Videoshala
This project was a collaboration among the Ahmedabad based DRISHTI Media Collective, Udaan Education Resource Unit and local NGOs, which sought to develop educational videos produced by community to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools and spread important messages about diversity and citizenship.
Videoshala is a pioneering intervention meant to improve the quality of school education through community media, while simultaneously imbibing values of citizenship, democracy and diversity in the lives of students, teachers, and their communities. Community members produce videos on topics related to hard spots faced by teachers and students in their primary school's curriculum that is locally relevant. These videos are then screened in government schools and learning centers by facilitators who conduct reinforcement activities, facilitate discussions and engage children to work on activity sheets.
This initiative is the first in India to use community produced content in the classroom and was designed by QUEST Alliance in partnership with the implementation partners, Drishti Media, Video Volunteers and Udaan Education Resource Centre. There are four Education Community Video Units (ECVUs) setup with local NGO partners where community members have been trained as video producers and classroom facilitators. There is also a central coordination unit which provides support to all ECVUs in pedagogy, media, education, content and monitoring & evaluation. Over the period of project intervention, 4 ECVUs have produced and screened 24 videos on various classroom subjects.
Since its inception, Videoshala has demonstrated that the appropriate creation and use of a particular type of media can catalyze and enhance understanding of difficult curricular concepts among students of various ages, while also helping them better appreciate values. It had also established that it is possible to set up a capable ECVU within 12 months, employing and empowering a local team with varied levels of educational qualifications, media technology skills and teaching experiences.
Facts about the programme
Gains for learners
• Greater ability to articulate questions and thoughts in class – the classes have become more interactive
• Positive learning outcomes - better understanding of subject matter
• Greater awareness of issues facing their communities
Gains for community video producers
• Exposure to technical skills and problem-solving techniques
• Ability to work and interact in a group
• Drive to think beyond the individual and contribute to society
• Inculcation of a sense of pride in their work
Beneficiaries
• During the project period, Videoshala project reached out to 7957 students (4524 male and 3433 female) in 194 schools.
• Developed 24 videos on various classroom subjects that integrate the value of democracy, citizenship and diversity.
• 104 community members and teachers were trained on various aspects of Videoshala programme, including video production, classroom facilitation, instructional design and pedagogy.
Locations
This project was implemented in nine districts of Gujarat
1. Bhav Nagar
2. Surendra Nagar
3. Ambreli
4. Rajkot
5. Patan
6. Mehsana
7. Gandhi Nagar
8. Ahmedabad
9. Panchmahal District
Partners involved
• The technical support partners in the Videoshala project are Drishti Media and Udaan Education Resource Centre. They are involved in providing the technical training and other assistance to the ECVUs.
• Four Educational community Video Units were created with support from local NGOs, who are the implementing partners and manage the ECVUs are Sahyog, Udaan-Meghdhanush, Hind Swaraj Mandal (HSM) and Navsarjan Trust.
• Funding Partners: IYF and USAID
QUEST's Technical Contribution
Apart from the support in program vision and pilot conceptualization, QUEST also helped in capacity building and instructional design. With the end of the second year of the pilot, QUEST also conducted a comprehensive evaluation study which looked at the achievement of program objectives, identification of factors for change among students, teachers and producers as well as progress and growth of all stakeholders.
Current Status and outlook
After the end of the grant period, this project is still continuing with support from SDC reaching out to 100 more schools and developed nine more videos kits to its list. The program is now advocating for policy level change for adoption in government schools. The possibilities are endless and what is vital is to continue building on the spirit of collective ownership within the local communities and government school teachers to bring about change.
