Lifeline for Education
Led by One World South Asia (OWSA) and Vikramshila (education and field implementation partner), with technical support from British Telecom and CISCO Systems, this project used mobile phones and an interactive voice response system to provide critical academic support and instructional training to rural elementary school teachers in Burdhaman district of West Bengal.
Most teachers in rural government schools in India are faced with an acute shortage of teaching resources and sources of academic support. It is this need that prompted the “Lifeline for Education” project to pilot a system for critical academic support and training for rural elementary school teachers. The system uses simple communication protocols, such as the telephone, laid over an IT and internet-based system. The pilot program has been running for more than a year now in the Monteswar block of Bardhamaun district in West Bengal and reaches 1800 teachers in around 560 schools.
The system enables teachers to easily access subject-matter and pedagogy experts who have the capacity to accurately respond to their queries on day-to-day academic transactions. Teachers register their subject matter, pedagogical, and classroom management queries, which are answered within 48 hours by a qualified panel of experts. Local language interaction in voice mode enables the teachers to easily and proactively use the service.
The construction of the pilot system was guided by lessons learned from a project that addresses the knowledge needs of farmers. However, the education context forced the system design to anticipate a shift from information delivery to knowledge transactions over a period of time, with a fair degree of intelligence based on meta data, innovative use of technology and the right mix of human intervention. The program also aims to collect information that can be played back to the education department in order to design training programs based on real needs of teachers on the ground.
Apart from project conceptualization and initial design research study, the summative evaluation exercise was anchored by QUEST Alliance which captures the in-depth assessment of design and operational aspects of the “Lifeline for Education” pilot initiative. The report also highlights the outcomes and impact of the pilot project and sets directions to facilitate sustainable scaled implementation of the project in future.
Facts about the programme
Gains for teachers
• Improved subject knowledge
• Improvement in teaching skills & classroom management skills
• Higher confidence levels
• Ability to raise questions and think critically
• Exposure to innovative ways of teaching
Beneficiaries
• Teacher being the primary beneficiaries, this service reached out to 1816 teachers in 571 schools, SSKs and ICDS centres.
• 40,000 students (23,327 males and 16,673 females) benefited as indirect beneficiaries across 13 panchayats in 164 villages.
• During the project cycle 12,139 questions and answers were generated on the system.
• 13 field infomediaries and 4 knowledge workers were trained on various aspects of projects including pedagogy, knowledge management and technical training on handling IVRS.
• A pool of 150 experts and resource persons were constituted to provide relevant answers to the queries raised by the teachers.
Location
This project was piloted in Monteswar block of Bardhaman district in West Bengal.
Partners involved
• The pilot project is being led by One World South Asia (OWSA) with technical support from British Telecom and CISCO Systems. OWSA played an important role in customization of the technology platform and providing functional technology solution.
• Vikramshila Education Resource Centre was entirely responsible for implementation and facilitation of the project on the ground.
• Funding partners: IYF and USAID
QUEST'S Technical Contribution
Apart from project conceptualization, QUEST Alliance provides continuous strategic support in terms of resources and management oversight. QUEST Alliance has also undertaken initial design research study with Quicksand design studio to recommend design interventions and clarify program objective. QUEST also initiated the final evaluation study.
Current Status and outlook
This project is currently under discussion with the state government about expansion of the program to other parts of West Bengal. The same project is also being replicated and implemented in Rajasthan with support from UNICEF and the Rajasthan state government.
