During the course of my IDEX fellowship in India, I decided to work with Learning Fields solutions for my Insight project. I failed to articulate early on the purpose of the project and to define the scope of the research. What Learning Fields wanted was a list of potential clients after the school visits. This was not enough to fulfill the Insight requirement so I tried to find another angle in order to use the work towards the IDEX curriculum. My first mistake was thinking to broadly and not identifying the expected results for a write up. My initial proposal was very broad because unless challenged I avoid being specific and stick to broad generalizations. I tried to avoid getting specific which in the end only left me cheated in getting the most out of the project and creating a particular experience during the fellowship. Looking back a possible scope could have been from all the types of curriculums out there and the ones used in Hyderabad schools, which ones or combination of one’s proves most effective for today’s students. Effectiveness measured not only in exam results but the overall student experience that includes non academic activities and maybe includes nutrition. Like everything in this world there is always room for improvements. Another aspect of the project should have included what are the short comings of each curriculum and how can they be over come to meet each schools need. Schools would be pre selected prior to the start of the study.
Finding schools proved a challenge in many ways. One I was a foreigner in the city for the first time. Language barriers and environment all posed challenges. It is difficult for the average Indian to understand what I am saying during the first meeting. So for me grading down my speech and slowing down my speaking pace would have been beneficial. Environment was a challenge because on most days it was hot out and as an individual that knows how tired and exhausting it can be walking around in the sun for a short while knows that there are only so many schools I can visit in a day before I am un presentable to meet school administrators. Schools needed to be chosen prior to the start of the project and the number of schools in each area predetermined. Say 5 schools in Chandanagar, 8 schools in Gachibowli, 7 schools in HiTex and so forth instead of a blanket 60 schools in 1 month visiting 4 schools a day. Distance between schools and distance from my primary location are all factors that need to be considered. Lack of addresses made taking autos impossible since I had not exact place to tell an auto driver to take me so I resorted to walking around and just going into schools I passed.
The survey that was created was very general and did not elicit a school principle to fill it out in detail after graciously giving me a few minutes of their time. I personally think because I was a foreigner they were more curious about why I was at their school and a bit suspicious which is understandable. I worked on my pitch to try and keep it professional research instead of sales call oriented. Taking the time to create another survey to distribute to teachers would have helped and it was suggested by one of the principles I had met with.
In the end I had a time crunch with over 3 weeks spent out of Hyderabad to work with SankalpTaru Foundation which was my primary responsibility. In Hindsight visiting schools in Dehradun and Mumbai may have been useful in order to get more surveys. As my neighbor told me sometimes the issues/challenges are the same when it comes to certain aspects of one’s society and the fact that all three cities are in India, Dehradun and Mumbai schools would have increased the insight I would have gained into education in India even if they are not perspective clients for Learning Field Solutions.
The greatest insight I got in the field was from my neighbor at Aparna Hillpark and a friend who are both teachers in Hyderabad. Aside from the sari dress code that they both dislike they both spoke to me about the challenges they face at their schools. My neighbor’s school uses the Cambridge system and she mentioned that the administrators of this curriculum do not always give the teachers clear instructions or the resources they need to carry out the instructions. I should have asked to visit both their schools and see if I could also talk to the teachers. Quality of teachers does pose an issue at some schools where teachers are not necessarily trained to be teachers. They are just well educated women who mean well and just don’t want to sit around at home all day or in a way got defaulted into the role either from lack of education for other sectors or the opportunity was there so they took it.
So the major takeaway from this project is utilizing the scientific method when conducting research. Ignoring it will lead to dismal results if you even get results. In hindsight there is a lot that could have been done to save this project but now after two weeks since I left India I have had time to really dwell on the project and the true purpose of it for my own benefit. India’s greatest resource is it’s people as the second most populous country in the world but there are still gaps in education in terms of access and quality. The diversity of the country is a blessing but can be seen as a hindrance with the numerous languages spoken and languages of instruction. Hindi and English are supposed to be the unifying languages but you find that it is only true for certain classes in India. From personal readings and research it seems anyone can start a school in India. A woman started a train station school in Bubaneshwar to help the children of the stations try and break the cycle of poverty so they can leave the station. People who are committed to education today’s students need to have the resources and support to do their jobs well. Even the best of intentions may fall short of results. In today’s digital world technology is increasingly important and some cultures that value rote memorization are starting to evolve. Fostering overall child growth and development through interactive activities and truly understanding the material being taught so they can take it with them past the exams is becoming increasingly valued.