GRSV Sevakendra 6-month Report Primary Steward: Koussalya

Project Brief  Primary School Program – Stds 1-5th  Last funding amount – $3000  Next fund request -

Updates  Number of currently enrolled students – 68  Number of drop outs in last 6 months – 4  Reason for the dropouts :  1 in grade 3 : parents thought the standard is too high as compared to the Govt. Primary School;  3 in grades 1 and 2: the distances from the students home to the Center are about 3 to 4 Kilometers and there was no public transportation facility available.  Number of new children added to the schools in the last 6 months: 1  Number of boys : 50  Number of girls : 18

Updates Contd  Number of teachers: Total: 10 [Fulltime: 6; Part time: 4 ; Nine have BA/BS or MA degree; the Dance and Music teacher has degree-level training in the specialized areas ]  Over all school attendance percentage : Varies between 80 % to 100% [during rainy season, due to poor road system in the villages, students coming from distance fail to reach the school, causing drop in attendance ]  Students Academic course Records: INCREASED ( Those students started in our program usually scored in English, Math, and Sciences ( Admission Tests) between 40 to 50%. Now the average score in those subjects is 70%, with 35% of the students scoring between 90 and 95%.

Updates Contd  Students are assessed, not as a group, but as individual. Each student, in a class, is evaluated individually for the performance in each subject’ The superior students are given challenging activities, while mediocre students are given more time to make them understand.  Engaging students in discussion on a lesson.  Introducing Unit Test to determine skill development of each student for each unit, before starting a new unit.  Evaluating performance of each students and having discussions among teachers how to improve the students who are not performing well.  Discussion with the parents about each student’s performance and asking them how they can provide an environment at home to better their performance  Introduced: Computer program for students from grade 3 upwards  Music, Dance, Yoga, Sports.

Updates contd  The School Building on the side of the lake, in the South side of the Walled Center  Students are arriving from villages ( walking, by cycle, by peddled riksha van)  Prayer in the auditorium, before the beginning of the classes  Class room teaching ( students are challenged to work on the Chalk bords )  Tiffin brought from home: Puffed rice and potato fry( with poor nutritional value)  Computer Class ( from third grades; there are three computers, we could use one more)  Dance Class  Music Class  Gymnastic/yoga: in the stage of the building ( Pyramid, arches, etc.)  Physical Exercise in the play ground inside the Center  Playing during a recess  Gardening ( in agriculture plots in the Center)  Final Examination in (Dec. ’12)  Departing for home at the end of the school  A meeting of the teachers and the administrators for the 2012 Academic Year in the Meeting room.

Special Achievements  One Teacher just completed First Part of M.A. in English and now perusing the Final Part.  One Teacher completed Basic Computer Course: ‘SWIFT INDIA’ and now perusing a Programming Course: ‘HTML’  One Teacher has attended course in: Spoken English  One Teacher is taking course in Tabla( drum) Playing  The Dance teacher teaches Dance to villagers in private class and takes the students in local competitions and performances and acts as a judge in local dance cometitions  23 STUDENTS were selected and took TALENT SEARCH EXAMINATIO, Sponsored by Kolkata Publishers Guild and conducted at the KHIRPAI TOWN’s HIGH SCHOOL. The result is not out yet; but the teacher.s expected that several of them will win prizes.

Improvements to the project  For Students: Extra classes on:  Spoken English  Quizzes and preparation for Talent Search Examinations  Nutritious Tiffin  For Teachers:  Classes on Education of Children  Incentive for self- improvement  Teachers evaluation by the students  For Parents:  Parents get together  Parents /Teachers meetings