10 Proactive Innovations Proven to Improve the Rural Education in India

Improving the rural education challenges by formulating effective strategies is a challenge that the NGO staff have met. Pairing with the teachers, they have opened to new learning modes.

Attendance and overall learning for self-development and dignifying the thought process stand out as the significant aim of education, whether being imparted to urban or rural regions. While education in urban areas has undergone wide-scale upgrades and improvements, urban sectors are yet to catch up with the trend. Although resources availability and budget pose to be the major constraints yet fun learning and innovations go a long way to educate the young learners in Indian rural setups.
Encouraged by the steps taken up by NGOs, the teachers are playing an active role to improve the rural education system in different parts of India. These innovations dramatically improved the students’ learning levels.

i. Learning Linked To Daily Experiences
Vocabulary improvement is a major part of education and through implementing daily experiences and products, learning has become fun and simplified. New words are taught using wrappers of different products. As students list the words they are reading, they are encouraged using a dictionary and learn those words’ meanings.

ii. Science Huts Creations
Experiments conducted in the scient huts, helping students study the useful charts posters and interesting news articles based on scientific facts — that is how, the students can learn to work in groups, take an active interest in science and participate in activities. The approach has proved to be helpful in shedding down certain superstitious beliefs.

iii. Learning From New Divisibility Rule of 8
A new concept was long developed for ascertaining whether a given number can be divisible by 8. Students are made familiar with these steps.
1. Looking to ensure the given number’s last two digits are multiples of 4. If not, then the given number cannot be divided by 8 without having a reminder.

2. The multiplier of the last two digits should be determined either as even or odd.

3. Checking the number in the hundred’s place — if both the number and the multipliers are odd or even in the hundred’s place, then it can be divided by 8.

An example helps to explain better.
a. For instance, let us take a number 1, 72, 336.
b. The last two digits — 36 are multiples of 4: 9*4 = 36
c. 9, the multiplier of the last two digits is odd.
d. 3, the number in the hundred’s place is odd.
e. Hence, the number can be divisible by 8.

iv. Mentally Challenged Students are Mainstreamed
Involving the mentally challenged students by handing over responsibilities to them, and providing them differentiated learning opportunities, they are sensitized to accept the regular class activities. Even the other students take the initiatives to help them. Organizing one–on–one sessions help the teachers and mentors to understand their mental state and spot their interests.

v. Subject-Classrooms Creations
Subject–wise classrooms filled with various reading materials on each subject, different photographs, maps, charts, reference materials placed helps with better students engagement. Once a period is over, the students are shifted to another subject classroom for coherently understanding the subject. They get a better study environment after every change in subject, which helps their brain to refresh and grasping abilities to enhance.

vi. A Reading Culture Created
A village library as set up by the NGO staff in collaboration with the teachers and sponsors is organized with different books at specific locations that allow the students to browse and borrow books. The managers keep a track of books lent and returned in a register.

vii. Handling Scarcity of Teachers
To combat the shortage of teachers, the quick idea is employing educated NGO volunteers and keeping the classes going on. These NGO volunteers are fundamentally trained and along with teaching, they monitor the progress the students regularly make.

viii. Enhancing Education of Girls and Women
Girls and women are encouraged to attend classes and to save themselves from absenteeism, they are involved in performing dramas, songs, recitations and stories while the school assembly goes on. The students are further trained to encourage to spread awareness in the community so the estranged girls and women can enrol themselves into schools. All the girls and women’s enrollment and attending school are closely monitored daily.

ix. Portable Library and Reading Corners
Increased access to reading materials enhance students’ reading skills and it is done by making books available. Having reading spaces according to students’ level attracts students. The NGO volunteers take the initiative and help out the weaker students to read. Reading tests are conducted to track students’ progress. From the portable library, the students can carry home books — books organization plays a vital role as all the students must be familiar with the available books. Further, the students are asked to write a summary of the book they did read after they have returned. They are also given a chance to talk about their favourite books at the story-telling activities at the school assembly.

x. Drama As the Teaching Mode
Drama enhances students’ abilities and confidence and their learning is further demonstrated. Based on each chapter, characters are prepared and allocated to different students. They are given time for understanding, preparing and practising the dialogues. Often, they are allowed to wear-related costumes for performing drama in class, and then a discussion session is held for a better understanding of the chapter.

Unless the rural sectors advance in education, the nation is still to achieve fulfilment. All the steps as discussed here are easy to take up and incorporate tips. Finally, these help the learners to cultivate their learning interests, and then they will take active interests to learn more and share their learning patterns.