Teaching in the “Academy for Working Children” (AWC) in India

 FOr five month I worked in the “academy for working children” (AWC) in India. AWC is a project that only started in the end of 2005. Many children in India do not go to school because their parents haven’t been there. They don’t think it is necessary to send the children there if life is possible without education. Often the kids are helping to get income for the family by collecting garbage, cleaning shoes, begging on the street or just helping their parents in their job. AWC starts with a survey that investigates how many children in one area do not go to school. The parents have to be convinced, the building has to be found, teachers have to be employed, etc. It is community based project, which means that local people have to support the academy by providing a room that is not used, by  providing food maybe once a week or by giving study material to the academies. Until 2009 there are five AWC centers with up to three satellites each. Appr. 1000 children between 6 and 14 are taught six days a week for three to five hours a day.

My job was to improve the used teaching methods and to implement a new structure for all schools. The curriculum that contains the first three years of public primary education was divided into ten steps. Together with the headmasters of the five centers we discussed and defined each step. Every step was one page of appr. 35 tasks, practical and theoretical in the four subjects Math, English, Hindi and General Knowledge. Each student had his or her own booklet with all ten steps. Like on a cross list the teacher’s job is it to test how much the students know and sign for every correct task the students solve. If all tasks are solved the kids can start to work with the next step.

Unlike to the general system in India, the children here have control over their own learning, they are less dependant on the teacher. I could see after short time that the students who could read already wanted to be tested, they wanted to step up. The small kids were eager to move forward. It did mean a big change for the teachers. Suddenly 30 children were coming to them, asking about the solar system, the human body or what a fraction is. Some topics that belong in our primary education in Europe have been very new and untouched even for some of the teachers in the academies.

The teachers needed a lot of explanation. The content of the steps had to be discussed, material needed to be used in the class room and the biggest job was it to explain and show the teachers how to teach all these topics. Imagine a teacher that like fifty years ago in Europe, doesn’t let you ask questions; imagine there is no discussion in the class room. There is only repeating, copying and listening. How can people learn if they don’t touch the matter, see and investigate the actual topic, try and find out alone about the subject? The teaching approach that I tried to implement was completely new for children, teachers and even for some of the headmasters.

Very soon I figured that things are not happening or changing as fast as I wanted it to happen. Changing the whole system expecting the teachers to teach different was a very big and maybe a bit naïve wish. This doesn’t mean that all my effort didn’t have any impact, all academies use the new structure, all orientate on the upgraded curriculum and all of them are put under pressure by their students. The time I spend in all the workshops and seminars that I gave was maybe the best during the five month. Everybody was interested and very ambitious to participate, to learn, to try and to laugh together.

I of course can not know for sure, how much of my teachings will still be used six month after I have left, but still I have a very good feeling about it. At least I gave a big push into the right direction. Some of the teachers will remember and continue to take the students out for a little study trip in the neighborhood, show things on a poster or map, while talking about it; everything that puts the student and his/ her learning into the center of the teaching. Things have to be practical. Sitting, reading and writing becomes boring so fast. Learning happens by doing things and that is what I was teaching.

There are so many interesting things to know and therefore to share and teach them. In India is so much potential, so much capacity but I think some more modern teaching methods are necessary and that is why more people have to share their knowledge and their way of seeing things with children, teachers, everybody in India.

Hendrik, DNS 2005