Literacy Focus – June 2016

While we pat ourselves for the milestones we have crossed in our journey to meet the goal of Total Literacy & Quality Education during the Rotary Year, 2015-2016, we should now to strive to keep up our promises to eradicate the scourge of illiteracy through RILM’s T-E-A-C-H programme. Based on the evaluation of our work, we need to strategise our way forward for the upcoming Rotary Year. Our work reports will also enable us to seek grant from The Rotary Foundation (TRF).

Hence, it is a call to all Rotarians and Inner Wheel Club Members in India to upload the detailed reports of their accomplished work under each vertical of the ‘T-E-A-C-H’ programme. The steps are mentioned below:

• Visit www.rotaryteach.org
• Click on the ‘Member Zone’ tab at the top right corner
• Clicking on ‘Project Upload’ tab provides you with names of each vertical under T-E-A-C-H
• You can take a tour of each vertical to understand its utilisation and implementation.
• To ‘View Uploaded ­Projects’ for reference, fill up the required information related to the ­‘Category,’ ‘Rotary District’ and ‘Rotary Club’ to check all details related to a ­project under a ­particular ­vertical of the ­programme at a certain ­location on the scheduled date.
• Click on ‘Project Upload’ and ‘New Project’ tabs to upload ­projects that you have not uploaded before.

To edit/modify your project, click on the ‘Update Project’ tab using your registered username and password.

Transparency in financing  Asha Kiran children

You have all contributed generously for the education of the Asha Kiran children. RILM had committed to provide you with details of the children whom you have sponsored for undergoing the bridge course at our Asha Kiran centres until they are mainstreamed into government or government-aided schools. We have received sponsorships for 17,000 ­children till date, but ­unable to provide you with details of ­children that you have sponsored due to non-availability of your email-id and phone number. ­Enable us to assist you with details about your ­sponsored child/children under the ‘Child Development’ tab of www.rotaryteach.org by providing your DGs and Club Presidents with your contact details.

E-Learning for new-age learning

The condition of Wada region of Maharashtra that has been declared as ‘backward zone’ by the ­Maharashtra Government can never be fully imagined by those who are fortunate to be born in happy surroundings. The per ­capita income of the households ­populated by daily wagers, who work in the ­surrounding industrial area, is hardly ­sufficient to keep the kitchen fire burning.

In such a scenario, RC ­Bombay Pier, D 3140, took up the ­responsibility of making the ­learning experience at 112 schools fun, well understood and ­easily accessible for students by ­imparting lessons through ­audio-visual modules as envisaged under the ­E-Siksha or E-Learning vertical of RILM.

This is not a one-off case of ­Rotarians gifting new-age ­learning experience to school students. ­District 3051, led by PDG ­Ashish Desai, has already initiated ­e-learning classes at 3,610 schools. The ­modules ­created in local ­languages are installed in LCD ­projector as an integrated ­product. The audio-visual ­representation of lessons helps to grab the attention of learners and leave a lasting ­impression on their minds.

While these two Districts have started their journey on charting the path of new-age learning through RILM’s ‘e-siksha’ campaign this year, it’s time for other districts to join the expansion of this electronic network of teaching-learning experience across India by visiting the ‘e-learning’ tab of www.rotaryteach.org.

How to start teacher training

With Macmillan Publishers India ­Private Ltd entering into an agreement with RILM, Rotary Clubs can ­identify government/government-aided ­primary or elementary school/s in their area for conducting teacher training workshops, with the school ­principal/management’s approval. Rotary Clubs may also approach schools funded by Municipal Corporations, Zila ­Parishads and Village Panchayat.

Macmillan Publishers will build the capacity of government/­government-aided school ­teachers and thereby, improve learning ­outcomes in students by ­conducting teacher ­training workshops. The ­activity-based ­interactive workshops for class ­XII-passed ­teachers will help to link India’s ­theoretical ­education with ­practical work and life skills by ­updating them with new ­pedagogies and subject development besides enhancing engagement with the curriculum. The agreement has come into effect from April 01, 2016.

Teacher-training camps to improve educational standard of out-of-school kids

RILM honed the teaching qualities of 40 teacher volunteers, who will spread the light of knowledge amongst out-of-school children between ages 7 and 14, with assistance of ‘Shikshamitras teachers’ training team’ at a four-day camp in Kolkata in May.

Having imbibed the finer nuances of teaching from four ‘Sikshamitras’ at the camp, these teachers will impart education to 1,035 children screened and selected by our NGO partners under RILM’s Child Development or Asha Kiran project.

Earlier, 28 volunteer teachers involved in imparting education to Asha Kiran children, participated in a training programme of Udayrampur Azad United Club and Sitarampur Vivekananda Seva Pratisthan. The three-day programme was organised at Udayrampur Azad United Club of South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.