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Practice-oriented learning – counteracting school dropouts
Bayer CropScience is promoting practice-oriented schooling in the Indian state of Karnataka
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| The students acquire knowledge that is useful to them in their everyday lives and in their subsequent careers too. Here they learn about constructing a basic greenhouse. | |
Lessons are aimed primarily at providing a practical education. The students acquire knowledge that is useful to them in their everyday lives and may also help them in their future careers. For example, the curriculum covers subjects such as using and repairing a biogas oven, household tasks such as dressmaking, sewing and baking, plumbing and masonry work and arable farming.
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| Sewing and embroidery are part of the syllabus. |
Local studies conducted by Bayer CropScience have shown that people in the rural communities of India primarily expect attendance at school to help children cope better in their own lives and subsequently get a job that enables them to earn a reasonable living.
Subjects with mainly theoretical content like those on the curriculum at our schools in Europe are only of limited use in this context. The children often find attending school boring, while their parents view it as useless. The result is that the children stop attending school.
The work-related elements of the lessons are designed to increase the attractiveness and benefits of schools for young people. They should also persuade parents that attending school is worthwhile and the key to a better future for their children.
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| Students learn how to bake cookies as part of their Home Economics and Health class. | |
Bayer CropScience is implementing the project in close collaboration with the responsible school authorities. From December 2008 to March 2011 1,949 children were reached by more than 40 local tradesmen specially trained for work in schools. Two and a half year after project start a positive impact is already apparent: “The children who take part in our program show a much higher level of interest in regular school attendance. Parent participation in school activities has also increased dramatically,” says Suhas R. Joshi, Head of the Bayer CropScience Child Care Program. “The ‘Introduction to Basic Technology’ program involves more than just job-related teaching matter. It also teaches children the ability to learn.”
"We launched the project in December 2008 in five schools in the state of Karnataka,” says Krishna Narayan, project manager with the Child Care Program. “It is intended primarily to reduce the number of school dropouts, make education more interesting and strengthen the relationship between the school and the community.”
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Ravi is a 14-year-old boy from Hosur, a village in the south of the Indian state of Karnataka. He initially went to school, but his attendance became increasingly irregular as a teenager. “I didn’t learn anything in school to help me earn my living in later life,” says Ravi. Having completed a number of courses under the “Introduction to Basic Technology” initiative, he became particularly interested in electrical installation. Ravi now once again attends school regularly. “The courses provide useful know-how and I’m now also interested in learning more about other subjects. My goal is to pass the Year 10 exam with a mark of 80 – 90 percent,” he adds. | | |||||
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