Quality Education through E-learning Centres

The E-learning project, one of the most popular projects of the T-E-A-C-H programme, aims to improve the quality of primary education through expanded availability and extensive use of high quality local language and curriculum-based e-learning modules and thus enhance knowledge absorption and critical thinking abilities of children in selected Government and Government-aided primary and elementary schools. In the month of February, Rotary India Literacy Mission focuses on setting up e-learning centres.

A. Selecting a school for setting up E-Learning Centre

1.    Select a Government or Govt. Aided primary/elementary school. Secondary schools with elementary classes may also be considered

2.    Selected school should have at least two teachers

3.    The school needs to have electricity or solar power connection

4.    The selected school should ideally have at least one all-weather class room with pucca construction with a white painted/lime-washed wall

5.    Ideally the school should agree to contribute one-third of the cost (approximately Rs 10,000) of e-learning installation (projector and e-learning modules)

B. Obtaining E-learning Modules

1.    A Club may choose a vendor from the panel drawn up by the National E-Learning Committee of RILM after due diligence check of each vendor

2.    The Club will have to pay the full cost of the e-learning facility directly to the vendor chosen by it after satisfactory installation and training of teachers/operators at the selected school

C. Training Teachers in use of E-learning

1.    The vendor will directly train the teachers in proper use of e-learning software and hardware in school

2.    The Club may also mobilise a small group of volunteers that would undergo training in running and preliminary troubleshooting of the e-learning software and hardware

3.    This volunteer group may be deployed to train the teachers in the selected schools as and when E-learning installation is completed in those schools.

E. Uploading completed E-Learning Project Details on www.rotaryteach.org

1.    For Clubs not seeking Grant, use the Project Upload Form available at the Project Upload tab on the website.

2.    For Clubs seeking Grant:

i.    Use the Project Upload Form in Part E of the Grant Application Form to upload details of an established E-Learning Project. Upload at least 2 pictures (dated) of each E-Learning supported class in progress.

ii.    Besides the Part D of the form, upload the scanned copy of a letter of satisfaction with the e-learning experience by the Chair Person of the School Management Committee (SMC) or Head Teacher.

3.     Only after such upload, the Club will be entitled to receive the RILM grant.

RILM Grant Application on www.rotaryteach.org

RILM has introduced Grant ­Application process for claiming reimbursement for projects under the T-E-A-C-H ­programme. Given below are some points to note regarding the RILM Grant Application process:

1.    The RILM Grant Application forms are largely based on The Rotary Foundation Grant Application Forms.

2.    The Grant Application Forms are printable to help applicant Rotary Clubs to familiarise themselves with them. This will also enable clubs to plan better in gathering and supplying of information required while filling up the forms.

3.    The concept of a Primary Contact has been introduced in the Grant Application Forms. Primary Contact (PC) is a member of the applicant Rotary Club so designated by the Club President for the purpose of filling in the grant application and who can be contacted for clarification by DG, DLCC, National Programme Committees (Chairs and Members) and RILM Office.

4.    For each Grant Application a unique number is generated.

5.    The Grant Application Form can be filled in online, edited any number of times before final submission.

6.    For Projects such as Happy Schools, E-Learning and Teacher Support, there is a section in the Grant Application Forms which is the School Information Form used for basic details pertaining to the condition of each school. These details will help RILM maintain database of the schools being engaged with and allow for sharing information on the T-E-A-C-H Programme subsequently.

7.    The Planned Activities Section in Grant Application Forms asks pointed questions on the activities that the applicant Rotary Clubs are planning to undertake. These questions can also act as a guideline for the Rotary Clubs when preparing for Project Execution.

8.    Automatic dropdown menus, single click options have been included at various sections to make filling out the forms easier for the Clubs. The sections requiring descriptive portions have been kept at a minimum and restricted to only essential information for which detailing would be required.

9.    The applicant Clubs can easily upload pictures in the relevant sections of the Grant Application Forms as provisions for the same have been created as and where required.

10.    There is automatic generation of reminders in the Grant Application Forms so that essential fields are not missed out when Clubs are filling up the forms.

11.    The Conflict of Interest clause has been included in the Grant Application Form to outline essential terms and conditions and to serve as a guide for Rotary Clubs about the appropriate ways to undertake the various projects for which Grant Applications are made.

12.    The section on Sustainability has been included in the Grant Application Forms in order to include the concept of sustainability when planning projects under the T-E-A-C-H programme. Notes, to help Rotary Clubs plan for sustainability in their projects, have been incorporated in this section as well.

13.    The Grant Application Form needs to go through a few levels of authorisation before it comes to the RILM Office for in-principle grant application approval. At the Club Level the Primary Contact (PC) and Club President (CP) do the first level of authorisations. At the District level, the DLCC and the DG do the second level of authorisations. At the National level, the Respective National Committee Chairs do the final authorisation after which the Grant Application Forms become available to the RILM office for approval.

14.    Project Upload Forms have been combined with the Grant Application Forms in order to make the task
of uploading completed projects easier for the Clubs. This section of the Grant Application Form also helps in claiming the grant that had been requested for earlier.