After going through the draft proposal on school adoption program and discussing it in details with NGOs, it was felt that certain points need to be added under the following sub heads:
Feedback from NGOs on the Draft for School Adoption Program
Objective: To provide quality education to every child in conformance with the constitutional mandate and the national curricular framework.
- Sub Objective
10. To ensure capacity building of all teaching and non teaching staff.
- Chief Tenets of the adoption Program
Operational Responsibility
-Identifying /suggesting/monitoring in the building repairs, painting and furniture repairs.
– If required Ngo would be allowed to take nominal fees from students for special services.
- Additional resources to be brought in by NGOs
-Since the Education department would be providing 27 items to all the children coming to school along with mid day meal from this academic year, so the option of NGOs providing the same should be deleted.
-NGO will be maintaining and if required may be enhancing the following instead of developing:
Science laboratories, Computer laboratories and school libraries and playgrounds
-Building (repair and painting), electricity and water would be BMCs responsibility
-BMC should provide the salaries for all the non teaching and teaching staff including, teachers for special subjects and extra curricular activities.
- School Management Committee:
-It should have a representation of School teacher, HM, NGO, PTA Member.
-Clear roles and responsibilities of the committee should be stated.
-The committee should have decision making power in various areas like governance, administration, Finance, Infrastructure and Academics.
-A need assessment exercise to be undertaken before the school adoption project for the concerned school is designed.
A detail plan and budget for the year to be put in place. Once parameters of the project to be undertaken in school are defined and an MOU is signed, NGO should not be required waste precious time and energy in getting permission for each activity to be conducted in the course of the year.
-Impact assessment would be conducted regularly
-A working space would be provided to the committee and it will meet as and when required.
- Financial Allocation to the school:
-The budget allocated by BMC and Expenses incurred on the school would be audited annually.
-The NGO will contribute extra resources only when necessary.
-Salaries of teaching and non teaching staff (working presently and future appointments if required) should be specified.
-It should also consider basic staff required keeping in mind number of children, vacancies which have not been filled.
-Grant given should be on the per child ratio worked out in advance and displayed transparently to help NGO take up project better.
School Partnership Program
Objective: BMC and NGOs to jointly provide quality education to every child in conformance with the constitutional mandate and the national curricular framework.
Sub Objectives
- To ensure quality education to all children
- To provide a conducive learning environment for all children in Schools
- To enroll more and more children in BMC schools and to reduce drop out rate
- To promote all round development of children
- To ensure capacity building of all teaching staff
- To assess the impact of the partnership program at regular interval.
- To provide schools and students equal opportunity in participative sports and extracurricular activities
Chief Tenets of the Program
-Pre Primary Education
-Counseling
-Supplementary education for special groups after school hours
-Assessment of childrens and the teachers performance
-Extra Curricular Activities
-Social development skills
– Value Education and Life skills
-Teachers training and follow up on its implementation
-NGO participation should be mandatory while scheduling training programs at larger level.
– Building (repair and painting), electricity and water would be BMCs responsibility – one window for infrastructure and utilities
-Since the Education department would be providing 27 items to all the children coming to school along with mid day meal and health check ups from this academic year, so the option of NGOs providing the same should be deleted.
-NGO will be maintaining the following instead of developing:
Science laboratories, Computer laboratories and school libraries and playgrounds and Maths Laboratories
-BMC should provide the salaries for all the non teaching and teaching staff including, teachers for special subjects and extra curricular activities
–NGO partners would be allotted space to conduct various activities in BMC school Premises.
– If required Ngo would be allowed to take nominal fees from students for special services which would be accounted in the main account under separate sub- head
School Management Committee:
-It should have a representation of School teacher besides HM, NGO, PTA Member. If NGO is not working in that particular school representation of local civic body could be taken.
In case of more schools in a same building each school would have a separate Sub-Committee and minimum one person representation in main management committee, i.e. one per building.( C0-0rdination and communication between different schools and responsibilities of each to be defined)
-NGO representation can be done considering the nature of work done along with financial support by various NGOs
-Clear roles and responsibilities of the committee should be stated.
-The committee should have decision making power in various areas like governance, administration, Finance, Infrastructure and Academics and recruitment of new teachers and be able to implement programs for improving quality of school education.
-A need assessment would be done before initiating any program. A detail plan and budget for the year to be put in place once parameters of the project to be undertaken in school is defined and an MOU would be signed to acknowledge NGO partnership by BMC . NGO should not be required waste precious time and energy in getting permission for each activity to be conducted in the course of the year
( A questionnaire for need assessment was already sent to Mr Shinde and the PPC)
-Impact assessment of the partnership program would be conducted regularly
-A working space would be provided to the committee and it will meet regularly.
Financial Allocation to the school:
-The budget allocated by BMC and Expenses incurred on the school would be audited annually.
-The NGO will contribute extra resources as and when when necessary.
– A separate Bank account should be opened and operated by 2 signatories- H.M and school
– All non- budgeted expenses would have to be financed / sponsored by the NGO
Some points to be considered
Note
- The entire procedure of approaching, getting permissions should be clearer .Also how much time is required for this process so that various programs for schools can be planned accordingly.
- Clear dissemination of information from PPPC to NGOs. This can be done through a network on NGOs by NGO core committee.
- ( A website for the Education Dept which has a link on the NGOs would help)
- Clarity on role and responsibility of the various decision making levels involved.
- Some kind of acknowledgement of NGO representation in PPPC and clarity on their role and responsibility and they should be involved in all its functions and deliberations. It must also put into place a mechanism whereby it receives proper feedback on the state of affairs at the school level.(
- A monthly reporting of all schools adopted will be circulated through website)
- NGOs should be allowed to work in schools in locations of their choice. This should be continued instead of the BMC allocating schools to them.
- Credentials and aptitude of the NGO- Corporate Individual wanting to adopt the school
- At a later stage, we can think of taking up work at the Ward level. Coordinating the work of all NGOs involved in BMC schools of that ward so that we avoid duplication of effort and maximise the benefits, based on the strengths of each NGO. Perhaps we could think of starting this immediately in one ward to begin with.
- As the new policy may take time to evolve, in the mean time NGOs need to know the procedure for renewal of their permissions for academic year 2007-08.