Improving the quality of formal and non-formal education
Both formal and non-formal education systems can be made more
responsive to children who are at risk of premature work or who are already
working. The structure of educational programmes, the content of the curriculum
and the teaching approaches applied in schools should include relevant, useful
knowledge and skills, which meet the developmental needs of children and prepare
them to earn income later in life and become responsible adults in their
communities. Innovative education methods which have been tried out successfully
on a small scale in experimental non-formal education programmes should be
incorporated and expanded in the formal education system.
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Box 4.4. The Prashika Project - Eklavya Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, India
Eklavya was established by a small group of highly educated
people who believe that education is critical for social change and should be
available to all. Instead of setting up an alternative system, parallel to the
public schools, they chose to work through government schools to help make
education more dynamic and meaningful. The programme initially focused on
improving the science education programme in middle school classes in urban and
rural communities. From 16 classes in one district in 1972 the programme has
expanded to 14 districts covering 450 schools and 50,000 students.
Science education was improved through the introduction of
more active, experiential learning methods and learning-by-doing techniques such
as experiments, field trips and group discussions. Eklavya trained teachers to
be facilitators in their work with children, to unlearn teaching methods that
emphasize passive rote learning with a heavy reliance on textbooks and to shift
to more cooperative forms of working in small groups, encouraging questions and
discussion. Children, teachers and other resource persons participated in the
development of the curriculum. Eklavya was able to help teachers and children
relate the content of science education to the children's own lives and
environment.
From the initial focus on science education, Eklavya expanded
to other curriculum areas such as the social sciences. An integrated approach
was introduced to organize the curriculum by thematic units of study which
linked different content areas. Emphasis was given to developing children's
self-expression and critical thinking. After-school activities were introduced
such as activity centres and libraries, a children's magazine called
Chakmak, a children's club, children's fairs, contests and exhibitions.
These are now considered to be integral parts of the educational programme.
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