Impact of CIVICs work on education in a short span of 6 months

Education is a new domain to CIVIC. While learning and understanding the processes involved, the engagement has brought about a few significant changes. CIVIC has concentrated and been interacting with the 4 schools to which the children from Deshyanagar and Rajeevgandinagar go to. Two schools are in Ward 60 (Sagayapuram) and another two in Ward 55 (Devasandra). They are administered under South Zone of State Education Dept. These schools are:

- Government Primary School, Cox town, Ward 60
- Government High School, Cox town, Ward 60
- Government Primary School, K. R. Puram, Ward 55
- Government High School, K. R. Puram, Ward 55

We began by asking these schools for their mandatory suo motu disclosure under Section 4(1)(b) of the Right to Information Act. As these were not available, we filed an appeal with the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC). The hearing of the appeals came up in the KIC on 06.01.2010. The KIC in its order KIC 9059 & 9058 PTN 2009 dated 6-01-2010 has directed the Secretary, Primary & Secondary Education and the Commissioner for Public Instruction to prepare a template for implementing the suo motu disclosure in all schools in the State and train all schools in it. This decision has a statewide implication. It also asked CIVIC to help these schools prepare their suo motu disclosure.

In the meantime, we observed the infrastructure of the schools and the implementation of the midday meal programme in them. We spoke to School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) members in the schools on how they could improve these. We realized that the SDMCs needed to be empowered and started training the SDMC members on the “Roles and Responsibilities of SDMC Members” as per the contents of Gazette notification: No: ED122PBS2004, Bangalore, Dated 14th June 2006. We have conducted these workshops in two schools so far. This had quick impacts:

- The SDMC members gained a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities, especially on the implementation of SSA. For instance, after one SDMC meeting, a head-mistress of one of the schools asked the SDMC members to come to school once again to sign the cheque for the completed construction work of the school toilet. The members asked the head-mistress why this issue had not been discussed in the SDMC meetings and how the work had been given to external agencies without the consent of the SDMC. It was decided that the head-mistress should provide clarifications / appropriate reasons in this regard at the next meeting.

- Immediately after the training at K. R. Puram High school, the president of the SDMC, who was ineligible to hold the post as his daughter had already passed out of the school, made way for a new president, whose child was still in the school.

- School children, who were not represented on the SDMCs as per the rules for constituting SDMCs, were made members.

- The ‘Mahithi Sindhu’ programme, which was not running for months in KR Puram Hoigh School due to want of a computer teacher, got activated in the school after CIVIC intervened with Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) on 13th Nov 2009. It was followed up with an RTI enquiry on 25th Nov 2009. A new teacher was appointed on 7th Dec 2009. Now the classes are being held regularly

- In KR Puram Hoigh School, soon after the SDMC training, the SDMC took measures to improve the washing facilities for children for the midday meal. All children had to wash at a single tap as three taps were dysfunctional. The defunct taps were replaced and sinks installed.