By Itishree
We live in a fast-paced world with a brief attention span. Thus, we always strive for a quick solution to everything. And we overlook so many other factors of a solution like accessibility, feasibility or sustainability.
I believe an answer or any intervention to an issue would bring about a positive change if it is accessible to all and not to a few. Let me present you with a case to understand it.
Arpita* is pursuing her graduation from a college in rural Odisha. She has a very active interest in teaching but does not have the required formal academic degree to pursue her claim. She has to manage her and her younger sister’s education-related expenses.
Utkarsh* is studying in the 4th grade at a public school. He lives in the same village as Arpita. Their locality gets cut off from the other half of the village during rainy seasons.
The public school is inaccessible to Utkarsh during this period as it is present on the other side of the village. Utkarsh is missing out on learning, and his parents are worried.
There are many youths like Arpita who are aspiring to do something for themselves. They have the potential, energy and passion for changing their destiny. But their aspirations are never fulfilled due to limited opportunities and skills.
Similarly, many parents like Utkarsh’s cannot provide quality education for their children due to geographical and socio-economic constraints. So, what next for both Arpita and Utkarsh?
Let’s understand our problem again. In the first case, we saw that youths like Arpita want to teach children but don’t have the required skills. In the second case, young children like Utkarsh miss out on good learning opportunities in their communities.
Teaching To Teach
Now think about the kind of solution I discussed initially. A solution has to be accessible, sustainable and affordable. What type of solution are you proposing keeping all the factors in mind?
Would it be sustainable if we think of a solution like opening a coaching centre and inviting good teachers from outside? Or if Utkarsh were provided with a smartphone and a one-year subscription to an ed-tech platform to avail online education, would it help him?
What would Utkarsh do after one year, how would he recharge the sim card, or what would he do if the smartphone breaks down? This one-year subscription to online education is not a sustainable solution for those who cannot afford it. But maybe for those who can afford a subscription after one year.
Now, what if youth aspiring to teach children are skilled to do so? This is sustainable, feasible and accessible. Children can avail quality education in their communities, and youths can earn pocket expenses to help them support their education.
ThinkZone has been doing this since 2015. ThinkZone equips youths with pedagogical skills and technical know-how to teach children in their communities.
ThinkZone currently supports mentoring and skilling more than one thousand youths. These youths teach more than nine thousand children and make quality education accessible to everyone. Children are making substantial learning gains in language and arithmetic, and simultaneously, youths are learning new skills.
This solution on which ThinkZone works is affordable, feasible and sustainable.
What ThinkZone is doing differently is implementing a local solution to local problems. It aims to empower one community member to bring about a positive change. Because we live and interact in a community, education is not independent of the community’s participation.
The role of the community in education is vast—National Curriculum Framework 2005 and National Education Policy 2020 highlight the community’s importance in imparting quality education.
Consider the case of Utkarsh and Arpita—both of them are from the same community. They have interacted before and know each other well.
Arpita knows how Utkarsh learns better than someone from another village. If Arpita were a teacher for Utkarsh, the probability is high that Utkarsh would understand better. The solution would empower both to earn and learn. And it is a sustainable solution.
The author has been working as the Program Lead at ThinkZone. She has also worked across domains like parental engagement, career counselling, and adolescent health & hygiene module development. She has a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology and is an avid storyteller.