Dialogue in Pursuit of Development - Are you looking for one of ...

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This basic concept was developed in a dialogue between social activists in
a local NGO (SWRC in Tilonia) and a couple of progressive, high level civil
servants. It was then tested in a pilot project in 13 villages. Sida was asked to
become a partner when the government of Rajasthan decided to turn the
pilot project into a full-scale programme covering thousands of villages.
The project document (Government of India, 1987) envisaged that after
6 years the SKP would run activities in 2,000 villages and enrol 300,000
children. (In 2001 the project was in operation in 2,700 villages, catering
for 200,000 students.)
The project was to be managed by the Shiksha Karmi Board, a semiindependent
body controlled by the state government and staffed with
government education officers on secondment. Twice a year there would
be a Joint Review of the project by a committee including representatives
of the Government of India, the Government of Rajasthan and Sida. The
purpose of the Joint Review was to assess the progress of the project, identify
problems and bottlenecks and approve targets, action plans and budgets.
The project Document states that “/As/ the project represents an innovative
approach to elementary education it is extremely vulnerable. It must be
closely monitored and frequently evaluated”. Background information for
the Joint Review was to be provided in reports by the Project Director, the
Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Jaipur and a Swedish consultant
(‘the review consultant’).
The Joint Reviews offered excellent opportunities for dialogue between
government officials from India, Rajasthan and Sweden. But the NGOs, the
Shiksha Karmis, the schoolchildren and the parents had no place at the table.
Their voices could only reach the Joint Review through the reports by IDS
and the review consultant.
This paper is written by a participant observer who, as the review consultant,
for eight years, followed and to some extent influenced the development
of the project. The review consultant and his team of Indian subconsultants,
all women, visited and revisited hundreds of remote villages
and took part in a lively dialogue between villagers, NGO activists, government
officials and donor country representatives.
The work of the review consultant
The main task of the review consultant was to find out through observations
and dialogue in the villages what was really going on in the project:
Were the Shiksha Karmis given basic training and follow-up training? What
did they think about it? Were the schools functioning? Were there evening
classes for children unable to attend in daytime? Had the equipment (blackboards,
chalk, exercise books, pens, textbooks, posters, and kerosene lanterns)
arrived? Were the Shiksha Karmis paid on time? Did they receive
money to purchase kerosene and other consumables? Did all children of