PROJECT SHAALE: AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS OF THE CORE PROGRAM

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Project Shaale is YGB’s initiative dedicated to combatting learning delays caused by COVID-related school closures among poor and rural children in India.  We are currently supporting 800 students and dozens of teachers through Project Shaale at poorly funded government schools.  This academic year, your donations are working towards supporting the core program, which creates and offers enriching learning activities at the following eight schools, which include Government Higher Primary Schools, Upgraded Government Higher Primary Schools, and Karnataka Public Schools.

1) Government Higher Primary School, Arakalavadi

2) Government Higher Primary School, Bannisaarige

3) Government Higher Primary School, Madduru

4) Government Higher Primary School, Alkere Agrahara

5) Upgraded Government Higher Primary School, Uttamballi

6) Government Higher Primary School, Kunturu

7) Government Higher Primary School, Bettadapura

8) Government Higher Primary School, Puttanapura

Deenabandhu Teacher Resource Center is offering the following four activities through Project Shaale’s core program: 1) Teacher Training 2) Vijnana Loka (Science world) visits 3) Anubhava Newsletter and 4) Vijnana Habba (science festival).  The following are the most recent updates about these four activities.



Teacher Training at Learning Centers: At each Learning Center, we conduct two meetings per month on topics related to the syllabus that is being taught that month. The meetings are approximately two hours long, during which teachers are trained to prepare TLM’s that help them in teaching that particular topic.

Due to the COVID situation, schools re-opened in the months of August- September 2021. The Learning Center meetings began during the first week of September. By the end of January 2022, eight such meetings were completed. DTRC is planning two more meetings, so a total of ten meetings will be held this academic year. The teachers appreciate the support provided through these meetings. The meetings were conducted on the following topics: 1) Air 2) Mathematics – Place value, Addition and Subtraction 3) Respiration 4) Acids, Bases and Salts 5) Light 6) Electricity 7) Multiple topics – Magnetism, Water 8) Germination of seeds 9) Multiple topics – Bacterial growth, growth inhibitors in plants, and psmosis 10) Multiple topics – Sound, Dams

To view a few sample TLM’s that the teachers have made, please click on this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16S052RiER4WFxGOT9K- ZxbKAq_wXEZFQ?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/

To view a few videos DTRC have produced for the teacher meetings, please click on this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ e90AVACnm_60Te_5UHNosjMExqc vT9xF?usp=sharing
Visits to Vijnana Loka (Science World): Vijnana Loka is a space inside the Deenabandhu Campus consisting of a Science Park and a Fun Science Gallery. Around 30-40 children from each of the 43 tagged schools are given an opportunity to visit Vijnana Loka. Transport facility is arranged by us. The children spend a whole day at the Vijnana Loka learning about the exhibits in this space. They also watch a Magic Chemistry show. In the afternoon, a workshop is held where they make their own science toys which they take back to their schools.

Students from the Learning Centers and tagged schools started visiting Vijnana Loka from December 20, 2021. At the date of this report, a total of 29 schools have visited Vijnana Loka. The remaining 14 schools will complete their visits before the second week of March. There was some apprehension among parents in a few schools, but the teachers convinced them of the benefits in sending their children. COVID-specific guidelines were followed throughout the visits.

DTRC had arranged for two vehicles to pick up and drop off the students. Around 30-35 students from each school would arrive at around 10:00 am, and then two Resource staff members would take them around the Park and Gallery in two batches, while explaining each exhibit. After this, they are free for around 30 minutes to play with the exhibits. Then, they enjoy a magic chemistry show with various colorful experiments along with the explanations behind it. After lunch, the children, in groups, prepare three science toys – i) balloon vehicle ii) simple circuit and iii) levitating pencil. 

Among the schools supported by Project Shaale, five schools have already completed their Vijnana Loka visits, and three schools will visit in the coming weeks.

The GHPS Arakalavadi visited the Vijnana Loka on February 8th 2022, GHPS Bannisaarige had visited on January 14th 2022, GHPS Madduru had visited on January 24th 2022, GHPS Alkere Agrahara had visited on December 31st 2021 and UGHPS Uttamballi had visited on January 6th 2022.

To see photos of their visits, please visit this link: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1htLFg3wm22qxHvaxZHyBv6D8LFkr MfkY?usp=sharing

Anubhava Newsletter: Anubhava is a monthly Kannada-language newsletter designed for teachers, containing articles on Science, Mathematics, Social Science, Learning and Pedagogy. The teachers of Learning Center and tagged schools receive this newsletter free of cost. The Anubhava newsletter is published each month, and the teachers at the Learning Center and the tagged schools receive them. The newsletters help the teachers in planning their classroom interaction.

You can view the issues published in this academic year at this link:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Or2XVN8- jWeN3XOJAgYZcp7Bx6JSj2Sx?usp=sharing

Vijnana Habba: This is a festival of science planned at each Learning Center involving the community around the schools. The festival includes a science exhibition and cultural activities by the children of all the schools tagged to each Learning Center. 

We had planned to organize Vijnana Habba at the Learning Centers starting from the third week of December. Unfortunately, due to the threat of the third wave of COVID, the state health department issued a circular to all schools asking them to postpone social and cultural events. Hence, we could not go ahead with our plans for Vijnana Habba.

Please visit these links to see photos of the Learning Center meetings:

1) Meetings at the Learning Center at GHPS, Arakalavadi: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VjozVcVqB4iUQryciTVLsmV_Ju-JOXbL?usp=sharing

2) Meetings at the Learning Center at GHPS, Bannisaarige: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rJRUxJMo7gzEI58W1wDsztpSX91j8BZN?usp=sharing

3) Meetings at the Learning Center at UGHPS, Devangapete, Kollegala 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rzsDAgAGJcx1NuZcnufa3ozkcDlN1Ge0?usp=sharing

4) Meetings at the Learning Center at GHPS, Kunturu 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IIZsLTrVQfvovjr3Qn6fqWpo83OXNH_c?usp=sharing

5) Meetings at the Learning Center at GHPS, Kabbahalli 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qVV5kGEQlkho8G2A7k3lpQVLearning Center75bQa- 2?usp=sharing

6) Meetings at the Learning Center at KPS, Hangala 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Khhywd23Jg5-ScjgmX88u-kKBANFE0ee?usp=sharing

Finally, we are pleased to share that the Deenabandhu Fun Science Gallery was recently inaugurated by the Honorable Minister for Primary and Secondary Education of Karnataka Sri. B. C. Nagesh. He appreciated the exemplary work being carried out by Deenabandhu and said that this work should be replicated in other districts as well. Some photos are shared in this post.

It is because of all of you that YGB is able to support this program, which is critical to helping underserved children engage with their education. We are full of gratitude to you and your generosity.