Realizing potential …Nurturing dreams at the bottom of the pyramid

CLEFGlimpses of the CL-Academy Pilot Project, AP

CLEF has embarked on a

journey here – at the base

of the country – rural India.

We firmly hold that

education is the first step

out of the cycle of poverty

– it has the potential to be

a change catalyst. Meeting

the ever-growing need for

quality education is a huge

challenge and it is this

challenge that drives us.

We believe in human

capital - in people and

their potential. We are

here to help realize that

potential. To help give

each dream a chance.

The Bottom of the Pyramid

or BoP, constitutes four

billion people of the world,

a vast proportion of whom

are in India. It is the

largest, but poorest socio-

economic group and

economically represents all

those who live on less than

$2 (Rs. 80) a day.

My parents were coolie workers ...

so they did not have much money for us to study.

We had no electricity, my sister and I studied under one light bulb.

Sometimes there was no rice in the house…

my sister suffered much beating at the hands of her husband.

We both thought of suicide even.

Now, I feel that being a teacher gives me the opportunity to help my parents.

My ambition is to help those who are suffering like us.

I feel free … like a burden has been lightened, I am happy.

Thousands of dreams. Waking up to potential.

- Rani, Academy mentor from Wyra, AP

(For Rani's full interview, please watch the enclosed CD)

Ritesh is six years old. He lives away from

his parents, with his grandmother in

Ghatkesar town 35 kms south of Hyderabad.

Being originally from a far-of village in

Maharashtra, he cannot follow the local

language, Telugu.

On his first day at school he sat in the

corner with his head buried in his chest.

Who could he talk to?

His mentor Anita used the only language

common to all – love.

Several days later began fluent

conversations - in Marathi and some halting

Hindi.

By the end of the first week his love for

cricket emerged. His bat was doing the

talking – hitting many a ball outside of the

school premises. Ritesh is called 'Tendia' by

all. He likes it that way - he loves Sachin

Tendulkar.Ritesh at his first assembly at school.

These and several other stories inspire us ...This is the potential that drives us.

Class 2 with Rammanna akka. Suryapet Academy Class 1, with Bharathi akka. Chitiyala Academy

CL Academy is a low-cost school with the

potential to impact the lives of entire

communities it caters to.

It is a 'school in a box' – one where

everything is self-sustaining and requires no

external aid apart from startup. It welcomes

local participation that ensures scalability

and quality delivery.

It is a sustainable school model that aims to

impact the community as a whole, making

the school much more than just a set of

classrooms. Looking forward it will provide

vocational and skill-enhancement education

for the whole community, making it the hub

of development in that area.

It works at the Bottom of the Pyramid –

amongst the people with the least means

and even lesser opportunity.

In the background, Venkat's drawing of his school at Chitiyala.

A Happy School for Happy Children

Our firm belief is that the child is at the

centre of learning, and that 'learning by

doing' is the only effective way to learn. Our

curriculum prioritizes participation from the

children, first and foremost. This child-

centric approach is one where mentors and

parents work together with children.

Each of the 10 schools set up in rural Andhra

Pradesh is equipped with over 200 items of

teaching-learning material. Apart from well

stocked libraries, they include a bank of CD-

roms and children's films, musical

instruments, TV sets and DVD players.

The curriculum has been inspired by some of the best

edu-practices in the country. It includes daily micro

schedules to ensure consistent and standardized

education delivery across all 10 schools. The

curriculum is designed to allow mentors - the

ultimate thought-leaders – to innovate and add value

to it.

Little Sana,

the 'chief guest' of

the inauguration

at her school in

Siddipet. All schools

were inaugurated by

the youngest child in

the community.

Enthused by the school initiative, Mr Sashi

Bhushan Kumar (IAS) Collector and District

Magistrate, Khammam District, inaugurated

the Baal Mela organised by the students and

mentors of the Academy at Kusumanchi.

Although he had promised to attend for half

an hour, he stayed for an hour and a half

mingling with, and warmly encouraging the

mentors and children.

About the child, then development, then empowerment. “Let's make the child fall in love with the school.”

A week-long residential training program for

mentors was held at the start of the

program. The single most critical learning

outcome of the training was that the child is

at the centre of all learning.

Mentor-training culminated in a Baal Mela in the

nearby village of Anthawar. This was organized by the

mentors themselves for members of the local

community. Storytelling, songs, art corners and games

were organized for the children, while the mothers and

young girls participated in rangoli making.

All mentors were selected from within the local

communities - rural men and women with basic

education, but modest means. A few of them come

from economic backgrounds that are BPL (Below

Poverty Line). This key cornerstone of the academy -

local participation, not only facilitates employment-

generation, but also ensures sustainability of the

school.

The mentor-recruitment process was exhaustive, to say

the least. From over 200 applications, eventually 46

were trained and certified.

Hyderabad

Siddipet, Medak District

Ghatkesar, Rangareddy District

Yadagirigutta, Nalgonda District

Bhongir, Nalgonda District

Ramannapeta, Nalgonda District

Chityala, Nalgonda District

Suryapet, Nalgonda District

Kusumanchi, Khammam District

Khammam Town, Khammam District

Wyra, Khammam District

Pilot School LocationsMap not to scale

Hyderabad

There is much to do and enough opportunities to do it.

Some of the areas that need to be looked at seriously

and consistently are:

- Mobilization of the local communities through various

year-long interactions with the school is key to

keeping participation alive

- Influencing and communicating with key decision

makers – bureaucracy, local government at district

and block level and village panchayats will help

shape policy in the future

- Researching and continuously refining a contextual

curriculum that continues to assure quality

educational delivery

What is the desired change?

Our programs will aim to have a lasting

impact on various forms of capital at the

Base of the Pyramid:

- Human: through education for children

and skill building through vocational

training for young adults

- Social: assessing socio-cultural values and

behaviour and implementing public health

and hygiene and crisis management

initiatives

- Economic: through skill building,

enhancing employability and promoting

an entrepreneurial culture

- Environmental: through 'green' initiatives

that address local environmental issues

and generate awareness among the

community

The key principles

We follow two key principles to impact

communities as a whole.

The involvement of the community is

central to the success of this project, both

from a design and delivery perspective. Co-

creation for us involves consultation with

key opinion-makers of the village to discuss

and finalize the strategic direction. And

ensuring that everyone in the community is

informed about the details and progress of

the programs.

Co-creation

The Ultimate Goal

The vision for the BoP academies is to

transform each school into a Community

Enabling Center - a center that becomes a

developmental change catalyst for the

community.

Convergence

The BoP academy would form the hub of

various deliveries. It is envisioned as a

partnership model where individual

agencies or corporates bring their

strengths in creating content for

capacity building programs. The academy

anchors these programs and delivers

them through community participation.

Social Capital- Untouchability- Rights of Women

Human Capital- Literacy level - Confidence- Personality

Economic Capital- Wealth- Health

Environmental impact - Pollution- Waste- Hygiene

Change Catalyst

IWS Hyderabad

Khammam

Mahbubnagar

Ranga Reddy

Nalgonda

WarangalKarimnagar

Medhak

Medchal

The BoP academy will also act as a seat for

rural innovation and provide a platform for

other BoP specific design and business

opportunities. In phase two, the CL-Academy

aims to:

1. Diversify into vocational training for young

adults

2. Start 100 schools in AP, and 10 new ones in

Rajasthan

Going forward ...

Constant innovation is key to making the schools

system viable as well as scalable. The challenges

posed by scale and sustainability can be

addressed through our proprietary model - HEMA:

one school in a district/region

will become the hub that supports 50-100 other

schools in the area

educated young people of

the community will be selected to become

entrepreneurs who will manage and run the

schools

the pre-owned knowledge

base of existing educational ventures – Ananda

Play Schools and Indus World Schools – will be

tapped and made available to the BoP schools at

a fraction of the cost

appropriate indices will

measure the impact of the schools on key areas,

like community development and student

achievement, based on which continual

improvements will be made.

1. Hub and spoke:

2. Entrepreneurship:

3. Marginal costing:

4. Accountability:

Manufacturing Services Employment

Enterprise

VOCATIONAL CATEGORY

EN

D G

OAL

DemandLocal Strength

New Delhi Chief Minister, Smt. Shiela Dixit inaugurating the Roshni 2008 – a program designed to

help underprivileged girls achieve their highest potential.

The Overall Approach

Step 1: Vocational Skill Selection

- Selection based on bridging demand and local

strengths

- Sectors are chosen from manufacturing or

services with the end goal of providing

employment or setting up own enterprise

Our approach to stimulating change through education

at the Bottom of the Pyramid

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour and Employment, Shri Oscar Fernandes at our stall at the 'CII Global Skills Summit' held in New Delhi.

Would you like to join us?We are proud of the initiatives we are taking. Proud to

be part of a project that attempts to solve the problem

of capacity building. A project that emphasizes and

promotes self-reliance in rural India. If you see the

value in this and agree with our approach, you should

become a part of this too. In any way you can - time,

effort, infrastructure, utilities, or your own expertise.

We will look forward to your participation. Do get in

touch!

Address: Career Launcher Education Foundation

B-52, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase - 1,

New Delhi - 110020

E-mail: nandini.sood@clef.in