Rajasthan Shiksha Karmi Project An overall appraisal

Section IIIMain StrengthsBy all accounts, the Shiksha Karmi Project can be looked at as a successful educationaland social intervention. In about a decade of operation, it has expanded significantly– both spatially and in population terms. It has been able to validate its key hypothesis– that a demand and a hunger for learning exists in all segments of society and that ordinary persons,appropriately selected, trained and supported, can function effectively as teachers and social changeagents. It has also demonstrated the efficacy of government – NGO partnership, bringing the relativestrengths of each to the programme. Equally, it has managed to forestall the normal bickeringover credits and turf characteristic of programmes involving multiple agencies.Most significantly, it has earned approvals at different levels, not just from studentsand programme functionaries, but the village community, elected representatives andgovernment officials. To have managed this in a difficult environment – given its focuson out of school children, and those hitherto excluded (Scheduled Caste/ScheduledTribe/Other Backward Castes/minorities/girls) – and at a unit cost not significantlyhigher than the outlay per student in government schools – does demonstrate thatgiven commitment even an educationally backward state like Rajasthan can aspire tomeeting UPE targets.Focus on the excluded and gender balance:The project is specifically geared to reaching the unreached – Scheduled Tribes,Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Castes – mainly in remote areas. Existingevaluations confirm impressive educational gains amongst these groups. The ShikshaKarmi Project has been fairly successful in reducing the tribal gap, and to a lesserdegree, the gender gap. As such, the Shiksha Karmi Project strategy can be easilyextended to the contiguous central Indian tribal belt. Much of this has becomepossible because of an emphasis on recruiting Shiksha Karmis from lower socialgroups.Social Groups SC/ST% OBC % Others %Formal govt. teachers 20 19 61Shiksha Karmi Teachers 40 27 33Source: IIM Study (1998)Similar success has not been achieved in the case of women reflected both in the lowproportion of girl students and Mahila Shiksha Karmis. Much of this can be explainedby the relative paucity of women in relevant communities available, willing toand able to work as Shiksha Karmis. Thus, for instance, a much higher proportion ofMahila Shiksha Karmis has had to been drawn from the upper castes. Nevertheless,note must be taken of the efforts made by the project to redress the gender bias –Mahila Shikshan Kendras, Mahila Task Force and Mahila Sahyogis.Notwithstanding efforts made to address gender imbalances, as compared toRajasthan Lok Jumbish (up to June 1999 1 ), the leadership of Shiksha Karmi did notgive girl’s education the attention it deserved. This was pointed out in successive1After June 1999, Rajasthan Lok Jumbish discontinued special initiatives to promote/encourage girls’ participation through arange of women’s development and girl’s empowerment strategies. In particular the women’s development activities initiated toensure meaningful and effective participation of women in VECs and 50% women workers at all levels were withdrawn.Rajasthan Shiksha Karmi Project An overall appraisal31