IIM Lucknow NOIDA CAMPUS | Identifying Innovation Strategy for Primary Education in rural India | SMTI Project Proposal | 30th-Dec-2013 | Submitted To:Prof Arun K Jain | Submitted By:Ajit JhaVikas HajelaYogesh Verma | WMP08052WMP08093WMP08095 | | Section- B | |

Contents Executive Summary: 2 Few common issues in rural education in India 2 Research Objectives 3 Approach 3 References 3

Executive Summary:

The number of illiterates in India is estimated to be over 400 million of which 75% live in rural areas. Of the literate population, a significant proportion lack basic vocational skills.
India has world-class institutes of higher learning, such as the IITs, IIMs and medical colleges but the rural India still remain isolated to them. India’s most valuable intellectual capital migrates to western countries keeping gap in demand and supply of such intellectual capital in India, therefore we need to develop the equal opportunities for the isolated communities and enable them to access the elitist structure of Indian education. With the weak and tottering foundation India will not be able to achieve social and economic development
The key challenge of India is to rapidly provide opportunities to the rural population to empower them with education and make them literate, and develop basic leadership and problem-solving skills. Have strong basic education foundation rural India will be able to raise productivity, entrepreneurship and material standards of living
Here we would like to opt to do research into how into how provide solution to the critical issues of primary education in India through innovation strategy. As a part of research we will be meeting and collecting information from founders of NGO called “eVidyaloka (www.eVidyaloka.org)”. eVidyaloka is a not for profit organization registered under the Trusts Act, focuses on transforming the education landscape in the rural and remote regions of the India.
In our research we would be identifying the key issues in rural education in India and the innovation strategy followed by NGOs & Government to address those issues.
Few common issues in rural education in India

Following are few key issues: 1. There has been little attempt by educators in the country to improve rural education, where the motivation among children to attend class is low because of such factors as negative parental pressure, poor facilities and uninspired teaching. 2. There is lack of adequate physical facilities, books and materials, a case can be made to focus on skill-based education, which requires less capital and can be effectively and widely disseminated. 3. Single teacher schools, most of them with just a single room, are unable to provide even the basic environment for learning. 4. Lack of adequate classroom facilities means that children from different age groups typically sit in the same classroom, leading to boredom and disinterest 5. Driven by pressing short-term economic needs, most parents are reluctant to send their children to school. They often pose obstacles to learning.
Research Objectives

Following are the objectives for this study: * Explore the unaddressed issues in rural education in India * Explore the different innovative strategies followed by different organizations (such as eVidyaloka or agastya) to address identified issues. * Articulate a report reflecting the possible innovation strategies in the area of rural education in India. * Present a case how eVidyaloka have achieved their rural education aim by involving the local communities to own the digital class rooms, inspire and empower the volunteers to contribute back, from wherever they are, by providing standardized lesson plans and teaching aids for a consistent learning experience to the children.
Approach

We would be doing following in order to conduct this research: * Explore the secondary data available through Govt. websites such as www.dise.in and non Govt sources such as www.pratham.org, to identify the key issues they face in delivering education in rural India. * We would be doing meeting with the founders of the NGO’s like “eVidyaloka” in order to understand that what are the problems they are facing in operating the mission and what solutions they have to address those problems. * We would do the internal brain storming for suggesting possible recommendations.

References

http://pratham.org/ http://www.agastya.org/why/why-rebuild-education-in-india/report-on-primary-education http://www.evidyaloka.org
www.dise.in