REWARD Trust(Rural Education Welfare andResource Development Trust)

Nagender Bandi

Rahul Batra

Project Executive Summary

Organization: REWARD trust Location: Vengapakkam, Nerumbur, Koovathur (Tamil

Nadu) Area (urban/rural): Rural Primary Focus: Goal is to help upgrade government

schools by recruiting qualified teachers Purpose of Funding: Pay salaries of teachers # of Beneficiaries: Atleast 2000 students

Project Description

Description - Recruit qualified teachers, conduct monthly teacher training sessions, merit based pay on student performance, peer reviews of teaching techniques, evaluate of subject matter & delivery, upgrade government schools etc.

Community Involvement - Donations Challenges - Teacher retainment, Funding Successes/Impact Thus Far – Kids succeeding in

higher studies and contributing back

Project Description

Beneficiaries

Almost 100% of students are drawn from OBCs, SC & STs. The breakup between these castes can vary from village to village & school to school.

Example: Vengapakkam (3+1 Teachers) is numerically dominated by OBCs while it is other way in Nerumbur (3 + 4 Teachers) & Paramasivam Nagar ADW (3 Teachers). Koovathur ADW PS (3 Teachers) & Koovathur PS mostly cater to the SC

More than 70% of the population in these villages are from the bottom end of economic levels (< Rs 3000/- pm per family). Bulk of these are farm coolies. There might be occasional contract laborers, petty landowners and lower level govt servants.

Project Goals & Achievements REWARD added 50 Teachers to 19 schools with 7500 students in 25

villages

REWARD’s Vision - Excellence in rural government schools by:• Adding full time teachers to Govt. schools which have teacher shortage• Conducting continuous teacher training

Situation on ground before REWARD

• Overcrowded class rooms

• Poor infrastructure

• Not enough teachers

• Low graduation rate

• Not enough hope for students, parents, school, principals

Project Goals & Achievements

Impact of REWARD

Before• In 2003, 70% students failed to graduate High School • In 2005, 5 students scoring > 80% overall

After• In 2011, 71% students passed High School• In 2011, 82 students scoring > 80% overall

• Quality of Teaching greatly improved• Avg. graduation rate increased to 71% from 30%• Class sizes are now smaller• One teacher for every subject(in most schools)

Achievements (2014 summary)

# students crossing 400 / 500 has increased to 116  from 91  ( it was zero in 2005 -06)

The average overall pass % of the schools  has increased to 85  from 77(15 to 25 pass % in 2005/6)

The average pass % produced by REWARD Teachers in their subjects has increased to 92 from 88 is consistently higher than the school pass %

 for the first time Sogandi High School has produced 100%  pass

the top mark in this school is 488 ( highest ever in our surroundings) as against the STATE  top mark of 499

Q/A with Project PartnerAre you looking for any additional sources of funding ? Quite clearly, we won't be able to support

such high budget projects forever. Do you have a backup plan if none of the Asha chapters are able to send you funds ?

Reply:

We understand the point. But we have no operational alternatives in sight, despite over three years of attempts.If several Asha Chapters ( at least those whose carry over balance - as seen from the 2011 financials in your website - is more than $25k ) can join hands to look at REWARD Trust’s work as integration of 30 to 50 smaller projects and each chapter supports us in the range of $ 5000 to $ 10000 every year, then we are hopeful that such a cooperative venture would not only reduce the burden on each chapter and would also help us sustain the core of our activities over the years, with expansions accommodated under locally generated support.     As we have mentioned in our earlier mails, we are continuously  looking out for additional deep pocket support. No Indian Corporate has come forward to support us.  They seem to be more interested in building toilets / giving some training or other in computers. No systematic vision of supporting Govt Schools with teachers, periodically training them etc.

We have told you that we had initiated the ("Ayiraththil Oruvan/ Oruval ") scheme of mobilizing 1000 people giving us Rs 5000/- per year to sustain our activities. We have roped in about 100 local friends and hope get about Rs 6 to 10 Lakhs. This will cover the deficit that we might have after the "promised" grant from Asha chapters.

Q/A with Project PartnerDoes REWARD keep teachers on payroll even if they are not teaching in schools ? 

 Reply:  NO!  REWARD Trust does NOT keep, in the pay roll,  any teacher who is NOT teaching . The general training given by REWARD is broad based covering all subjects and aspects. REWARD also conducts subject based specific training separately. At high & higher school levels, the teachers teach specific subject. 

If the Government appoints required number of teachers and the REWARD Teacher becomes a surplus, even beyond the ideal of REWARD Trust, and if there is no requirement for the teacher in any other school then the teacher is laid off. 

Such a situation of laying off surplus teachers has not come so far. 

Q/A with Project PartnerAre you working with the Govt schools to get the REWARD teachers permanently employed ?

Reply:There are no systematic methodology available for this. Because of the training recd, some teachers get to clear the TET exams. But still the number of post - both vacant & created - are significantly higher than the number recruited.

Can you share any success stories of the students that were taught by teachers supported by Asha Stanford ?

Reply:We had already told the success story of Sudha & Nivetha from Koovathur who made it to MIT, Chromepet & Guindy Engineering College. They are now completing their second year.  Due to enormous logistical difficulties, We are yet to systematically compile the post school development of students.  We will share when we we succeed. Vengapakkam 's first batch will pass out in June 2015. We have listed the increasing performance both in the pass %  and at crossing the 80% bar at the X level. We have mentioned the slow increase in the learning outcomes as measured through SMART exams that we initiated about two years ago and which is likely to be our main focus in the coming years.

Q/A with Project PartnerWhat is the difference between salaries of Government school teachers and

REWARD teachers ? If the difference is large, can we again expect teachers to leave before the completion of the academic year ? Are you thinking of ways to

avoid this ?Reply:

The minimum (total) salary for a govt teacher is about Rs 20,000/- plus. They also have job security, health cover, Dearness Allowance & pension. The salary goes up to Rs 45,000/- plus. We are trying hard to keep the salary at least above what an errand boy / supervisor in our neighborhood gets (anywhere between Rs 4500 & 9000/-).

Our teachers can be expected to leave if they get a Govt Job, get married into a family elsewhere or if they get a very high pay elsewhere. All these cases cannot be stopped.

Else, by and large teachers stick with us. This academic year we are expecting some of our teachers to get govt appointment as they have cleared the TET exams.

Q/A with Project PartnerYou sent us an email on May 27th about the Xth class public exam results. Can we find out the performance of the teachers/students who were supported by the Asha Stanford grant ?

Reply:

I have attached a provisional list that I now have. Firming up is still on.Vengapakkam - the first batch of + 2 will appear for exams in 2015.Koovathur & Thiruvadhur + 2 results have not reached me yet. (NB: Our earlier teachers had left these schools. They need new tchrs in different subjects.). These are public exam metric.

For all other schools the performance metric is subjective & local ( as evaluated by us or through our teachers or through visitors.). For Eg Ramani's, Yamuna's & Thanuja's students have performed very well in our "continuous" assessment. (this is reflected in the 'pay rise' we have given them.). Rajaraman Krishnan & Vijaya Sundaram during their "Site Visit " were also extremely impressed by the students' peformance in all the schools that they visited (Koovathur, Perambakkam, Pataraikazhani & Nerumbur). Hopefully they would be sending in their report.We still have to cover a longer distance in enabling all our teachers and ensuring that quality transmission is all pervading.

Q/A with Project PartnerYou mention in your email that old schools in Koovathur & Thiruvadhur have asked you for additional teachers. I think I may have asked this earlier. Can you please explain why these schools can't hire full-teacher teachers on their own ? Is there a lack of funding or lack of qualified teachers ? In an ideal world, there should not be a need for government schools to find teachers from outside.

Reply:

No Govt school has the fund to appoint its "required teachers". The only appointment is that done by the Govt. The schools are permitted to engage teachers through Parent Teacher's Association. If the PTA is economically weak, as is the case in most villages, then even this succour doesn't come through. It is here that REWARD Trust plays its role.After several years of hiatus, only in the last few years govt appointment has started in full earnest. The new regime has introduced TET exams and wants prospective teachers to clear these exams and secure over 60%. ( I do not want to go into the efficacy of the contents of these exams. You can draw your own inference by looking at the question papers) In the last two years the pass % in these exams is below 5%. Passing is essential but does not guarantee a job.

Ideally what you expect ought to be true. But this ideal will throw up much poorer ground results than what an "ideal gas" law will see in real gases.Upgradation of Schools ( means creation of new posts), Retirement of teachers ( creates new vacancies), unfilled vacancies of the past, "deputation" + "transfer" +" other considerations" (read bribe) to chosen places, etc etc will ensure that the intended 1 Tchr to 40 students is not attained at every school level. On top of this you have the problem of schools lacking subject specific teachers or class specific teachers ( a primary school, for eg with 75 students in five classes will just have a HM - who will be administratively pulled & pushed - and one teacher.) The Govt has in principle agreed for 1:35. But they are still far from reaching 1:40 at every local level.REWARD Trust, based on its experience of ground realities, feels that the ratios in schools for first generation, marginalised students in Govt schools should be 1:10, 1:20 & 1:30 at primary & middle & higher school levels.

Q/A with Project PartnerWhy should we continue funding your project ?

Reply:

We have successfully demonstrated a systematic intervention to improve the academic ambience and standards of the rural, first generation, marginalized children in government schools.

We do not want to lose the chance of improving the standards of the students, just because Government is taking a long time to do that.

Through this activity we get a chance to motivate a large section of students to excel in the academic world , now. With time we may even influence in all other fields where their natural talent remains latent. Through our training processes for teachers we are generating a useful clutch/ bouquet of human resources which will brush this quality where ever their life may take them. There is a spin off of local employment and thereby a hope for those who have completed "academics" and are awaiting jobs. REWARD has committed trustees, active interventionists, compassionate human resource to reach the deserving beneficiaries.

So Money exceedingly well spent! And all this at a literal ZERO OVERHEAD costs

Audit Report

Audit Report

Audit Report

Details of Funding Requirements

Amount of Funding Requested (US$)

Details in next slide Duration of Funding Request

July 2014 – June 2015 One-Time Costs? Continuing?

Continuing (Monthly salaries) Other Current Sources of Funding Plans for Self-Sufficiency (See next slide) Funding Timeline - How Urgent is the Need?

Urgent

Budget for Academic year 2014-2015

• Vengapakkam Higher Sec School – 9500 (new teacher), 9200, 11400, 10500 (= 4,87,200)

• Nerumbur High School – 11300, 8500, 10000 (= 3,57,600)

• Koovathur ADW Primary School – 8800, 12200, 6600 (= 3,31,200)

• Koovathur Primary School – 8600 (= 1,03,200)

• Nerumbur ADW Primary School – 6500, 6900, 6500, 7200 (= 3,25,200)

So the total requested funding for academic year 2014-15 comes to be ….

Budget for Academic year 2014-2015

Rs 16,04,400+ 2,00,000 (for incentives)

2013 – 2014 budget

12 teachers = 12,35,000 approved budget 3 teachers in Higher Secondary school @ pay

scales of Rs 9500  3 teachers in High school @ pay scales of Rs

8500 3 teachers in Middle school @ pay scales of Rs

7500 3 teachers in Primary school @ Rs 6500

respectively   1,00,000 approved incentive

Expected Outcomes

Expected Outcomes

Immediate

a) Improved performance, primarily in academics, from wherever they are.

b) Enhanced Learning outcomes.

c) Aspiration to take to higher studies in better institutes

Measures of Success

a) Public exam results. Overall pass % and also pass % in the subjects our teacher has handled.           

b) How many take to higher studies & in which institutes ( Last year two students made it Govt Professional Colleges )     

c) How sustained it is over the years

d)  Degree of Cooperation & Competition between our teachers & govt teachers. (In fact wherever this exists, the schools performance tends to become higher

e)  Performance in the SMART Exams that we conduct to test the students learning outcomes. The exam was introduced only last year. The attached excel sheet might give you an idea.

Evaluation Methods:

a)  Direct assessment whenever we visit the schools ( Sitting as a student in our teachers' classes, interacting with students during and after the class)

b)  Assessment during the monthly Teacher Training Programmes     

c)  Assessment by fellow teachers during the Training Programme     

d)  Their work in projects & preparing teaching aids     

e)  HM's evaluation and in future

f) Students' evaluation of our teachers

What happens to beneficiaries after this program?

Steward Thoughts/Recommendation

Fund it!

Project Discussion/Decision