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>> Schools
delivering Learning
Guarantee felicitated
40 government primary schools
in North East Karnataka guarantee learning
It was a proud and unforgettable event for 40 Government
Primary Schools of North East Karnataka as they stepped up
to receive their awards from Prof. B K Chandrashekar,
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Government of
Karnataka and Mr. Azim Premji, Chairman Wipro Corporation.
These schools were receiving the first ever Learning
Guarantee School Awards under the Learning Guarantee
programme, a joint initiative of Government of Karnataka and
Azim Premji Foundation. The Learning Guarantee programme is
a unique first ever kind of programme that has evoked considerable
interest and has the potential to be adopted anywhere else
in the country.
The awards function was held in Gulbarga on 14th February
2004.
The Learning Guarantee programme launched
in November 2002 in all districts of North East Karnataka,
(Bellary, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Raichur, Bidar, Gulbarga, Yadgir
and Koppal) is aimed at stirring the competitive spirit of
schools to voluntarily aspire for and demonstrate quality.
The Learning Guarantee programme identifies, recognises and
rewards schools that demonstrate “Guarantee
of Learning” on the criteria of enrolment,
attendance and learning achievement of children. The programme
also analyses the factors that enable such performance and
communicates these to all the other schools. The programme
aims at motivating and inspiring teachers and schools to develop
processes in a sustained manner that enable all the children
to acquire the relevant expected competencies in a manner
relevant to their day-to-day life applications.
Mr. Dileep Ranjekar, CEO, Azim Premji Foundation
said “When you see schools that perform in such an outstanding
manner despite all constraints, the least one can do is to
hold them up as role models for all other schools to emulate.
The long term power of this Programme will be in the spread
of accountability for quality of learning among all schools
in a spirit of we too can do it”
Mr. Azim Premji Chairman Wipro Corporation,
who was personally present in November 2002 to launch the
programme, was here to distribute the awards at the end of
the first year of school evaluation. Speaking on the occasion
he said “I believe it is our responsibility to build
our nation, build Character and integrity in our children
and in the future generation. I strongly believe that the
one concerted area that wittingly or unwittingly can shape
the personality and Character of a society is elementary education.”
Mr. Premji added, “Systemic changes in the education
system that bring in “meritocracy and professionalism”
in appointment, transfers, movements, training of teachers
must be considered on priority. Focus must be shifted from
the current text-memory and marks driven children assessment
to “competency based assessment”. This also necessitates
shifting of focus from “teaching” to “learning”
and much higher importance of the ability of the teacher to
manage class-room practices than mere subject knowledge. I
am very happy that teachers are being honoured in this programme
because it is only through them will we develop good citizens
for tomorrow.”
All 9280 Government Lower Primary and Higher Primary
schools in North East Karnataka were offered the
opportunity to participate in the programme out of which 6484
schools sent in applications expressing interest to participate
in the Learning Guarantee programme. 1888 schools completed
the process and qualified as participants. Of these 896 schools
offered themselves for assessment in 2003.
40 schools out of the 896 that were evaluated
in 2003 fulfilled the programme criteria and were declared
as Learning Guarantee Schools. These 40 schools are a shining
example to the entire region of how a committed team of head
teachers, teachers, members of the School Development and
Monitoring Committee and community members can demonstrate
exemplary performance. Their success stories should surely
inspire and motivate all schools in the region to emulate
them.
Besides the monetary reward to the school, there were separate
awards for the teachers as well those children who achieved
100% competencies in both Kannada and Mathematics of these
successful schools.
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