Alternate Learning And Mentorship Programme (ALMP) – ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department Government of Odisha

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Case Study

Making Education Accessible In The Pandemic

Problem:

The students from tribal, vulnerable and backward sections of the society lost access to education because of the pandemic Students were stranded in their homes with almost zero connection to their schools and teachers. With the closure of schools for a long time due to lockdowns, There was an increased risk of students dropping out and the long closure of school could have proved to be a setback for the entire learning process, With students forgetting basic concepts of education. Tribal households lack the required educational capacity to homeschool their children and lack of mobile phones and internet access was an impediment to the delivery of remote education

Solution:

Concerned about the ongoing COVID-19 situation and its impact on schools and education, the Government of Odisha took proactive steps to remedy the steps and prevent worsening of educational outcomes. The Odisha Government’s Department of ST&SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare designed and implemented the Alternate Learning and Mentorship Programme (ALMP), to give vulnerable, tribal, and backward class students access to education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local community support was engineered to create a safe and productive learning environment in the villages and local expert teachers were identified to ensure that all the students have access to learning resources. The Alternate Learning and Mentorship Programme (ALMP) was implemented for solving the issues of access to education . Blending the potential of delivering pre-designed lesson plans through digital learning mediums along with physically mobilizing teacher cadres. Centralised state-level digital resource team supported in providing curated learning content and district level teams handled the on-ground operations and the technical capacity of teachers was built with support from organisations such as UNICEF

Outcomes:
Around 2.5 Lakh ST/SC students were connected to an engaging learning process, This ensured that they have continued access to education focused dialogue with students and parents on contextual themes like basics of COVID, adolescent wellness, psychosocial support etc helped them to remain protected. The implementation of this project provided immediate help to students who were left with no access to education because of the pandemic. It provided a platform for 4000 teachers to have first-hand interaction with children in their community. This programme has ensured that with continued educational support, the students will return to schools when physical teaching is resumed and dropouts will reduce. This initiative has not only managed to reach ST/SC children in their homes but has also established the groundwork for creating learning spaces for quality education even at home.

Challenges

Earlier there were limited knowledge & resources, they struggle to facilitate the learning of children at home. Non-availability of digital/e-content for all classes was the major issue. The Mentor teachers had to address multi-grade children while transacting in the villages. A multi-stakeholder approach to complex problem-solving including departments at the state & national level, civil society organizations, and communities

Innovation

Timeliness in taking the education dialogue to the habitats of students from indigenous tribal communities studying in the state’s residential school system and designing for inclusive and equitable education by leveraging existing teachers and physical learning resources than overreliance on digital media. On the other hand Operationalizing the physical mobility of a cadre of teachers into villages in the wake of an evolving pandemic.

Opportunities:

Upscaling the program by seeking the service of community volunteers to reach students from Std I to VIII who are presently at home and reaching out to the children of Primitive Tribal Vulnerable Group (PVTG) through School in a Van Programme.

For more information, please contact:
Ms Sony Rout, Senior Technical Consultant at schoolmonitor2015@gmail.com

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