DoCC Project with BASE NGO

Early Grade Reading Program

Kanchanpur, Nepal

Project Group

Ashish Arora PGP-17-019

Navdeep Agarwal PGP-17-047
Tanvi Porwal PGP-17-078
Saicharan P. PGP-17-139
Shreya Khandelwal PGP-17-144
 About BASE & EGRP
BASE EGRP
History A five-year (2015-2020) USAID early grade reading (EGR) capacity building program
Established in January 1985 to
implemented in partnership with the Government of Nepal’s Ministry of Education.
solve the Kamaya bonded labor
problem.
Mission & Vision
Create an exploitation free
society.
Create opportunities for socially
disadvantaged group.

Location & Projects

Currently present in 17 districts
of mid and western Nepal with
focus on Education, Women
Empowerment, Sanitation &
Hygiene. EGRP is being implemented in two cohorts. (6 and 10 districts respectively)
District: Kanchanpur
Staff & Financial Duration: 15th July 2016 to 14th July 2018.
3lac paying members & 151 full
time employees, most
Budget: USD 53 million
employees have B.Ed Coverage: 261 schools are targeted with 522 TRGs.
Sources: membership fee, grants Prime Contractor: RTI International
and loans
 SWOT Analysis

S W
Strengths Weaknesses
• Leveraging already existing • Less frequent activities
groups/associations • TRG coordinator lacks incentives
• Focus on Nepali as primary • Busy schedule of parents
language
• CMOs are locally recruited

O T
Opportunities Threats
• Adult Literacy via TRG • Sustainability of TRG
• Use of Audio-Visuals • Change in government structure
• Involvement of other graders
• Engagement of youth
 Methodology
Phase 1: Understanding BASE & EGRP
• Pre-field report
• Orientation
• Literature Review
• Knowledge Sharing
• Discussion

Phase 2: Gap Analysis

• Field Visits
• Observation
• In-depth unstructured interviews
• Focused Group Discussion

Phase 3: Recommendation & Feedback

• Mid-review presentation
• Feedback
• Final Report

Objective: To analyze the implementation of

different initiatives under EGRP
 Experiences from the field

“I met Gunjan at a TRG meeting in Dodhara Chandani. I was surprised to see her competency in
english, hindi and mathematics. As a student of LKG, she knew more than her peers and I
believe more than an her Indian counterpart. After a conversation with her mother, I realized
that if parents are educated and are actively involved in the education, the result is significantly
different. The efficient TRG in their area is also a driver in her performance.” - Ashish

“During the visit to a Mobile Reading Corner, I met a young boy in class 5, Ayush. He
studied in a Florida Boarding school. What captured my attention towards him was his
English speaking skills. This boy was confident and started talking to me with great
comfort.. He said, “I want to go abroad and work, so English is necessary”. He told me
how he works harder at his studies through tuitions after school every day. He was full
of ambition and passion and wanted to do a job outside Nepal.”. - Shreya
 Observations: Advocacy Campaign
Activities Interactions Users
Meeting in government TRG co-ordinator talked about Parents mostly elderly grandmas;
office; key stakeholders – effectiveness of TRG; Ward CMOs, teachers organized the
parents, teachers, CMOs, officer explained the scrolls to meeting; around 80% of ward
students, VRP, SMC, PTA; parents & highlighted the parents present which is a healthy
lobbying for EGRP; open changes visible in community; number; parents shied away from
forum discussion grievances of parents discussion in public
discussed

Environment
Accessibility a challenge;
school, kirana stores and
municipality office nearby;
Cramped room; poor state of
public toilets; food served
post meeting
Objects
Lack of proper infrastructure;
room quite small; fan switched
off which added to the plight;
more no. of female present than
male members; distributed
learning awareness scrolls
 Observations: Tole Reading Group

Date: 21st March 2018

Location: Dodhara Chandni
under Ward no. 5
UNEXPECTED
• Different from other informal
reading set ups
• Conducted in a well maintained
public garden
• Clean toilets and drinking water
• Kids loved coming to TRG sessions
COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR
• More community involvement as parents
accompanied their wards.
• Parents took active interest in kid’s studies.
• SMC co-ordinator active leader himself.
• Children got good learning environment at
home.
PATTERN
• The process looked sustainable & people
were motivated to continue it.
• This model looked promising & can be
replicated in next phase.
• Not a ‘one fit for all’ model & will vary
depending on community.
ADAPTATIONS
• A school teacher voluntarily agreed
to head the TRG.
• Being a trained teacher, she can
help the students in a better way.
• Crowd sourcing done to remunerate
the TRG coordinator for extra
efforts.
• Money is paid voluntarily by the
parents & is not made mandatory at
any point.
 Observations: Mobile Reading Corner

• Regular Activity in the locality

• Students mostly from government schools Activities: Locally developed reading material
• Few parents were present too (Story books, Poems and students were also
drawing)

Date: 17th March 2018, Saturday

Time: 10 am & 2 pm
CMO: Govind Ji
Catchment Area: Mahendra
Nagar Mahavir School & Bhrikuti
Secondary School Gov. school teacher was the coordinator
Loud Reading: A student was leading the reading Incentive given: Noodles(From the SMC grant)
corner.
 Observations: Municipal Level Education Committee

To discuss the continuation of TRG, MRC and other

29th March 2018 IR 1/2/3 activities.
When What

• Some of the ward members were aware of

the various activities and are interested in
Shuklaphanta
Where taking them forward.
Municipality MEC Outcome • They asked for suggestions to improve the
enrollment rates in school.
• BASE/ RTI is lobbying to include some of the
existing activities in the “Education Act”
• Mayor
• Deputy Mayor Who Why
• Ward level members In the changed federal structure districts would make
• Resource person their own “Education Acts” and will be responsible for
• School coordinator their implementation. Till now all the Acts were made at
• BASE member the central level and implemented throughout the
• RTI Regional country.
 Empathy Map

SAY THINK
Ward Members: This program has brought about a change in the knowledge level of Parents: Quality of education is better in private schools as compared to public
students schools

Parents: We understand the importance of education, but we stay busy with our work SMC Coordinator: This program started by the government is really good but TRG
as it is necessary to earn a living coordinator should be given incentives to make it effective

TRG Coordinators: Sometimes it becomes difficult to arrange the activities because of BASE CMO: Response from parents is good but the sustainability of the program is an
personal obligations issue after the program gets over in this cluster

BASE CMO: The number of schools under each CMO is more, therefore to check the Coordinators: Program will be successful with the support of each and every
quality of each activity is not possible sometimes stakeholder involved in the same

DO FEEL
Parents: 1) Send kids to private schools despite unaffordability Parents: 1) Trust the objectives of the EGRP programme
2) Some accompany kids to TRG & MRC 2) Hopeful and happy as their children will be able to learn and become successful
3) Engaged in farming, cattle rearing and other daily activities 3) Kids find it difficult to study in the sunlight light due to lack of infrastructure facilities

CMOs: Organize all activities as per program guidelines and timely monitoring of the Kids: In some wards, kids love to come to TRG and mobile reading corner because of
same the ambience and the infrastructure facilities available

Government: Reading material as per program structure has been provided in Nepali TRG Coordinator: They desire to increase the effectiveness of the activities organized
language, now in next phase, it will come in local dialect like Rana and Tharu language under ERGP

POV Statement: “People involved in the program believe that EGRP has brought a change in the learning level of the
students but also think that there can be some modifications to make it more effective.”
 Gap Analysis - EGRP
No facilities for seating/toilets/drinking water, mostly conducted in open
areas hence a challenge in rainy season/ harsh weather.
Lack of
In principle, the TRG co-ordinator should be someone from the
infrastructure
community but finding a self driven person who is willing to work
without any incentive is difficult.
Time
constraints
Different communities face different problems. Parents are unable to
find time for their children – Involved in sugar cane farming which
Difference in happens throughout the year, migrant labor, extreme poverty etc. The
Communities program has to be adapted suiting the nature of the community.

Parents Only few parents feel that it is important to accompany their kids for
involvement TRG, rest are busy in daily chores or need to work to earn a living.

Sustainability The activities planned over the last one year were less frequent and
hence could have lowered the impact of the program.
Since this EGRP project is supposed to end in July 2018 and TRG is not a
legal entity per se so its sustainability is an issue.
 Recommendations for MRC

Studying The session should be conducted in a shady area so the students stay fresh and can
Condition concentrate on the activities.

Reading Star: The mobile reading group can recognize a student with ‘Reading Star’ title
and encourage him to read aloud and others to read along.
Activities
Story Summarising Competition: Encourage students to summarise the story they read
in their own words to the group.

Community To make it sustainable, identification of a volunteer or any learned person who can
Volunteer gather students and encourage the activity when the schools stop conducting it.

Involvement To increase the engagement of parents, we can request available parents to read for the
of parents group or read with their children.

Better We understand that Wai Wai is a commonly appreciated snack. However, we could buy
Incentive some stationary item (pencil, eraser) or a healthier snack/drink.
 Recommendations for TRG

This can be approached from two perspectives

1 2 Tackling the
infrastructure issues
 In the existing concept of TRG:  In the modified concept of TRG:
 A school room can be
 Appointment of TRG co-ordinators  Talking about the sustainability, booked to carry out
on rotation basis which overcomes choose a TRG co-ordinator who TRG activities and
the time constraint himself is trained in teaching the responsibility of
 The TRG leader can even be the  Arrangement of small crowd managing it lies with
elder siblings of children who can funding from parents to incentivize the co-ordinator
come on holidays and read to these the TRG co-ordinator to carry out
kids these sessions  Community Learning
 Small reading and painting festivals  This method ensures discipline and Centres (CLC) can be
can be conducted wherein both the continuity is maintained even when used for conducting
parents and students participate to the project is no longer run by the TRG, rather than
inculcate the learning environment government and NGOs someone’s house.
 Recommendations for SMC

Suggestions:

 SMC can provide infrastructure support by allotting a

dedicated area in the school premises for conducting
TRGs

 SMC can motivate the Early Grade kids’ parents by

rewarding the active parents of the community
through community level events

 SMC can organise seminars where aware parents can

share their kids’ growth stories with other parents to
sensitize and motivate them
 Learning and Key Takeaways

Motivation can sometimes work better

Every person matters
than rewards
Person even at low hierarchal level can
Most of the stakeholders worked actively
make significant contribution
despite not getting paid

Social Responsibility Do more with less

Immense opportunities present at the BOP and Since funds are not free flowing, try to
we as a manager, can significantly contribute achieve most out of limited resources

Solving problem in unstructured Numbers are the means, not the end
environment Sometimes numbers show the rosy picture but
Can be achieved through discussions & in the impact at the ground level may not be the
depth interviews with various stakeholders same
THANK YOU