowledge in itself made people instantly warm up to us and want to help. I understand this is the most unconventional field visit ever. I was lucky to have found such friendly and hospitable people, who were ready to help out and house a complete stranger.

We woke up bright and early next morning to drive around looking for village Navada. This village was very different from the ones I saw on day one. The sarpanch of the village invested in a private sector endeavor where he was erecting green houses on his piece of land to grow flowers. He explained to us that this involved little investment in one go and huge returns for the next 5-6 years. He was very cordial. The recheck in this village was very easy because the watchwoman of the village volunteered to take us to the different houses. I found that in this village too most children were checked incorrectly. They were handed out Pratham pamphlets here as well. This is the first village where I conducted my first independent recheck at a household. This particular household had 3 children where their ages and the classes they were in as well as the level at which they were marked were all wrong. There was even a house where a 5 year old was surveyed. Discrepancies were found in almost all the household figures in this village.

After Navada we set out to look for village Faridpur. We met a very friendly Sikh man on an Enfield who was very happy to drive ahead of us and take us to the village. Here too we talked to the watchwoman who after looking through all the names told us that none of the names on the list we had were in the village. After this someone remembered in the huge crowd of people that was beginning to gather around us that there was one more village called Faridpur far away.

I feel that the village Baljattan taught me the most about rechecking and about villages in general. After driving endlessly on never ending winding roads and beyond the thermal power stations of Panipat through the haze and smog I saw these tall imposing structures of the Indian oil refinery. The gate leading up to this was a big lavish pink colored monstrosity welcoming one and all to the village of Baljattan. But beyond that gate lay rubble, dirt and nothing. Going further into the village I noticed that among the 3 villages that I had seen this one was comparatively desolate. There was not much happening in terms of people (or just men as is the case in most villages) sitting in a centre of the village and socializing. There were hardly any women to be seen. We approached the head master at the Baljattan government school. This is where I saw one of the most decorated schools I have ever seen. It was clean and well painted. It was after 2 so the children had just left and the headmaster was nice and very helpful. He offered to take us to the different households. In terms of the recheck, we found out that the volunteers had again not followed protocol. They had given PRATHAM pamphlets to children in school this time. They did not to go their households at all. They got all the relevant information from the children in school itself. However, a point of concern here is that most children were marked way above the actual level of language and math. When we asked the children to read and do math from the correct testing tools we found that children from all different age groups were struggling with basic reading and mathematics. This is when I began to wonder. What was the point of having a beautiful school if children do not learn anything? The head master felt embarrassed I think and felt the need to explain why the children from his school were performing so poorly. He blamed it on the quality and the level of commitment from the teachers. He even said that perhaps the children’s parents should intervene. Since one of my first instructions from Sakshi was to always be humble and never ask any questions that may make somebody feel I was being nosy or confrontational I had to bite my tongue .I wanted him to take some responsibility or accountability. He just could not wash his hands off the whole matter the way he did. I got very curious and started asking the poor man an endless series of questions. How long had he been working there? 12 years. I asked him if all those twelve years had been in the position of a head master, which in my opinion is a long time if he really wanted to make a difference. It was pretty disheartening to see that the only bright and colourful thing in a village this desolate was a school that was run by headmaster that unconcerned with real education. He explained that the Haryana government gives grants to the most well decorated and maintained schools at the block, district and state levels. This school had won the block level competition and had won Rs.50,000.I understand that the environment children study in is important and that a beautiful, clean and well maintained school helps learning on some level, however,I strongly feel that a lot more than a beautiful school is required for actual learning to take place. And with this we concluded my first field visit.

A DAY WITH GUNOTSAV IN GUJARAT

2011-12-13T14:56:00.000+05:30

By Rukmini Banerji

November 24 2011 : Banaskantha district, Gujarat

Banaskantha district is several hours from Ahmedabad. Beyond Palanpur, not far from the Rajasthan border is Dantiwada block. We cross the Banas river flowing sluggishly through the rocky landscape, go past occasional fields of rapeseed, to reach our school. The habitations here are quite scattered; some children walk several kilometres to get to here. It is morning time - almost time for school to begin.

The big school yard is dotted with old trees. Using branches, children are sweeping the ground clean of leaves. There are classrooms along three sides of the school yard - rooms in a row with a long verandah in front. Children are lining up their chappals neatly along the wall. At one end of the yard is a unit with taps for water. The left over water from this unit drains into the flower beds. Hanging on the tree trunks in the school yard are small mirrors. They are at the height of the children. Children glance in the mirrors to check on how they are looking. Big mats are being stretched out under the trees. This is a big school - classes all the way from Std 1 to 8 - almost 350 children. Boys and girls are pouring into the school. Everyone is lining up under the trees and on the mats. The smallest children are on the left and the older classes to the right. The school, the teachers and the children are ready for morning assembly.

Today is the first day of "Gunotsav" - a campaign for quality education across Gujarat. For the last three years, this has become an annual feature in Gujarat's government school calendar. For three consecutive days, every senior officer from every department in the state visits schools. There are IAS officers, officers from other central services, state government senior staff - all in schools assessing facilities, attendance, school activities like assembly, cultural activities as well as school- community linkages. But most importantly, there is a big focus during this visit on understanding children's learning levels. The officer visits each class and asks children to read, to write and do math. The officer and his team spends a whole day in one school from assembly in the morning all the way till the evening when there is a cultural program. Out of 35,000 schools in Gujarat, in the next 2 days about 9,000 or so will get visited. The government's calculation is that in 3 years every school in the state will get a full day visit by a senior officer and his team. This entire exercise is an effort to focus serious attention on school functioning as well as teaching and learning - all of which should lead to improvement of quality of schooling and to better learning outcomes.

The officer visiting our school is the CDPO - the person in charge of all anganwadis at the block level. She has four colleagues with her. The team sits in the principal's office will all the formats and the assessment sheets to decide who will do what during the day. There is a lot of paper to be gone through and instructions to be understood. The headmaster helps the officer wherever needed.

Standard Five children in this school, sit in a cheerful, bright and airy classroom. There are colourful heavy plastic little desks on the floor- orange and blue. Lots of charts on the wall. Coloured triangular paper flags hang on strings that crisscross the ceiling. It is a big class - almost fifty children. The girls with neatly tied hair and red ribbons sit interspersed with the boys. At this age, boys seem to have hair that cannot be tamed.

The officer calls out to different children to come and read. She has many sample paragraphs. The text is at Std 4 level. One by one children come to the front of the class and try to read. The ability to read varies considerably. Some can read fluently; others have to sound out each letter, each matra and each word. A few are silent. Children try hard. And as they try you can see the effort - knitted eyebrows, stiff arms, stretched toes. But regardless of whether they can or not, everyone wants to come to the front of the class and try to read.

There is a little girl bouncing up and down at the back of the class. Her red ribbons match with the red bangles she is wearing. She is dying to be picked to read. Her name is Payal. Finally she gets her turn. She jumps to the front of the class and enthusiastically holds the paragraph. But then she freezes, her energy seems to suddenly evaporate. She struggles and struggles trying to navigate words and sentences.

It is obvious that many children do not actually speak Gujarati at home. Their mother tongue is common with children across the border in Rajasthan.. It is true that this is their fifth year in school, and it is also true that by now they should be able to fluently read and comprehend complicated text. But unless they can read, they cannot move ahead. I wonder how the teacher handles the difference in language between what children speak at home and the language of textbooks. I wonder how the teacher handles the diversity of reading ability levels in her class. How she decides to whom she will teach what. Of course she has her Std 5 textbook to complete. But then it is also clear that many children in her class are well below Std 4 level. What she does she do to help the children who still cannot read? How does she translate the children's energy and desire into actual capability?

We have now moved to arithmetic. The first set of tasks is very straightforward. The officer will say a number aloud and children have to come and write the number on the blackboard in numerals. The officer selects Bhavna who is sitting in the front row. It is Bhavna's birthday today. In the morning assembly, children whose birthday it is today were asked to come to the front and each was given a special badge for the day. Bhavna springs up. The officer says " six thousand and fifty eight". Bhavna confidently writes "600058". "Is this correct?" asks the officer. Some children say yes and some say no and some are silent. A boy comes to the board and writes the number correctly. Now, we move to subtraction problems. "Eight thousand fifteen minus three thousand one hundred and sixty". Again a child writes "800015 ....". For some this is easy but for quite a few others, place value is a problem and doing the operation is difficult.

In many ways, the situation in the maths class is similar to that in reading - some children are stuck at the basics while others have moved on. Enabling children to understand place value is not hard but if they do not learn it at the right time they get left behind. The curriculum and textbooks move ahead rapidly and build on what they think the children have already learned. Others get left behind, abandoned at the crucial key point when foundation for mathematics need to be meaningfully built. Such children continue in school, move physically with their classmates from grade to grade but make little or no progress year on year.

The gong rings loudly in the school yard. It is time for the midday meal. Four women have been working hard all morning to get lunch ready on time. They are tall, smiling and work effortlessly. They seem to enjoy being part of the school. One of them has a small baby in a cloth cradle sleeping in the sun outside. Children swarm onto the verandah with plates in hand. There is commotion and fun as everyone tries to save space next to them for their friends and siblings. Very soon, the chaos subsides into order. Weaving their way down the verandah, the women in the colourful lahangas and odhnis begin to serve the children. Today the lunch is "daal dhokli". Piping hot and very delicious. Everyone enjoys the meal heartily.

The lunch break is still on but the children of Std 8 want to chat with us. We decide to go into their classroom and play a game. We agree that we should play an English game. Gujarat starts English in schools much later than other states. Children's ability to speak sentences or write is not high. Instead of trying to read or write sentences, we decide to play a mind mapping game with vocabulary in both languages. In the centre of the blackboard, the word "mobile" is written in English and in Gujarati. Now children have to think of associated words and come and write them on the blackboard. At first children are not sure how to think. They are not sure if the word "mobile" is Gujarati or English. One girl says "Mobile is the word that is used for this thing. And sometimes we call it phone also." "What about words that come to your mind when you hear mobile?" We ask. You can hear the entire class thinking. Softly a boy says "m-e-m-o-ry". This word unleashes the potential in the class. Children are falling over each other with words that they want to write. Words begin to appear on the blackboard - "cover", "phone", "memory", "sim", "display", "battery", "camera”.. the list goes on and on. Children may not know much grammar or syntax but they are able to pluck English words and meanings out of their environment and apply them in class.

We leave behind us the happy sounds of an active school. Back on the dusty road we think about the school, what we saw and felt. It is clear that teachers prepare for Gunotsav - and that in itself is a good thing. The schools look neat and clean, facilities working and in order, classrooms well decorated with materials and charts, school records shipshape and activities like assembly running well. These are all necessary elements of a well functioning school. The experience of spending a whole day in a school, year after year, for so many many government officers also can only have beneficial effects. At an individual level, it reminds every one of their school life. At the macro level, it brings the school and its core activities to the forefront of the state's attention.

What is the impact of Gunotsav? How does the impact translate into improvement? How is the evidence and the experience used each year to build from the previous year? There is no doubt that school facilities and school functioning must be improving each year. But are schools improving in their core activities of teaching and learning? Are schools better able to help their children - especially those that are behind? Can this year's Gunotsav lead to plans for ensuring that every child learns well. What will be the discussions after Gunotsav is completed this year? What will be discussions at state, district, block, and cluster and school level? Will these lead to activities that will result in every child in Gujarat in Std 5 next year reading fluently, being able to talk and write comprehensively about what they have read and doing any operations up to the number one thousand with confidence?

Is Nigeria Reading?

2011-10-23T19:57:00.004+05:30

Radhika Iyengar

Background to this note:

Nigeria recently made history by launching one of the world’s largest poverty elimination campaigns aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Known as the Conditional Grants Scheme (CGS) and with $1 billion per year, the program reaches out to nearly 25 million people in 113 Local Government Areas with the specific objectives of 1) investing in the MDGs at the sub-national level and promoting local ownership and sustainability 2) empowering State and Local Governments to carry out their constitutional responsibilities and 3) leveraging public sector organizational and expenditure reform, along with national planning to improve service delivery.

The MDG for education ensures that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. To meet these goals, the Nigerian government is collaborating with The Earth Institute to develop a web-based real-time, performance/project tracking system to aid in informed decision-making at the local level. As a part of the tool, we want to include reading outcomes to assess education quality. Since I had worked with Pratham in India previously for 4 years, the first outcome based tool that came to my mind was the ASER literacy and numeracy tool.

Nigeria is not secluded from this global trend of focusing on student learning outcomes. The Nigerian National Policy on Education (2004) states that one of the goals of the primary education is to “inculcate permanent literacy and numeracy, and the ability to communicate effectively”. Federal Ministry of Education (FME) Roadmap (March 2009) also mentions that “a standardized assessment system that annually monitors and reports academic achievement in the core subjects” as one of its priorities. Nigeria started to monitor student learning in 1996. Monitoring of Learning Achievement (MLA) was initiated first for fourth graders. Results from this MLA exercise showed low achievement in the three key areas of literacy, numeracy and life-skills. MLA was initially planned to be conducted periodically, but this plan did not materialize because of the high cost of administering it. Recent MLA in 2003 indicated a low level of achievement on an average at the national level. However, the MLA assessment is compiled at the State level and reports are not available at the Local Government Levels. Therefore for any Local Government Education Authority (essentially a District Education Office equivalent in India) learning results are not available.

I used the ASER test to make learning results visible in the community and to the Local Government Education Authorities in Nigeria. It was also a demonstration to show the ease of assessing learning levels rather than using complicated tests, the results of which remain unknown to the people who matter the most- the community and the local government authorities. There are still logistical issues that need to be addressed in terms of large resources required for assessing learning levels in a country as large as like Nigeria. But Nigeria is not alone in this stride; countries like India, Kenya, and Tanzania have already shown the way forward.
Recently I was in the Ikara Local Government Area (LGA) in Kaduna State in Nigeria. Yusuf Ibrahim, an Education Facilitator of the Millennium Villages Project and I were on a mission today! We wanted to know how many children in a nearby village can read and understand a simple text in English. According to the Nigerian Education Policy, primary grades (PRY) 1 to 3 are taught in the local language, but for higher grades PRY4 to PRY6 the medium of instruction is English. Therefore Grades 4 to 6 should be fluent in understanding English. What is expected out of a fourth grader? Here is a text that a fourth grader is expected to read:
“The boys crawled from chamber to chamber. Some of them were very large. In one very large chamber, the guide lighted his torch and
Andthe boys were able to read the names on the walls. These were names of people who visited the cave before and the dates of their
visits. The boys were very happy to write their own names. One boy saw some footprints on the floor of the chamber and asked whether
dogs lived there. The guide explained that wild animals lived in some parts of the cave. The boys became afraid at once and could hear no
more. Some were already crying. So, the teacher told the guide to take them out of the cave. They all crawled out one after the other.
When they all came out safely, they became happy at once again.”

NOTE: The font size and the line spacing is as it appears in the textbook.
Source: “Better English for Primary Schools” Based on the Modular System. PRY 4. 2010 Edition.

Yusuf and I asked some children to read the following text. We had a sample of similar texts with us. Please note the difference in the difficulty level between the two passages and the font size used. Our passage is much simpler than what a fourth grader is expected to know based on the sample text in the prescribed textbook.

Story Level

Last night thieves came to our home. They had come to steal our cows. The dogs saw the thieves. They chased the thieves. The dogs caught the thieves. My father took them to the chief. The chief called the police. The police took the thieves away. The police thanked the chief.

Questions

What had the thieves come to do?

Why did the police thank the chief?

Source: UWEZO (see www.uwezo.net)
Note: Font size and spacing between lines and letters as given in the original text

Yusuf and I sat on a bench near the primary school. The school was closed due to summer vacation. We saw some children in the school’s play ground and called for them. We started asking for their ages and the grades in which they were studying in. This was to ensure that we ask only fourth graders and higher to read the text. Soon the group of kids became larger and larger with some parents coming over to pleasantly greet Yusuf. While I was mainly ignored by most people! People looked puzzled with the sheet of paper and children looked amuzed. We encouraged some children to read what was written in the paper. Other children pushed and prompted and giggled and murmured the text into their neighbour’s ears. While Yusuf and I were saying “I am sure you can read this. Take your time”.

Ah! Finally a girl came forward to read. Others prompted “you must take her to the side and let her read” , “she is shy”, “she doesn’t know how to read”. This reading actvity had become the center of attraction of the village. Soon mothers came over and again looked at me puzzled and greeted Yusuf. Reading in the community? But offcourse no one had asked children to read in the community before.Unfortunately, literacy and numeracy is only confined to schools. Parents almost never visit the schools and therefore are not aware of what their children are learning in the schools. A mother observing the entire activity asked me to “check” if her son could read or not. If medical doctors can have health camps in the community by settting up a table with their instruments, why cant we set up a “reading table” in the community and test children’s reading abilities?

So far so good! Everyone looked engaged and enthusiastic. But what was the result of the reading “check”? Yusuf and I were able to reach out to 11 children of grade four and over. Here are the results of the reading test.

Level of Reading	Total number of children
Could read a “story” and were able to answer questions on it	0
Could read a simple paragraph	2
Could only read words	4
Could only read letters	5

Total Number of Children tested

The reading results showed that out of the 11 children tested, none were able to read the simple “story” level text. 9 out of the 11 children (81%) were able to read only letters and words. And only 2 out of the 11 children were able to read a simple paragraph. Yusuf and I looked at the compiled results and started to think why this would be the case. We came up with many possible reasons, “poor quality education in schools”, “teachers are not motivated to teach”, “teacher shortage”, “children don’t go to the school regularly” etc. We had no straight answers. But one thing was clearafter this reading actvity in the community, parents need to involved in knowing their children’s reading levels. Parents are clearly left in the dark about their child’s learning levels. Discussing these learning levels in PTAs, SMBCs and also with the Education Secretary of the LGA along with Head Masters and Teachers is bound to create some accountability in improving basic literacy rates in the community. These tests developed by ASER and UWEZO provide the information we need about basic literacy. It is upto us to use these results and plan education interventions accordingly.Simple literacy tests like these are thermometers that help us to measure the literacy rates and at the same time mobilize the community around the issue. Its high time we discuss literacy in the community!

ASER in Arunachal - A Perspective

2011-10-22T12:23:00.000+05:30

by Bipasha Majumder

“I sold the goat my father had given me for Rs.30 only and tucked it inside the leaves I was wearing. I had only a shawl to cover myself back then, not like these shorts and t-shirts. I saw many people getting up into this huge thing. So, I also got up. Then suddenly with a noise, the whole thing started to move and the world whizzed past…..”

Techi Taram, the village head of Sood, in his early 40s, regaled us with a riveting and hilarious account of his past adventures. Of course the story was fabricated but it reminded me of the rich and yet dying tradition of oral story telling in Arunachal Pradesh. Like his ancestors, Techi Taram had never been to school despite efforts from the government. But when the topic of current status of education in his village came up; his friendly and outspoken wife took over.

Sood, a relatively small village just across the river fromNaharlagun, a satellite town of Itanagar had only one government primary school. One would think that being so close to the capital city, the status of education would be really good.

But Techi Taram’s wife had a different story to tell. She told us that though her three older children (two boys and one girl) studied in Naharlagun, the youngest son of six years went to the village school. She wanted all her children to be educated, unlike her husband and her. She complained that the level of education in the village school was really low. Teachers were frequently absent and she was not too happy with the midday meals either. A quick test of her son confirmed this…as the only letter that he recognized, after a lot of prompting, was X.

I was puzzled by this situation. Maybe, it is just this one village, as I knew that the level of education in Arunachal is much higher than most of the states in India. Talking to ASER volunteers and few others outside the survey, we realized that Arunachal Pradesh and especially the capital district of Papumpare are in a state of flux.

Tribal lifestyle and culture are slowly getting mainstreamed. Till a few years back, tribal identities were very strong. But now, they have started looking at Arunachal as their state… very similar to the outlook of various communities in the rest of India. Many believed that earlier when outsiders (people from other states) were allowed to come and teach, the level of education was much higher. Corrupt practices, lack of monitoring and unwilling teachers - which have been corroding education in the rest of India, are also gaining ground here, especially in Papumpare.

A bone rattling and dangerous journey through unpaved and slushy road led us to Bomdila and then onwards to Tawang. This long and tiresome journey was totally offset by the stunning landscape all along and extremely friendly, helpful and patient co-travelers. Peaceful Tawang, a Buddhist district, is a complete contrast to the aggressive Papumpare district. High rocky mountains, cold temperature, chirping of birds (which was eerily lacking in Papumpare) and deeply religious people made it a perfect tourist spot.

A recent earthquake, with its epicenter in Sikkim, had rendered all telephone lines and services useless for days. However, in the strange local system of communication which works well there, Anil (ASER Regional Team Member) was able to locate us and also the town’s secondary school’s headmaster Manosh Kumar, who had conducted the ASER district level training there.

Manosh Kumar is from Kerala and has spent last 15 years in Tawang. He told us how much the town had changed over the years and also the perception towards education in people’s mind. He also spoke about tribal villages in the far interiors where outsiders are poisoned even now. Even the locals are scared to go there, and as a result probably there are no schools in those villages.

Shernup, 25kms from Tawang was a picture perfect Monpa village set amongst green fields of paddy, ripening millets and various wildflowers. It consisted of a Gompa and a residential primary government school, which were shared by three other neighboring villages. Headmaster Phuntso Choikey introduced us to all the teachers and took us around the school. A few reading charts adorned the walls of the otherwise barren classrooms in which the students were deep in studies. The hostel compound was clean and children’s clothes hung everywhere. Being a residential school, the students had regular mid-day meals. A quick oral testing with the students in Std 2 and 4 told me a whole different story than the government school inSood. Here, the class 2 students knew words and the class 4 students could read paragraphs in English fluently.

The current and the younger generation of Arunachal are well conversant in Hindi and English. English is the medium of teaching in schools and since tribal languages and dialects are distinctly different from each other, Hindi has become the common language of conversation. It is inevitable that education and mainstreaming will slowly lead to various tribal languages and dialects getting lost along with the story telling skills like that of Techi Taram. Yet the innate sense of freedom and happiness of these beautiful mountain people will continue to set them apart from the rest of us.

Bipasha, an ex-Prathamite, and Zalina Gamut, a filmmaker, volunteered to travel to Arunachal Pradesh to conduct ASER 2011 and document the process.

Dharwad Dairies

2011-10-22T11:59:00.000+05:30

by Priyadarsini Nair

September was laced with light monsoon showers in Karnataka this year. Under the shadow of the overcast clouds, it may seem as though the city of Dharwad is devoid of activity. Do not be mistaken! Follow the distant sounds of a crowd building up discussing the status of education. This is the State level Training Centre of ASER 2011.

People from near and far have gathered to be part of a four day long training session to learn how to conduct ASER. As I entered the classroom, I was greeted by tired and yet eager faces. Amongst the new people are a few familiar faces who have conducted ASER before and who come back year after year to be part of ASER.

DAY 1: The day begins with coaching on technical details of the survey and data collection. The morning marks the beginning of the long road ahead for these 49 Master Trainers. By mid-day, the circle of friends has widened and laughter resonates throughout the cafeteria. The schedule over the next few days is now clear. Though it involves both mental and physical exertion, there are mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension.

DAY 2: After much preparation, we set out for the field work to conduct mock survey and put to test our memory and ability to execute ASER. We reached a village called Mansoor and met the village head. She welcomed us into her home with a warm smile, and patiently heard us. She insisted that we tell the children in the school to study. It is indeed overwhelming to know that the cause of educating children is important to the elders and the decision makers of the village.

After meeting the village head, we proceeded towards the school to speak to the Head Master and gather school information. The Head Master and her colleagues were forthcoming with all information.

Several curious eyes and coy smiles followed us as we walked around the campus to observe the amenities in the school. We then stepped into a classroom. We were greeted by a loud “Good Afternoon” (more like “Goood Afternooon Miss” in a singsong way) by as many as forty bright faces. Their eyes remained fixed at our every move, hoping that we would look in their direction and return their generous smiles. Standing amidst them instantaneously made me smile.

After completing a few household surveys, we took our tired feet back to the base and compiled the data collected in the village before retiring for the day.

DAY 3: The day began with our participants taking center stage and becoming the trainers, while others heard them patiently and provided their feedback. The latter half of the day was spent in the field, where we practiced re-checking villages. The difficulties and potential pitfalls in execution of the survey are now becoming clear to our MTs. They are beginning to feel confident about managing ASER in their respective districts. There is an eminent change in their approach and they voice themselves loud and clear.

DAY 4: We had another session of mock trainings and there was a noticeable difference in the way content was delivered. The trainers stepped in to emphasize key technical aspects and played the role of facilitators. On a befitting closing note, one of the MTs sang a song on the contradictions one witnesses on a day to day basis.

While saying goodbyes, several contacts numbers and email ids were exchanged, with a promise to speak again. As the evening sun set, people looked for the pathway that would take them home. ASER is now on its way to be heard and discovered by many homes across Karnataka. Ever so often, as I sit here, far away from the villages, I hear whispers of children counting, children reading passages while their parents proudly look over their shoulders.

Priyadarsini is a Manager (Business Excellence) with ANZ. She volunteered to participate in ASER 2011.

A Day with ASER in Purulia

2011-10-19T12:27:00.005+05:30

by Animesh Chatterjee

Purulia is a district in the western region of the state of West Bengal. The district shares its border with the states of Jharkhand and Odisha. Due to my extensive involvement with the Read India project running across the state, I am quite familiar with this region. Our district partner for ASER 2011 is a reputed college. However, they are not willing to conduct ASER in one village due to the fear of Maoist insurgents active in this area.

To monitor the progress of ASER, I had been travelling across the length and breadth of the district. Chamchika village was 30 kms away from where I was and the road leading to it was almost non-existent. When we reached, we found that the surveyors had already completed the mapping of the village and had started the household survey. Strangely, they had been told that the village was just 4 kms away from the nearest railway station. In reality, they had ended up travelling approximately 27 kms to reach the village.

On our way to the next village, we crossed the head quarters of Anada Magee, an NGO working in the field of education. By the time we reached our next village Talmu, our surveyors had already started the household survey. I came across a little girl, sitting in a corner in the courtyard of her house. She seemed ill. On interacting with her mother, we realized that she was suffering from symptoms of Chicken Pox. We were surprised to know that instead of being examined by a doctor, she had been receiving treatment from a “witch doctor”! The parents were of the opinion that an ailment as serious as the one she was suffering from, a medical doctor would be of no help.

After trying to convince her parents to take the girl to a doctor, it was time for us to move on. The next village was 50 kms away. When we reached Sarjamatu village, it was 4 pm. Our surveyors were conducting the household survey. Since one of the volunteer was a native of the village, they had decided to continue the survey late into the evening.

By the end of the day, we had traversed approximately 150 kms. We felt happy that ASER in Purulia district was right on track!

First Impressions

2011-10-18T23:05:00.000+05:30

By Daanish Raj

This was my first trip to Madhya Pradesh (MP). My job at ASER Centre has translated into field visits to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and now MP. I had visited none of these states before. As a child, growing up playing cricket in Hyderabad, I had just done the rounds of the southern states for cricket tournaments.

I was taken aback by the backwardness of MP on most development parameters. And yet, there is nothing stopping the population explosion in the state. For instance, autos that accommodate 14-15 passengers are commonplace in the countryside. But eight seater jeeps converted into 25 seaters left me almost speechless! On one of my field visits, I had to stand on the ledge at the foot of the passenger door and held onto the window frame to ensure I did not fall off! To add to my adventures, the challenge posed by the sheer magnitude of the survey was matched in gravity by that of dodging red lipped men, spitting paan left right and centre.

The water situation in Rewa, the district I was based in, was dangerously acute. Apparently, it had not rained well for the last three years. Villagers had to travel several miles to the nearest functional handpump (quite veritably their oasis), where fights over the number of buckets one could fill were common.

Despite the much touted Pradhan Mantri Graam Sadak Yojna, roads connecting the villages are almost non-existent. There is not much to boast about the electricity situation either. Long power cuts are a part of life here.

The villagers seemed quite politically conscious. Not only were they critical of the government, they knew the positives and negatives of the past and incumbent regimes. Not surprisingly, subsidy to farmers was a contentious issue.

Spending a fortnight in rural Rewa, the district I was based in, made me question, and not for the first time, where we are headed as a nation? What is the point of working for an NGO that focuses on education, or healthcare or anything for that matter? We seemed doomed anyway, given the scale of all our problems! Perhaps, there is some truth in claims of most religions that espouse the prophecies of Armageddon or Judgement Day.

Given the scale of every problem in this country, only the government can make any significant impact. As members of the civil society, all we can do at best is to lead the way with some good work and urge the government to get its act together.

Until now, I had only read about the status of education in MP. I was aware that MP had taken the lead when the Government of India decided to universalize primary education. The MP government was one of the first to ensure a school within every 1 km radius of a village. In fact, now there is a school within 1 km radius of every hamletin every village, courtesy Shiksha Guarantee Scheme (EGS).

But ground realities are abysmal. For instance, pupil teacher ratio is far from satisfactory. Generally, there is only one teacher for standards 1 to 5. Often, students suffer since teachers who come from far away blocks and districts reach the school late. EGS should have addressed this problem. But then, those teachers who live in the same hamlet where the school is situated run other businesses and work in their farms during school hours. As a result, 10-11 year old children pass out of Std 5 knowing almost nothing.

Nevertheless, despite the disappointments, MP had its share of adventures too. While conducting the survey of a village, I lost track of time and missed the last vehicle out of the village at 4 p.m. Walking for 12-13 km to the nearest bus stop was the only option left. En route, I was treated to a sumptuous dinner at the house of the extremely hospitable ex-head master of the school in the village.

Perfection

2011-10-18T22:54:00.000+05:30

By Abhineet Singh Malhotra

My job profile in ASER Centre requires me to travel very often and for long duration, to add to my mother’s annoyance. Since the ASER season kicked off in September, I had been to two state level trainings, and this was going to be my third training in less than 15 days. I was headed to Madhya Pradesh.

I was glad that unlike the situation in Odisha, at least now I would be able to understand the language spoken around me. Unlike other states where state level training had been conducted for four days, Madhya Pradesh was scheduled to have a five day long training.

Among the volunteers attending the training, there was something different about Vishal. There was a sense of calmness and peace about his demeanour. During the first three days of the training, our eyes met on several occasions and we smiled at each other. But we refrained from speaking to each other. On the fourth day, the training session overshot its duration and the participants were getting restless.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. Our training venue was located in a huge campus, surrounded by trees. I sat on the stairs, waiting for my colleagues to finish their remaining work so that we could head back to our rooms.

Suddenly, Vishal came and sat next to me. He kept his hand on my shoulder and said, “I see a lot of rage in your eyes. It is very common for someone your age to lose patience. At this age, one wants to bring immediate change. But, you need to understand an important principle of life, everything that undergoes sudden change has to face resistance. This is a law of nature. To bring about a change in your participants, you need to understand them and consider the context they hail from. In life, we often judge the book by the cover. That is wrong. If you consider their initial circumstances, you will realize how you have influenced their lives.”

He continued, “Over the last four days, you mentioned the idea of perfection several times. To me, being perfect is not about winning. It is not about the change you bring. Rather, it is about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look at your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down. Deep down in your heart, you know you told them the truth. Truth is that you did everything that you could.”

Meet Jayanti

2011-10-02T12:00:00.001+05:30

By Sneha Dash

I met Jayanti Mahanand, the free spirited, fourteen year old girl in a village in the Belapara block of Bolangir district in Odisha. The enthusiastic and diligent Jayanti aced the ASER reading test and went up to the subtraction level in the mathematics test. Her performance in the ASER bonus test was impressive as well.

The only daughter in her family, Jayanti is a special child. Despite a physical disability, her passion towards education is indomitable and writes effortlessly with her foot. She wants to complete her education and grow up to be a teacher.

A truly inspirational encounter with Jayanti!

Glimpse of ASER 2011 in Rajasthan

2011-09-29T20:13:00.001+05:30

District level training of ASER surveyors

Off to the field

Meeting the Sarpanch

Getting started

Children excited to see the surveyors

ASER testing of children

Collecting household information

School observation

En Route to Srinagar

2011-09-29T16:22:00.001+05:30

by Savitri Bobde

We reached Jammu at 6 in the morning for the district training for ASER 2011 in Kashmir. I felt sleepy, excited and wondered what to do, as usual! After a few phone calls, a few more logistical concerns and a lot of bargaining, we caught an auto and reached the bus stand. A car and a young, handsome driver were waiting for us. Soon, we were on our way to Srinagar.

As soon as the car drove a bit ahead, we were abruptly stopped by a few people in a banal, matter of fact way. A sardar came close to the car and knocked on the front window, indicating to our colleague to open the door. My colleague looked at the driver for instructions and on being given a nod, opened the door.

The sardar pushed my colleague further inside and sat next to him. He directed the driver to park his car in the parking lot. After parking the car, the driver took out two hundred rupees and gave it to him. At this point, the sardar gave him a cold, ominous look. A chill ran down my spine! The driver promptly took back the two hundred rupees and gave him a five hundred rupee note. He pleaded with the sardar to give him at least 200 rupees back. But, he was given just a fifty rupee note with a very decisive nod.

That sardar looked so vicious that I would have probably not even asked for any money back. The driver tried once more, and got a more humane response from the sardar. He said that a substantial amount of the money will have to go to someone else. At this point, the driver just moved out of the parking lot and drove ahead. Probably feeling the air of bewilderment in the car, he explained that this is the reason he did not want to drive through this route. Someone from our team must have insisted on him taking this way, because en route we had to pick up another colleague.

The driver told us that the sardar was part of the ‘taxi mafia’. The police and these people are allegedly hand in glove and bullied Kashmiri cars to pay money if they got customers from ‘their’ Jammu stand. What if he didn’t pay, we asked. The driver responded that he would be forcefully sent off to Srinagar.

By then, the bewilderment had turned into a bitter taste in the stomach that injustice and helplessness leaves behind. Not only did the taxi mafia control this young Kashmiri boy’s decision, but in many ways, ours too! We asked him if Kashmiris did the same to Jammu taxiwalas? He emphatically replied, no! They don’t!

After a while of driving further, the car suddenly gained speed and then came to an abrupt halt. Increasing the speed was the driver’s attempt to escape, and then the realization that it was smarter to just stop dawned upon him. This time, it was a random guy on the road ready to smash the car’s windows with a thick danda (stick) and a pink receipt book. He looked at the driver and threatened “Gaadi humein bhi chalaani aati hai, samjhana!’ (We also know how to drive cars, you get it!) The driver smiled and agreed with him. He quietly took out his wallet and gave him twenty rupees, took the receipt (for crying out loud!) and drove off.

Now, who was he? We wondered! “Just a gunda (goon) on the road, making some money,” was the reply! But what about the receipt! The driver passed the slip behind. The slip read ‘Jammu Development Authority - Adda fees’. The receipt looked as fraudulent as the goon himself. The driver added that giving twenty rupees was better than having to fix the glass for a thousand bucks. By now, everyone in the car was voicing their dismay. The driver, very calmly added that he wouldn’t be surprised if he lost another Rs 500 during our remaining journey. Luckily that didn’t happen.

Due to heavy traffic, our car slowed down. We saw another goon, contemplating whether to stop us or not Luckily, the traffic cleared up and the driver quickly got out of there. “A little more time, and he too would have stopped us", he exclaimed!

What was really astonishing was the fact that throughout this time, I could not see the slightest expression of anger on the driver’s face. He seemed to have accepted the state of affairs, like a chronic illness! I guess, acceptance was the key to sanity here!

Memories of ASER 2011 in Chhattisgarh - My Unforgettable First ASER

2011-09-29T15:46:00.001+05:30

by Siddharth Jain

I have been with ASER Centre for more than two months now and I have already been to two field trips. Both have been pilot surveys, to gear up Master Trainers for the actual survey.

My very first field visit for ASER 2011was to the villages of Chhattisgarh. The experience was incredible. Contrary to my expectations of finding Chhattisgarh in a state of turmoil, battered by Naxalism, it turned out to be a vibrant place, trying very hard to get rid of the label of being in a ‘state of conflict’.

The state level training was a serious affair, though interspersed with several moments of fun. Bhalchandra, the seasoned ASER Regional Team Member for the State, had made it very clear to the Master Trainers at the very outset that all the information that was being given to them must be taken down and internalized. All the new features incorporated into this year’s ASER were stressed upon.

Field visits played an extremely important role in moulding the MTs towards becoming good trainers. Field visits to six villages were organized. 31 MTs were divided into teams, with at least two MTs with prior ASER experience in each team.

I went to a village called Kopedih. The village had approximately 150 households and came across as very keen to have their children tested. Though the village had several amenities such as electricity, sanitation, water supply and even a hospital, it lacked other facilities like a bank, post office etc. However, there was a sense of helplessness among the villagers about education levels of their children.

An incident that did make my brows twitch was when our team visited the primary school in the village. The teacher present there relayed the news that a few people had come to conduct a survey of the school and the village. Within few minutes, the Sarpanch(village head) came to meet us at the school.

While talking to the Sarpanch, I noticed that a few students walked upto the teacher and requested her to check whether they had written the alphabets correctly. The teacher, who should have been in the classroom teaching, was instead standing outside, listening to our conversation. She inattentively took the slate from a child’s hand and made a tick mark without even reading. This complete apathy surprised me. This incident made me curious to go to the village and see the reaction of the parents.

The pilot survey went off well. Most parents and other villagers were very appreciative of our initiative.

On our way back, I noticed a group of men huddled up with sticks in their hands. A wild boar hunting contest had ensued between these men. After a lot of running around, they realized it was a harmless pig. I shared a good laugh with the villagers and headed back to the training venue. On the way back, a quick visit to the Mandir (temple) in Dongargarh village, highly revered by the locals, was the perfect end to an eventful day.

I returned to Delhi after the four day long state level training, happy with my training debut as a Research Associate with ASER-Centre.

ASER 2011 in Sikkim

2011-09-26T11:57:00.001+05:30

by Ranajit Bhattacharyya

Last September we made a trip to Sikkim to prepare for ASER 2010. Measuring about 7,000 sq kms with a population of about half a million, this beautiful state is situated on the mighty Himalayas and attracts many tourists from far and wide. Sikkim has 4 districts.

North Sikkim the largest district of Sikkim, sharing borders with China and Nepal, mostly China, and measuring more than 4,000 sq km has a population of below 50,000.

The Gangtok is situated East Sikkim, which with a population of about 300,000, in an area of just under 1,000 kms, is the most populated district. China, Bhutan and West Bengal are its neighbours.

South Sikkim, the only district with no international border, is the smallest of the districts, with a population of about 150,000.

West Sikkim, measuring less than 1,200 sq kms, with a population of just under 140,000 shares an international border with Nepal.

Though, Nepali is the most popular language of Sikkim, English and Hindi are widely spoken and understood. Many other languages are also spoken in the state, with Bhutia and Lepcha being the major ones amongst this group.


River Teesta, the lifeline of Sikkim, measures 316 kms in Length and originates from Tso Lhamo lake in North Sikkim

Exactly a year ago we encountered many landslides to reach Gangtok

Teesta in the lower reaches of the state

We are on our way to North Sikkim. Mangan and Chungthang are in North Sikkim.

Great Schools

Exotic Locations

Schools full of children

And happy

More children

Post 18^th September, 2011. Are the children safe? Are the schools intact?

Sikkim has been devastated. On the 18^th of September at 6.11 pm, as night was setting in, an earthquake of 6.9 on the richter scale jolted the state, together with neighboring Nepal. Massive landslides have blocked not only the roads but also river Teesta, which might cause flash floods. Dams being built on Teesta, as well as several homes have caved in, particularly in the North district. Many lives have been lost, the numbers are yet to be ascertained. Repeated aftershocks are causing more damage. Mary Sada finished training the ASER 2011 North district volunteers on the 17^th of September. We do not know whether we will be able to survey the district this year.

ASER 2011-West Bengal State Level Training

2011-09-24T18:23:00.000+05:30

by Zerah Rongong

ASER Regional Team Member

West Bengal

Demo training for District Master Trainers

Explaining 'the fifth household rule' to survey households in the village

Master Trainers from districts across West Bengal attended the training

A quiz was conducted to asses their understanding of the survey procedure

Field Visit

Creating a village map

Collecting information about various SSA (Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan) funds from the principal of a primary school

School Observation

Assessing arithmetic skills of children

ASER 2011 in Meghalaya

2011-09-24T15:29:00.001+05:30

by Ranajit Bhattacharyya

Night in Shillong the capital of Meghalaya…we are in Meghalaya for ASER 2011

Streets at night and Miniature Khasi souveneir

ASER 2011 Meghalaya volunteer training in progress

We take a bus to village Mylliem…talk to village headman

Very scenic village

Mylliem school visit

Children in classrooms

We go mapping

Testing

Time to return

ASER 2011 in Mizoram

2011-09-23T14:57:00.002+05:30

by Ranajit Bhattacharyya

One of the North Eastern states of country. Surrounded by Tripura and Bangladesh in the west and south west, Assam and Manipur in the north and Myanmar to the east and south east.

This picturesque state’s capital is Aizawl and has 8 districts Aizawl, Champai, Kolasib, Lawngtlai, Lunglei, Mamit, Saiha and Serchip

Training Venue : Government Tourist Lodge in Chatlang, Aizawl

8 Master Trainers are trained over 3 days

Tanking up for the field visit to Hmuifang village

Driving through the green forests in the mountains

The view on the way….

The unmanned ‘Dawr’. Dawr means a shop in Mizo…These type of Dawrs are a common site alongside the mountains. Busy farmers leave their produce with a price tag on the bundles..The honest consumers pick of up their requirement and insert the cost into the container!

Secretary of Mhuifang indicating the extant of the village to Tetea

Village mapping is in progress with a local volunteer, who is a teacher in the school

Village primary school visit…School observation with the headmistress

Class observation…Attendance count

Children

ASER can be fun too

"We will not let our birds to be killed"

2011-09-22T15:39:00.000+05:30

by Trishna Lekharu
ASER Associate, Assam

Between two flowing rivers lies the town of Dhuburi. One side touches the West Bengal border and the other Bangladesh. Most people in Dhuburi are Bengali Hindus and Muslims, although there are also some people of Koch-Rajbanshi tribe. Most people here speak Goalparia, Bangla and Bhatiali. Although I can understand these languages I can’t speak with ease. Lucky for me, they also speak Assamese.

The 2011 ASER Dhuburi district training was held in Agomoni block. Two master trainers from ASER conducted the training which was attended by 20 trainees. On the second day we went to a village for a field visit. Strangely enough, we could not find anyone there. The doors and windows of all the houses were closed. We knocked on several doors, but to no avail.

Finally, a door opened slightly. We heard a voice from inside shout, “we will not let our birds to be killed.” Then came a shout from another house, “We will not let our birds be killed. You people go away”. That’s when I began to understand what was happening.

Recently Agomoni had been affected by Bird flu, a huge blow for those whose livelihoods were based on selling poultry. They thought we were government officials who had come to kill their birds. When they refused to believe otherwise, we went to a nearby school and explained the situation to the headmaster. He accompanied us to try and convince the local people that we were only in Dhuburi for ASER. With his assistance we were able to complete the survey.

It’s always an enlightening experience when we go to villages. We see the real India, real Indians and their problems. When I see how much work is yet to be done, I feel a sense of purpose.

North East Regional Training

2011-09-22T12:31:00.001+05:30

A photo essay by Ranajit Bhattacharyya

Kohima is the capital of Nagaland, and is situated in the Hills

AO Baptist Church – the location of our 4 day residential training

Blue and Green Mountains – Clouds – Helipad and Winding Roads

40 Master Trainers are being trained from 5 states

Deeply engrossed

Approaching a village for the pilot survey

Road to a village

Walking around to map the village

Meeting the village headman

Child being tested – Curious onlookers too!

School Visit

Paddy Fields on our way back - Very picturesque

Time for a group photograph

Feedback after the pilot survey

Time to assess the learning from the training with a quiz

Story of a Volunteer from Tripura

2011-09-19T15:57:00.000+05:30

By Piyali Chakraborty

ASER Associate, West Bengal

On a bright morning, with a truck load of ASER training material (47 kilos to be precise), I boarded the Tripura bound flight. Unfazed by the excess baggage that I had to pay for, I felt excited about the next few days I would spend in Tripura. This will be the second time I conduct ASER. Each year, ASER brings several opportunities to learn, and interact with volunteers who selflessly conduct ASER, such as the 35 year old volunteer I met during the Tripura state level training.

On all four days of training, this volunteers arrived late. Extremely impatient during the training, he would run out and make frantic phone calls every now and then. Due to his strong local accent, I could barely understand the conversation I overheard.

To give them a taste of the actual survey, a field visit was organized for the volunteers. After the field visit, a feedback session was held. When his turn came, quite strangely he began to recount all the mistakes he had committed during the field visit.

It was only on the last day of the training that he shared with us the reason behind his bizarre behaviour. He began by apologizing and told us that the day before the training began, his wife had met with an accident and had suffered a miscarriage. Everyone in his family was heartbroken, since they had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new born. Immediately after admitting his wife in a hospital in Agartala, he had rushed to the training.

We were awestruck by the courage he had shown by attending the training despite his personal tragedy. We ended the training with prayers and good wishes for the speedy recovery of his wife.

ASER 2011 - Manipur Diaries

2011-09-19T14:59:00.003+05:30

by Ranajit Bhattacharya

Day 4

The feedback from the pilot survey is being held. It was very late last evening by the time we got back. Customary presentations by all 4 groups set the tone for the day. Friendly banters, on the observations made during the presentation, between groups, enliven the proceedings and reinforce the learning. Inter group rivalry!

There will be no electricity from 5 in the evening. The training finishes with a recap and ASER 2011 quiz.

Uninterrupted electricity supply here is only for the chosen few. I check into a hotel that night, to catch a sleep. The Hotel is connected to the “VIP line”, as Chingshang says.

Day 3

Teacher’s Day, September 5. It is 8 in the morning. A prominent English daily observes, “No end to Sadar Hills agitations, SHDDC resolves to intensify stir”. SHDDC (Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee) is the group agitating for the new district. The same paper reports “362 loaded trucks reach Imphal…carrying various essential commodities….escorted by a combined force of Manipur Rifles, IRB and Police Commandos besides the central paramilitary forces”. The paper also reports “Manipur Tourism bags award at Mumbai tourism fair… Most Promising Tourism Destination Award at the concluding day of 91^st Travel and Tourism Fair”. Really a mixed bag!

55 of us divided into 4 groups are going for a pilot survey in 4 adjacent villages in Bishnupur district, about 40 kms from our training location. The thought of stepping out to the country side excites me. It has almost been 48 hours in DSSS.

4 ‘Tata Magic’ cars have been requisitioned to transport us back and forth. Transport was easy to find. I am a bit intrigued, with all the talk of shortage of fuel. At 9 am, the convoy sets off and stops as we reach the main road. Representatives from all 4 groups huddle together and an animated conversation ensues. I do not understand the discussion, perhaps about refueling the ‘Magics’.

The ‘Magics’ roll out again at a leisurely pace. My attention is soon drawn, by Vareso, the MT from Ukhrul, to the long serpentine queues formed by cars and 2 wheelers side by side. The queues have been formed from the night before, with the drivers being tipped off that this particular petrol station will soon have replenished stock! This long wait will ensure 10 litres of petrol for each car, and 5 litres for the 2 wheelers!

We stop again, in the outskirts of Imphal, in front of a fuel station, which already has a long queue of vehicles, waiting to be refueled. Chingshang explains that this particular petrol station only sells diesel, hence comparatively smaller queue. Some of our volunteers are convincing the owners to refuel our cars, breaking the queue. I ask how? “Student Union members amongst our folds” is the response. Lo and behold, the fuel station is ready to dispense diesel to us, in a jiffy, 10 litres each though, no more!

Travelling through the breathtaking lush green paddy fields and wooded mountains afar, our convoy reaches the first village, Ngaikhong Khullen, at about 10.15 am. The MT of Bishnupur is waiting for us in the village. “ASER 2011 is almost over in Bishnupur, just 2 more villages to go”, he says.

Two more from our convoy break off in villages Khoijamun and Nachou respectively. Our group, the last group, reaches Ningthoukhong Awang, at 10.45 am. On the way, I am informed that today being teacher’s day all schools are shut. This village is adjacent to the largest freshwater lake in India, the Loktak Lake.

This is a rude shock, since to my knowledge of geography Wular in Kashmir is the largest freshwater lake in India! (A visit to the lake and Wikipedia will subsequently soften me up)

Today is a particularly hot and humid day. It has not rained in these parts for a few days. We find the village school very easily, though it is a holiday and there are no students, the teachers are present to celebrate teacher’s day. The majority of our group enters the school to speak to the teachers to gather school information. The village mapping can wait, lest the teachers disappear.

As the keen volunteers have engaged the teachers in a conversation in the staff room, I take a walk around the school.

Ningthoukhong Awang Upper Primary School, a co-educational school was established in 1948, and has 8 rooms from Std 1 to Std 5. The classrooms are in a dilapidated state. Partitions made of patches of bamboo, hessian and tin, full of holes, separate each class. The small area, dirty toilets and nonexistent play field belies high enrolment that it has. As the volunteers find out, 260 children are enrolled from Std 1 to Std 5.

My thoughts are interrupted by the tall, lean and wiry Vareso, in his early 40’, the ASER master trainer from Ukhrul. “The schools here are a lot better. Where I come from (Ukhrul), schools are in a state of ruin, and some schools have even turned into cattle and livestock shelters. Most schools have non-existent enrolment”.

Vareso talks about the hard life in the mountains and nonexistent roads and transport system in Ukhrul. “I have not been able to finish the survey (ASER 2011) in Ukhrul yet, despite my best efforts. It is so difficult to find volunteers to go to some of the sampled villages that take days to reach by foot.” “These villages need no transport cost but physical labour. I have already surveyed one village, which took me 7 hours to reach, walking through dense forest and narrow slippery path. I have another village to survey, which I will do upon my return from Imphal, this village will take 3 days of walking through dense forest on the mountains (3 days coming back). Even if I find no volunteers, I will finish all the villages by myself.” (ASER MTs are only used to train, monitor and re-check the survey)

Somoranjit resurfaces with a young and bewildered Village Council Head in tow. “Our school is the best in our area, we are all from this school, even the teachers of this school have studied here”, says the Head. Somoranjit has not explained the purpose of our visit yet to the Head. We now jointly explain.

The Head helps us mapping the village. This is a continuous village not far from the highway to Mizoram. A road from the highway slices the village in 2 equal halves. The Head does not have a household count of his village, but an electorate count! “There are 700 voters on the right and 600 on the left”. This is a big village.

The school teachers come out seeing the Head and show us a dining room constructed by the military for the school students. The military is camping in the outskirts of the village, on the way to Loktak, the barricades erected by them prevents us from viewing the lake.

With school information collected, time to map the village and divide it into four sections. In each section, one household will be surveyed for the pilot, before we head back to Ngaikhong Khullen for lunch.

I visit a household with my group of four. It is a rundown shanty consisting one small room. Both parents are at home with 2 sons, one aged 9 in Std 4 and the other aged 6 in Upper KG. I am pleasantly surprised to learn that both parents have a university degree, despite the living condition. The children are very bright too.

After catching a glimpse of the mighty Loktak from a vantage point up on the mountains, we head back to the meeting point at 3 in the afternoon. Loktak is potentially a great place for tourism and water sports!

The author is the General Manager of ASER Centre

ASER 2011 - Manipur Diaries

2011-09-19T14:29:00.001+05:30

by Ranajit Bhattacharyya

Day 2

The electricity has just come back this morning at 8 am. It went off last night at 10 pm, just after dinner. Over the next few days the same pattern follows. Even for the better part of the day, there is no electricity. DSSS provides us electricity during the day, employing a generator. I realize Chingshang’s beaming response, ‘Power is Fine’, meant that they do not expect electric supply for more than 4 to 6 hours a day!

Most volunteers are students, some are social workers and others are carom players. Volunteers from Senapati district could not come because of the blockade.

The medium of instruction is Manipuri, a language I do not understand. English

is liberally used by both the trainers and the volunteers, which is keeping me interested in the training. Most volunteers do not have past ASER experience, but are quite focused and quick to grasp the nuances of the survey.

The wrap up session is quite unexpected. Namkhinlung Pamei, the MT from Tamenglong grabs the microphone and delivers a soul stirring speech in Manipuri, with a deadpan expression. I only understand words like ‘poverty’ and ‘education’. The standing ovation that he gets makes me understand the intensity of his speech.

Chingshang summarizes Pamei’s oration as “the only way to come out of the abject

poverty we live in is education, my friends, so please carry out the survey with sincerity and take the message to the masses to educate their children”.

The author is the General Manager of ASER Centre

ASER 2011 - Manipur Diaries

2011-09-19T13:56:00.002+05:30

By Ranajit Bhattacharyya

DAY 1

Yambem Chingshang Singh, one of the ASER Managers of Manipur, is at the airport to receive me. Not many flights land in Imphal airport, so the exit from the airport is much faster than one would experience in the bigger cities.

After much gasping and spluttering the engine of Chingshang’s Maruti 800 comes to life, it takes 15 minutes. The snag, he says, is caused by the adulterated petrol he is forced to buy in the black market. It can be anything between Rs 130 to Rs 150 a litre, more than double the official retail price.

Our way to Mantripukhri, I learn that the valley districts of Imphal have been cut off from the trunk routes that bring in essential commodities from other parts of the country since the first week of August. Roads connecting Manipur with Nagaland and Assam have also been blocked. There is no railroad connection in Manipur. The only way out of the state is the flight path, which most cannot afford!

Manipur has 9 districts, out of which Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur are in the valley, and Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong, Chandel and Churachandpur are situated in the surrounding hills.

Economic blockades have become a common occurrence for the inhabitants of the valley districts. The current blockade has been caused by a group demanding a creation of a new district, Sadar Hills. Sadar Hills stretch through the districts of Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul. They form a crescent on top the valley districts, from west to the east of the state.

On the way I also enquire about the power situation. Chingshang happily responds “Power is fine”.

I am in Imphal to attend the second phase of ASER 2011 volunteer training. This year, as a variation, Manipur is holding a combined volunteer residential training of all the districts, in 2 phases, instead of holding training in each district. This is necessitated by the frequent strikes.

The venue for both the phases of training is the Diocesan Social Service Society (DSSS) in Mantripukhri (Minister’s Pond, literally in English). DSSS is situated in a secluded part of Imphal, surrounded by heavily wooded hills in the North and the West, lush green paddy fields to the south, and the Priest’s house in the East.

In the first phase, 57 volunteers from the districts of Ukhrul, Thoubal, Chandel and Bishnupur have been trained from August 11 to 13. The survey in all 4 districts, with the exception of Ukhrul is almost over.

The author is the General Manager of ASER Centre

दोषी कौन

2011-09-18T15:22:00.000+05:30

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larks"k dqekj

Roll Call

2011-06-17T13:06:00.002+05:30

By Kate Thompson

96.5% of Indian children aged 6 to 14 were enrolled in school in 2010: a figure almost beyond improvement, yet it alone does not signify success for Indian education. In the same year, only 53.4% of children 13 years old could read a text designed for 7 year olds.

This figure comes from the ASER (‘Impact’ in Hindi) Survey, set up in 2005 by a group of people from India’s largest educational charity, Pratham India, in response to newly instituted 2% (now 3%) ‘Education Cess’ added to income tax and earmarked for improving quality. ASER manages to produce a highly accurate report each year, freely available to all, for just $1000 per state. Training and capacity building at every stage ensure that the survey adheres to strict statistical randomisation standards, that each child is tested in the same way. The metrics produced are used by government and charities, but most importantly by Indian citizens, who can now find out exactly where their 3% cess is going.

Before ASER, no national figures existed for the crucial early stages of learning; the focus was still on enrolment. But enrolment is no guarantee of attendance, let alone achievement. Those children who fall behind early will seldom catch up: in classes of 50, teachers simply cannot attend to the needs of individuals. Such children typically fall further behind or leave altogether to start work early. Lack of resources especially teachers, poor attendance, language differences between teacher and pupils and policies such as placing children in classes according to age, not ability, contribute to making this occurrence a common one. Inadequate schools are even implicated in bonded child labour, since some parents in the grip of poverty feel that an ‘apprenticeship’ (for that is how such arrangements are presented) in a factory would be a better option for their child than a space on the floor in the back of a dusty classroom.

ASER’s parent charity, Pratham India, has been addressing such issues for sixteen years, reaching 34 million children with just one of its many programs. Pratham’s main focus is supporting and training teachers. The ‘Read India’ programme trains teachers and volunteers in new techniques based on participation: maths is taught with a wide range of activities and reading with the Indian version of phonics- ‘ka, kaa, ki, kee, ku, koo, kay, kai, ko, kow’- with speedy and impressive results across India.

Pratham tackles low-quality education from every angle: combating child labour, setting up nursery schools, raising awareness, equipping libraries. When they found it difficult to interest children in the small collection of story-books available, they even began publishing their own range of colourful, affordable children’s books which are now being used throughout India. However, India is notoriously polyglot, with 23 official languages making up a small fraction of the total. This makes creating tools a challenge: stories must be created that are equally easy to read in more than thirty languages, and several alphabets, tools must be designed so that every volunteer uses them in a similar way. Pratham invested in solving those problems, and in doing so learned the set of skills that would enable it to grow across India. As it expanded, reliable metrics on learning for the whole country became essential, and its biggest project yet – ASER – was born.

ASER is a survey both for and by the people, with more than 100,000 volunteers taking part over five years, testing 700,000 children each year from the whole of India. Recruited locally, they receive training then travel to their states’ rural areas, testing children in their homes. As the children attempt to read simple paragraphs, parents and neighbours gather, with an average of 25% of parents discovering that their child cannot read or add despite two years of lessons. Parents who themselves tend to lack basic education are often distant from their child’s schooling, assuming that attendance at school is enough. Surveyors spend time explaining their work with parents, the village sarpanch and panchayat (local leader and committee), who are often motivated to seek extra tuition (surprisingly common: 24% of children had some tutoring in 2010) or improve their local schools. Such tutoring can come from the surveyors themselves, often keen to ameliorate the inadequacies they were so surprised to discover. Volunteers trained by Pratham run ‘accelerated reading schemes’ in thousands of villages each year, getting children reading in just one month.

ASER represents a local approach to education that may be the key to educating India’s vast population. An educated child is likely to be richer, have better health, and fewer, better educated children; for India, it’s a worthwhile investment.

-Originally published in the Oxonian Globalist (http://toglobalist.org/)

An ASER intern tells her Delhi story

2011-03-22T12:14:00.003+05:30

Kate Thomson

Stepping out of the surreal artificiality of the airport in an odd state of wakefulness induced by a lack of sleep and a surfeit of adrenalin, the reality of Delhi greeted me with a very welcome wave of hot, pungent air. The feeling continued as I arrived at ASER’s office and was welcomed by the friendly and enthusiastic team, while I got to grips with the 2005 Education Cess and the ASER Report of 2009, right up until I sat down to eat a well-deserved dhabba with my new colleagues and began to feel at home.

After that things began to move very fast. I settled into the ASER flat- well positioned in the midst of a bustling neighbourhood in which I was woken each morning by the cries of vegetable vendors- and began my assigned project of creating a distance-learning English course for regional staff by creating an assessment to carry out on the future-students while they attended their already hectic 5-day training event. Analysing the results was the next mission, then gathering some of the other interns to begin the mammoth task of devising a syllabus, of creating worksheets, choosing textbooks, finding on-line resources and continually asking the RAs for answers to simple questions such as ‘how do I direct an autowallah to...’

Aside from this project I had the opportunity to work with almost every member of the team to create a variety of testing tools, which we were able to pilot in schools across Delhi, to help with report-writing, training, and generally attain a good understanding of most aspects of what ASER does. Taking our tests to schools was particularly eye-opening. The children were so happy to see us and to learn, and the team’s skill and dedication was inspiring. The whole experience gave me a much fuller understanding of ASER’s modus operandi, and of why its mission is so valuable, indeed vital.

But this isn’t to say that it was all work and no play. Far from it: After hiding from the worst of the pre-monsoon heat or the subsequent rains we would venture out to Dilli Haat, Khan Market, or sample the delights of Green Park (not green, or a park, but with much better food than the other Green Parks you might know), shop, or even do a spot of sightseeing. I especially enjoyed being taken to the Nizamuddin Dargah by my flatmate: there was a surprising amount of peace among the whirl of colour and sound.

As the monsoon arrived with brilliant lightening and the characteristic torrents of rain (new and exciting to me), I advanced further down my list of foods to try, and worked more intensely with another intern, Tali from the University of Chicago, on finishing the course framework and answering conundrums such as ‘Which topic first, hobbies, transport, clothing... or perhaps communications would be most useful?’ I was looking forward to the next part of my trip, when I would visit Rajasthan before entering the world of study once again, but knew I would miss the office atmosphere of hard work and camaraderie, and the friends that I had made. I hugely enjoyed the wealth of new experiences that working with ASER entailed: the people, the projects, India itself, and hope that this is only the beginning!

Five minutes means five minutes only

2011-02-15T11:26:00.011+05:30

Vajinder Thakur

Excited children during the village survey

ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) survey was going on as I had expected. I was in Muktsar district and got a call from thes district coordinator. He informed me that there was a problem in a village as the Sarpanch was not allowing our volunteers to conduct the survey. I assured the district coordinator not to worry and that I would be there in the morning. During the entire four and a half hours journey I kept on thinking about that village and the Sarpanch’s reaction.

I talked to my seniors and informed them about the problem. Their reaction was to convince him by calling, or else asking for the village replacement. I decided to call the Sarpanch. As expected, he was not ready to talk to me. I then requested him to meet me for just 5minutes. Reluctantly he agreed and responded, “five minutes means five minutes only”.

Meanwhile we went to the school and again there was a challenging task awaiting us. It was a PRI school (schools that have some issues with state government and do not allow any outsider to come inside the premises for any information). Luckily we managed to go inside and meet the head master. He said “because of our union and some political issues we are not supposed to give any information but I would like to give you all the details you want, but promise me you will not reveal my name anywhere’

Now it was the time to meet the Sarpanch. Worried and confused to the core, I somehow managed to stay cool and calm. Finally I broke the silence and asked him about the reason for his refusal. His reaction was on the expected lines, “I will not allow you to conduct the survey in this village”. I replied, “sir I have already asked my seniors for replacement of this village as you have some issues, so we will conduct the survey in another village. But still, I came here just to meet you from Muktsar, not to convince or manipulate you. I just wanted to inform you that in Punjab, this survey is going on in 570 villages, but till now I have not got any refusal from any village Sarpanch, except you. So I just wanted to know the reason for your objection. Whatever misconceptions or doubts you have, you can share with us”.

His first objection was that we had no authorized signatory letter and as such he had no trust in us. I was already prepared to answer this question and tried to explain to him that we were working with a non – government organization “Gair Sarkari Sansathan” and such kind of organizations do not have any stamp and authorized signature.

His second concern was way beyond my imagination or expectations. He raised the issue that most of us were males and at that time there were only female members at home. Tactfully, I managed to answer him and appreciated his concern for his villagers. A big smile appeared on his face and he said if I wanted to conduct the survey, I being a female, could. On hearing his response I was thrilled. I even had lunch at the Sarpanch’s house.

From the entire experience I learnt one thing that one should not always go for an easy solution.

“Life is like a game. Instead of worrying about the results, we should concentrate on the game. Once we play the game to the best of our ability, we would definitely taste the fruits of our success”

Fighting the Stereotype

2010-11-19T13:10:00.000+05:30

Smriti Pahwa
Photographs by Anit Mukherjee and Venu gopal

“Why are children from my school being pulled out and sent to private schools?” asked Shivkumari Gupta, the teary eyed head mistress of the Government Primary School, Umarbhari, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Dressed in a neatly tied pink saree, wearing a worn out yet graceful string of pearls around her neck, Shivkumari was glancing through her oversized glasses at few notebooks kept on her table when we first saw her. Exhibiting tremendous patience and calm, she politely welcomed us and allowed us to explain the reason for our unexpected visit. She answered all our questions diligently, all the while authenticating her claims by showing us registers and other documents.

The school that Shivkumari fondly referred to as ‘My’ school had three neat and colourful classrooms. The libraries were innovatively built into the classrooms, with books hanging from strings, akin to clothes on clotheslines. This way, not only were the books inaccessible to the rats, they were also within the sight of the children, almost inviting them to read. The mid-day meal was being cooked in a separately allocated room during our brief stay. We were pleasantly surprised to find clean and separate toilets for boys and girls.

Earnestly and lovingly, Shivkumari told us about her 33 years long service, the ‘Best Teacher’ award that she had received last year and most importantly her students - her children, in whom she took evident pride. During our conversation, she asked Rachna, a student of class IV to recite the “nau ka pahara” (multiplication table of nine) that they had revised a day before. Rachna was followed by Sunil, Sapna and many more who recited multiplication tables effortlessly. The children were visibly smart and up to date with the lessons being taught in class. Even their notebooks were regularly and carefully corrected.

Shivkumari was so concerned about the dwindling enrolment in the school that she had been visiting the village regularly to convince people to send their children to her school. Tears rolled down her weathered and wrinkled cheeks as she told us about the sad state of affairs. So prevalent was the stereotype that government school teachers do not teach and that by merely having the status of being “private” enterprises, schools become better, that people did not even visit the school in their own village.

She firmly believed that she was the victim of this very stereotype. As we were leaving, she implored us to urge the villagers to send their kids to ‘her’ school.

Her tears were proof of her dedication and passion for her cause - to educate. This motivated us to bring her commitment and sincerity to the notice of the villagers. The clear bias against the government school was more than apparent. Most of them had never visited the school. They simply lived in the belief that the further the private school, the better it was. We made sure to convey her message to the sarpanch and every other villager we interacted with. We wish Shivkumari the best in her mission to educate and hope that someday she is able to overcome the ‘stereotype’!

The ASER Centre Newsletter…..A New Beginning!

2010-11-19T12:40:00.001+05:30

Priyanka Chakravarty

Photograph by Satyam Vyas

That’s right! ASER Centre has a new Newsletter! As we kick off the ASER season, it will be our endeavour to keep our friends and well wishers updated with all our activities and initiatives through this newsletter.

Our sixth ASER survey - ASER 2010 has already begun! Thanks to a massive volunteer workforce of approximately 25,000 people across the country, ASER is able to reach over 15,000 villages, 300,000 households and 700,000 children each year. These volunteers brave tough terrains, unpredictable weather conditions, malaria and dengue, danger of snake bites and kidnapping threats, to reach out to the children of the country. No matter where we go, in every village local people join us enthusiastically to figure out whether children are in school and whether they can read and do simple arithmetic.

The ASER task is huge and it is done fast. It is only possible because of volunteers and partners. Making ASER a truly people’s effort, the survey is conducted in collaboration with our partners - a local group in every district. These partners are local NGOs, women's groups, training colleges, youth groups and a variety of educational institutions.

Besides the reading and arithmetic tasks that are used each year, every year new elements are added to the survey. For example, amongst the children being surveyed this year, those in Std 5 and above are being asked to solve a series of everyday problems related to calendars, menu cards and area problems. This is ASER's first attempt to understand basic critical thinking skills of children in middle school and above.

Like last year, ASER 2010 also contains PAISA components where a government school in the village is visited to find out if the money allocated to the school under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan has reached or not. In addition, this year’s survey will enable us to bring out the first status report on the Right to Education for each state, based on those provisions of the RTE that can be observed and measured.

The state level trainings act as a launching pad from where the district level training and the survey in the villages are carried forward. At the state level, ASER Regional Team members, ASER Associates and representatives from ASER’s national team train Master Trainers i.e. those who train volunteers at the district level and carry out the survey.

So overwhelming is the enormity and expanse of this exercise that the excitement and nervousness in the air is palpable. Spread across the country, the hundred-strong workforce of ASER Centre is running against time to successfully conduct ASER 2010. However, entering its sixth year, a sense of confidence and self-belief comes with having experienced and competent people on board, with an extreme sense of commitment to the cause.

1001 Ways to Ride a Cycle

2010-11-19T12:24:00.001+05:30

Abhineet Singh Malhotra
Photographs by Chandan Gomes

My long battle with words has finally come to an end... It’s after a year that I am putting my thoughts down in words. With ASER approaching, we all are undertaking the strenuous task of training over 25,000 volunteers for carrying out one of the biggest surveys in India. Each year, our attempt is to innovate and incorporate new elements in our endeavour. This year, given our increased emphasis on improving the quality of training, I would like to share a snippet. It seeks to convey how trainings like the ones we provide can create a world of possibilities for individuals. To many, a good training translates into an event with ample participation. For some, it is one which is meticulously managed and organized. According to me, a training that creates possibilities of growth and learning for the participants is an ideal training.

Often we ask ourselves the question, “Why are we working for an organization like ASER?” While some of us may work here because it provides us with the possibility of going to “Um-rica” and “Ing-land” and studying at one of their elite institutions, for most of us, it is the possibility of ensuring that every child is in school and learning well that drives us. Nevertheless, irrespective of our motivations, it is the window of possibilities that ASER opens up for us that makes our journey so enjoyable.

If we can empower people we train to effectively provide trainings to others, overcome the fear of public speaking, and strengthen their communication skills, then we will surely succeed in opening this window of possibilities for them.

“1001 ways to ride a cycle” was the name of a book that an instructor once brought to my notice at a training session. He asked if any of the participants had read the book. A little embarrassed, we looked at each other hoping at least someone would answer in affirmative. After almost 15 minutes of staring blankly at each other and at the instructor, a participant with enough presence of mind to sense the mischief in the air asked if such a book even existed. The instructor answered in the negative. But he asked the man why he thought that such a book did not exist. To this, the man answered, “To learn to ride a cycle, you don’t need to read a book. Instead you need to sit on a cycle and learn to ride”. The answer received a loud applause from all those present.

The story above shows how theoretical knowledge must be backed with practical experience to thoroughly learn anything be it riding a cycle or overcoming our fear of public speaking. Participating in various activities such as training young minds, convincing them of our vision, conducting surveys and interacting with people from such far removed social ethos, besides enhancing our communication skills, opens up a horizon which cannot be gained by mere reading of books.

It is interesting to observe that people who learn how to ride a cycle never forget the art despite being out of practice for years together. This is because we seldom forget those lessons learnt from experiential learning. Remember your childhood days! None of us learnt how to ride a cycle by reading up a book. It was only after several falls and bruises that we found our balance, never to forget the trick again. Nevertheless, these falls are inevitable in life, and so are the lessons learnt in the process. Trainings provide you with ample opportunity to fall without losing hope. It teaches you to pick yourself up every time you fall.

What makes ASER possible?

2010-11-15T16:58:00.004+05:30

Lauren Finzer

Rain??!!! It’s finally the day of the official Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) survey. This is what the four days of state training and two days of district training have all geared toward—and now the big drops falling from the gloomy sky above threaten to destroy that hard work. The volunteers have to travel over muddy roads to get to our meeting spot, and many aren’t arriving or are severely delayed. Then, just when things are looking up and all the volunteers have finally arrived, we get a call from the driver who was to take us to our village: His boss has been in an accident and he can’t come today after all.

Somehow, the ASER team manages to pull things together: We find another driver and pile into the car to bump for three hours beyond the reach of electricity poles—villagers tell us ours is the first car to ever come there—to Jhagharpur village. The volunteers interview and test kids in twenty households in record time and we’re driving away to reach our train with a half-hour to spare.

The rain was only one challenge that the ASER team faced and overcame during the two weeks I spent with them in Orissa.

A few days earlier, at the beginning of the state training, Sraban—head of Orissa’s state ASER team—had faced another dilemma. He was in the front of the room, looking out at sixty expectant faces of the master trainers who had come from all over the state for this training, when he learned that the government had unexpectedly closed all schools on the day scheduled for pilot school visits. The school visits were essential: Master trainers had to have the chance to practice in the field in order to effectively train volunteers in their districts. (In each district, they would train about 60 volunteers who would conduct the ASER survey in 30 villages.)

What to do? In a series of hurried side meetings, Sraban, his team, and two staff from the ASER national office quickly reworked the logistics for school visits. The training schedule dates were changed to accommodate all training needs, and four days later we were all bumping over rocky roads to inspect the water pumps, classrooms, and washrooms of nearby schools.

As a rigorous national survey, ASER has to adhere to standardized procedures. Staff and volunteers follow strict rules and are using quizzes and process audits to make sure things are done well in every district.

But since nothing in India goes smoothly, you need people who can roll with the punches. Even with its well-laid plans, ASER has to respond to local conditions, languages, and challenges like the unexpected school holiday. This requires stellar people and strong teamwork within and among national, state, and district teams.

National staff member Neha, for example, works well with first the state team and then the Koraput district team. Her presence provides an additional check to make sure that all is going according to the standardized rules. Neha also gives updates on new ASER developments: This year there’s a more organized system for feedback and evaluation. Neha’s easy laugh, willingness to work at all hours, and energy leading a group are just what a movement of ASER’s scale requires. She’s eager to share sample quizzes from the national office and give the master trainers advice when necessary, but more than anything is here to see how the Orissa team makes things work at various levels.

The state and district team members from which she’s learning speak Oriya fluently and are experts in managing local relationships and logistics. Sraban is constantly using his two phones to coordinate and plan. When talking with him on one phone, I’ll often hear the other ringing in the background. He has numbers for everyone from the best local apple vendor to the highest authority on Orissa’s state planning board.

State trainers like Sraban know most of the district trainers by name. They travel out to the districts to help with trainings when possible. Still, the district coordinators manage everything at the district level largely independently. The two I work with in Koraput, a tumultuous district of “tribal” villages and many areas badly affected by Naxalite riots, use the Pratham network and their own knowledge to manage survey logistics in remote villages.

How does a nonprofit like ASER manage to attract the kinds of staff who can make all this work? Like most ASER folks I speak with, Sraban is attracted by ASER’s connection to the grassroots: “Most other organizations are just book-learning,” he says. “I like to get out in the field and work with all kinds of people.” The opportunity to “get out in the field” is also what drew me to travel with ASER: The opportunity to see women making flour out of heirloom grains from their fields, to exchange laughs with men and women living in very rural villages and try to understand a little bit of their world, and to see what it takes to build a movement of ASER’s scale.

When it comes down to it, the grassroots nature of ASER that makes challenges inevitable—reaching villages like Jhagharpur where cars rarely go and electricity has yet to arrive will never be easy—is also what draws the kinds of stellar people who can support a survey of this scope despite daunting challenges.

Lauren Finzer is spending a year in India on a Fulbright Fellowship. She recently spent two weeks in Orissa attending ASER state and district level training, and the survey itself.

A letter from the field

2010-11-03T16:06:00.005+05:30

Neha Bhatia

Having been a part of three state trainings and the ASER fever for a month now, nothing amazes me more than the ‘human’ face of this gigantic process. The people involved are diverse and their reasons to be part of this craziness we call ASER are as varied. During my journey with ASER I have been most fascinated by the impact of this effort on individuals who are not directly a part of this survey.

If there is one thing that Arjun is certain about, it’s his future--

“I want to be a computer hardware engineer”

Arjun is a 15 year old Nepalese boy, born and brought up in the valley town of Jammu. He is in standard 10^th and loves going to school. “I have time after school and I want to use the computer” is his reason to be at the Pratham office five days a week. Post study hours and on school holidays, he helps the state team with their office computer jobs, passionately learning about different computer applications. Arjun’s desire to work with computers got him involved with ASER. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that his understanding of ASER and the survey is no less than anyone on the state team. In fact now we are even exploring the possibility of him volunteering in the field with ASER.

This is just one of many similar anecdotes. I have heard autorickshaw drivers, office boys, bus conductors, waiters, and numerous other non-ASER people, literally have conversations about the survey process. This simple observation never ceases to astound me. I think I can never stop wondering about the number of lives we end up touching and in such ingenious ways. And it’s my firm belief, that giving hundreds of individuals some food for thought and talk and an insight into their own lives is an achievement no less than an "Education-Revolution". I feel proud to be a part of ASER.

In retrospect, I was a couple of weeks old in the organization, when a meeting was convened to design a section on ‘Impact of ASER’ for our official website. I, along with others had to brainstorm over what such a section should comprise. Various opinions popped up, as I began to bombard my questions at some of my colleagues in office. But I wasn’t sure at the end. I think I have discovered my answer FINALLY!

Go ASER 2010!

2010-11-03T14:15:00.000+05:30

Lauren Finzer and Neha Bhatia

Sixty of us(er) stuffed in a bus,

Heading to villages without too much fuss.

We’ll collect info from households and schools,

Testing kids’ learning with simple tools.

This morning in the village

We put our 'techniques’ to use

Mapping, selecting, and questioning--

“What to do if they refuse?”

Back in the classroom the two days before

We had learned this and much more.

How to test children in math and reading

School results alone could be misleading!

It was a training of trainers.

We learnt to be Masters,

To coach our volunteers

In the new ASER chapters.

Each of us master trainers goes back to our district

And teaches 60 volunteers to adhere to the strict

ASER rules. They practice in the field to get it all right.

Asking questions in the classroom, learning ‘till night.

On survey day the volunteers set out in pairs

They visit the villages, testing children with care.

The random selection could lead them to you!

“Are our children learning?” We all wish we knew.

This year’s ASER—who knows what’s in store?

It’s citizen-led, knocking right at your door

Reaching countrywide, testing 700,000 kids,

It finds real learning levels, busting the myths.

Tulsi Vivah in Bhopal District

2009-10-29T14:28:00.002+05:30

Suman Bhattacharjea

Bhopal is full of sugarcane today. Roadsides are heaped with green piles of it. Bicyclists and scooterists balance a few long canes precariously on their shoulders. Schoolboys chew chunks of ganna determinedly. Tractors transport loads of it slowly down the highway. Small children swing a cane or two between them as they wander home from the market.

Depending on who I asked, I was told that it was Gyaras, or Choti Deepawali, or Tulsi Vivah. Celebrated eleven days after Diwali, Tulsi Vivah marks the beginning of the marriage season, and is celebrated in Hindu households by performing a marriage ceremony between a tulsi plant, dressed up in full bridal finery for the occasion, with Lord Vishnu. Sugarcane and branches of amla are used to decorate the area; special foods are cooked. In the evening, prayers and rituals, fireworks and diyas.

Rani, fifteen years old, has been kept home from school today to clean and decorate the house in anticipation of the evening’s festivities. She studies in Std. 8 in the nearby government school and would like to complete Std. 10. Does she enjoy decorating the house, I ask her, or would she rather be in school? Rani looks at me doubtfully, unsure how to answer a question about her preferences. Yeh sab to karna hi hota hai, she finally responds.

We are in a village less than 20 km outside Bhopal. Located on both sides of the four lane highway from Bhopal to Indore, the village houses around a thousand families. With its row of shops fronting the highway, large government high school, three private
schools, and five anganwadis, it looks and feels like an urban colony. In the section of the village we are in, all the youngsters go to private schools and they all take paid private tuition. Their houses are large and freshly painted, the alleys between them clean, and every home sports a mobile phone and a television, although the electricity supply is erratic.

Schooling is a highly valued commodity in this village. Most of the mothers of the children we come across have themselves had a few years of schooling and can read a simple text without difficulty. One tells us that her son, a private school student, is not doing well in Hindi but that his English is very good.

Large, spacious, and well maintained, the government school a short distance away normally has large numbers of students. But today many have stayed away because of the festival, which means that it is possible to imagine that the Activity Based Learning
(ABL) classroom set up for Std 1 and 2 children might occasionally live up to its name. With only 20 or so children present today, this cheerful and well-equipped space is infinitely more attractive and child-friendly than any normal classroom. But with the full complement of 90 students present in this one medium sized room? The teacher tells me that they do all fit inside. I can’t begin to imagine how.

A pucca road is being built at breakneck speed behind the school, because the Chief Minister is coming soon to inaugurate a new government programme. Beyond the almost-finished road looms the skeleton of a huge mansion; we are told that it is being constructed by the ex Sarpanch of the village. Less than a five minute walk away there’s an old stepwell. We hear that not so long ago people used to use its water. Clearly not any more. The more recently constructed community toilets seem to have never been used at all: every nearby household has its own private toilet.

Attend to appearances, forget about utility, seems to be the chief lesson for children in here – in school and out. The designers of the National Curriculum Framework would surely be dismayed.

The Kenyan way of life

2009-10-28T17:09:00.000+05:30

Gunjan Goswami

The Kenyan way of life is something that one has to experience to understand the true meaning of 'peaceful living'. I was fortunate enough to have a truly rural Kenyan experience.

The journey to Busia was a long long drive, it took us over 10 hrs to reach Busia from Nairobi. Busia borders Bunayala, which is on the coast of Lake Victoria. Before leaving Nairobi I was told that Busia is the district headquarters (or maybe I had misheard), and therefore I had imagined a big, well developed and well connected town. Busia was none of those, the road to Busia was terrible, a 45 minute drive, took us over 2 hrs on the road going to Busia. Busia town was a junction of four roads with a small supermarket on one corner and lots of road side vendors.

The town was never very crowded (by India standards) and was isolated by 7 in the evening. From the brief description above one might think of Busia as a very small and dull town and maybe that is true too but I had an amazing 4 days in this dull, small town. I was staying in a hotel on the highway and training all day on the first day. The other three days I travelled to the interiors of Busia to visit the villages where the survey was taking place. The view and people of the villages made up for the bad bad roads. Busia is simply beautiful- with miles and miles of sugarcane farms, isolated villages, big schools, small town centers, no traffic and lots of boda bodas (the local transport which is a bicycle with a big back seat). Most households in the villages were very poor, with no electricity and direct water connections. The children in all villages were either scared or fascinated to see me; they had never seen a person like me with long black hair and light skin. No doubt the attention I got in the villages was overwhelming.

During my three days of field visits I also went to schools Bunayala and port Victoria. One would again imagine the port to be jostling with activity, but port Victoria was just the opposite, with clean water, few fishing boats and Uganda on the other side of the lake. I was lucky to visit on the day of the port market where one could get just about anything, from fresh fish to high heels all on the roadside.

I think what really made Busia a very pleasant stay was the lifestyle of the people there. No one was ever in a hurry! And that is a way of life there (in fact all over in Kenya). Work happens at its own pace, no rash driving, honking, breaking queues, rushing through meals. It was good to be away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi and enjoy the quite of Busia. I wish I could get back a little of the ‘Busia life’ to Delhi……

Training for ASER 09 in Orissa: Notes from Angul

2009-10-28T17:03:00.000+05:30

Sraban Kumar Bag

Alphabetically Angul is the first and foremost district of Orissa and is also famous for its rich mineral resource and mining. But the status of education (ASER 08 report) particularly at the elementary stage is not impressive as 33% children in standard 2 cannot read even letters and 43% children in standard 5 cannot do subtraction. ASER 09 district level training was held on October 23-24 October in the auditorium hall of Samanta Chandra Sekhar College, Bantala. Around fifty young and enthusiastic students of this college participated during the training and pilot with great commitment. Among others there were the principal of the college, representatives from Jindal Steel and Power limited (JSPL), Angul, and State ASER associates to guide and coordinate the process smoothly.

The first day was a classroom based training explaining the cause and concept of ASER. The next day pilot in the field gave a firsthand experience to the surveyors. During the first day lots of question and discussion took place over different segments like, “How to do mapping”, “How to choose a household, “How to test a child” and most important, “How to interact with community and school authorities”. For their clarifications different mock exercises were conducted along with a video show of “ASER PROCESS”. At the end everyone agreed that these activities were necessary and had been useful in building confidence and communication skills. During this process Mr. Nilendu of JSPL also gave tips to the surveyors on “social dealings and child test” in the context of the ASER exercise. On the final day the surveyors were divided into three groups that visited three different villages nearby. At the end of the day they all assembled and shared their feelings and learning from the field.

Some of them are:

• Student volunteers were surprised to see class 10 children unable to solve a division problem

• The Sarpanch in one village felt shamed and surprised as his own nephew could not answer a simple division problem

• Mapping in a big village with many hamlets, gali and short cuts confused them

• In one village women came and requested them to do something for their village.

At the end all their doubts and confusion seemed to have been cleared and they felt more confident and committed.

Reflections from the Kashmir Valley

2009-10-26T16:42:00.000+05:30

Satyam Vyas

I was traveling in the beautiful valley of Kashmir and was mesmerized by the picturesque landscape, the warmth of the people and their sangfroid attitude.

The next two pictures are of a young girl and her brother that I met there. The young girl was stunned to see surveyors testing her brother, but she was really happy to find that the ASER test is not as tough as School exam.


Surveyors waling through a village in Kashmir


Children in a village in Kashmir

Bargain at the tap

2009-10-22T16:56:00.000+05:30

Showrish

After roaming the village, we found the central point, Kalmesha Matha temple. We had visited many households very near this temple, following the fifth household rule. After finishing twenty, we were just chatting and having fun when we saw two kids come to the public tap nearby and start playing with water. A little girl was playing with an empty bottle and another boy was washing his hands and legs. There was a standoff, then some discussion and eventually a bargain was struck. The tap has spouts on two sides, so the little girl continued to
splash around on one side and on the other, the older boy finished his ablutions.

Casinos in Kamrup

2009-10-16T16:39:00.000+05:30

Zerah Z.C. Rongong

We saw these children organizing and participating in games of dice on the roadside in the run-up to Diwali. Most of them were in Class 3 and they said that they stay away from school – this is the festive season!

The game has been increasing in popularity over the last five years or so, and the adults in the village did not seem to be perturbed by the scene before them. School teachers in the local school said that once the festive season starts, students have no desire to study, and nothing can be done about the matter!

The way of the Sabar Sahi

2009-10-13T16:54:00.000+05:30

Sraban Kumar

Sraban traveled in Cuttack District of Orissa and gives us a glimpse of the Sabar Sahi tribe from there.

Women from the Sabar Sahi tribe in Cuttack District, Orissa sell Bangles in neighbouring villages to
strengthen the economic conditions of their households.

The Sabar Sahi decorate their walls with ground wheat and rice in the belief that this welcomes
Goddess Laxmi and brings peace and happiness to the family.

Snapshot Nagaland

2009-10-13T16:38:00.001+05:30

Mohit Anand

ASER in the Northeast has been on in full-swing for the past two months. I traveled in the region for 4 weeks spending time in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Here are some pictures from the two weeks I spent in Mizoram.


Champai District is the only part of Mizoram that enjoys plains of paddy fields in gaping valleys

Mamit District in Mizoram at 9am. Travelling on work is always fun if it entails waking up in the morning to clouds hanging beneath you


Wooden go karts are commonly used accross the villages of Mizoram to move things as well as provide the odd joy ride to children

Life in Mizoram is slow and easy, you seldom find anyone in a hurry

Children in Mizo villages catch the eye with their western manners
and sense of style. While English is not their first language,
you will often be greeted with ‘hellos’ and ‘good mornings’ and ‘thank you’ and
‘welcome’ are widely used too.

Public baths and water sheds are common all
across Mizoram. Here ASER volunteers take a
break to freshen up in a village in Mamit District.

Gender equality is evident in Mizo society as men are seen shouldering the task of child handling
as commonly as women.

The Border Roads Organization is relentless in providing quick-fix solutions for damaged bridges.

“Bridge Over River Tiau
on Indo-Myanmar Border”

The border village of Zowkhawthar at the Indo-Myanmar border has its gates open to walk over into Myanmar. Movement of people between the two countries at this point is free up to 5pm everyday as the residents on sides are ethnic Mizos who walk across to shop, visit a relative or merely see the sights.