Integrated Education

The thought with which the Society for Environmental Education and Rural Development (SEED) started its Integrated Education Programme was that the community, the student and the teacher constitute a larger whole, the society. Thus we believe that each of these parts should contribute to the others.

The main heads under which the work of SEED, with respect to education, can be categorized are:

• BALWADI
  Women in Uttarakhand form the backbone of their state economy, as the men migrate to the nearby cities or towns for earning a living and the women stay back to work on the fields. Now, what was happening is that when the mother were out in the fields, she had to keep her children back at home; and if she were to be with her kids, there was no one to work on the fields Thus in neither way could she work freely. Again, if she left for her work, keeping her children in charge of her neighbours, either they would defecate in their courtyard, or quarrel with their kids and at times even cause harm to their property. There were times when the neighbours posed false allegations on the children, of harming their property. All this led to internal fights in the villages. Then, women began locking their kids up at home and then going out for work, but even this proved risky, as there was one such case in which a woman had gone out to work on the fields, locking her children up, and somehow, their room caught fire, and by the time she could come to their rescue, her kids were already charred to death. On just letting the children loose, it happened that they kept loitering on the streets, quarreling unnecessarily, learning dirty slangs and turned completely ill-mannered and disrespectful. Thus, Balwadi was the need of the time.

SEED, thus introduced the concept of a Balwadi to the Suraikhet region. It is meant to provide a safe and stimulating environment for the children. The emphasis was laid on the overall personality development of an individual, right from his/her childhood. Since the main intention of beginning such programmes was to empower the women, thus, the entire responsibility of running and coordinating the Balwadi was given to the Mahila Mangal Dal. They were to decide upon the timings, selecting the location, selection of the teachers and so on. The syllabus was framed by a few experts from the Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi, after discussions with Mr. Kandpal, in a manner that would combine fun and knowledge together. All the goods to be used for executing the play-method of education, were supposed to be recycled ones.

• SANDHYA KENDRA
• 
  Balwadi proved to be a successful programme. The students passing out from the Balwadis, started going to the primary schools. Now, it was observed that these kids were getting out of touch of their practical education. They began getting back to their normal life, loitering on the streets, quarreling, using abusive words, getting more and more disrespectful by the day. The primary education did not have so much of an impact on them. Thus, the mothers again began getting worried. Thus, a meeting was organized by the Mahila Mangal Dal members, presided by Mr. Kandpal. A flaw in the education system was identified. It also occurred that the lack of education of the parents or the guardians became a hindrance to their providing the children with proper guidance. Education imparted in the schools was limited to the books, with very little or no practical and environmental education. In the evenings, both parents get busy in their respective works, thus, both are unable to give their children enough time and guidance. This time, unlike the previous one, it was left entirely upon the women to find out a solution to their problem. It was then that they came up with the suggestion of beginning a programme alike the Balwadi, but improvised and advanced than before. Thus, the Sandhya Kendra programme was proposed and passed by the women themselves. The first Sandhya Kendra was begun in Kande, in the year 1995.
  Special Features:
  Ø The village community (especially the Mahila Mangal Dal) has been instrumental in managing the Sandhya Kendras.
  Ø Teachers are mainly appointed by the Mahila Mangal Dal, who keeps a check on the teachers, regarding their efficiency and accountability.
  Ø The teachers are trained by the Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi in Almora, as also by NGO SEED.
  Ø There is a Margdarshika, a supervisor, for every 10 Kendras.
  Ø The teacher holds regular meetings with the parents, to update them with their child’s progress report.
  Ø While a teacher maintains a progress report of her students, a margdarshika is meant to do the same of the teachers under her.
  Ø This programme not just focuses on the curriculum but also in incorporating environmental awareness.
  Ø Here, studies are juxtaposed with entertainment, to sustain a child’s interest and also enhance his cognitive and analytical skills.
  Ø Emphasize is laid on a child’s personal hygiene. Periodic weight monitoring is carried out, as also timely vaccination.
  Ø This has played a significant role in strengthening the Mahila Mangal Dals.
  Ø Yearly curriculum is preplanned, keeping in mind the seasonal workload and convenience of the residents.
  
• VYAVAHARIK JNANA MANCH
• 
  What is education? Who is an educated person? Is being educated equivalent to being lettered?
  We at SEED disagree. We believe education to have deeper roots in and impacts on one’s life. Education is that which encourages the development of a critical mind that can question, analyze and understand first its surroundings and later the world. We firmly believe education to exceed much beyond the mere understanding of “a, b, c”.
  A unique, innovative and interesting programme has been in action in the Adarsh Inter College, Suraikhet for the past four and a half years. This programme being conducted by SEED aims to help rural children understand the society and discover a link with their surroundings. The organization had been running Balwadis (for children of the age group 2-5 years) and Eco Sandhya Kendras (for children of the age group 6-11 years) since a long time. However, a need was felt to keep the students involved with issues concerning the rural society even further. It was felt necessary to let the students understand the challenges their society was facing and to ponder upon solutions to these. There was a sea difference between what the students were studying in books and what they were facing in their everyday lives. The marks-oriented academic education was not at all in accord with the rural society. The situation was such that at times even teachers were forced to accept that what was written in the books was not practical. To address all these contradictions and to give the students an opportunity to understand, analyze and discover their society; an after-school programme involving students, teachers and a few individuals working in the social field was started and was named “Vyavaharik Jnana Manch” (literally, Stage for Practical Knowledge). The programme was designed initially as an experiment involving 30 children; but due to the heartening response from students, esp. those who had already studied in Balwadis and Sandhya Kendras, the group was limited to standard 9-standard 12. Yet the final team comprised of 36 children.
  AIMS OF THE VYAVAHARIK JNANA MANCH:
• To undertake a social study of the surrounding areas
• To debate and write on regional incidents
• To design a project on one’s own and to analyze the results
• To cultivate the capacity to ask questions and to answer when asked
• To write down one’s festival, travel and other experiences
• To understand the problems of the region and come forth to find a solution
• To understand the concept and working of NGOs and governmental bodies

The Manch has been actively engaged in regular discussions, debates, surveys, documentation, analyzation and creative thinking. The Manch has also undertaken sanitation expeditions, participated in and prepared reports of the meetings of the Mahila Mangal Dals and the Village Panchayats, discussed regional incidents and issues, taken interviews, conducted surveys and attended workshops regarding village surveying and analyzation of the facts collected. The students have found creative ways to express their thoughts such as one-act plays and street plays. They have also learnt how to design a project and work on it through the activities conducted in the Manch.