Mother Tongue-based Literacy Programmes: Case Studies of Good ...

qualifications in the tribal communities. However, ARP was fortunate to find a woman who possessed aHigher Secondary Certificate (HSC). She had just married and was living in Agholpur with her husband.The ARP team leader talked to her and her husband, and they agreed for her to take the job. She wassubsequently trained, and became the ARP laboratory school teacher in Agholpur.In successive years eleven schools in Sadri were opened and supported by different donors in differentplaces. ARP assisted in recruiting the teachers and provided necessary training for running those schoolseffectively.Teacher Salary and Remuneration© ASHRAISince the ARP school is non-formal, instruction takesplace for only 3-4 hours per day, and the school islocated in the teacher’s own village, it is considered asa part time job which she can manage at ease. Hence,the salary also is determined on the basis of part-timework. Her monthly salary was fixed at Tk. 700 (in theyear 2003) only. This was in line with non-formal schoolteachers working with other NGOs in the country.Provision was made for yearly increment on the basisof her performance, and one festival bonus was alsoincluded, as this is a general practice for employeesthroughout the country. Children are learning in the classTeacher Capacity-buildingLike curriculum and education materials, it is equally important to have appropriate teaching plans andmethods for imparting quality education and for acquiring the desired level of competencies amongthe targeted children. For primary education, the Active Learning Process (ALP) methodology is veryconducive to learning because it makes the class joyful as well as insures the students’ development ofsubject competency. For this reason, the research team wanted the same methodology to be used inthe Sadri schools. ALP capacity-building for the teachers was an important component of the project.In fact, the research team has been continuously providing formal and informal training to the teachers.To this aim, it has organized several formal trainings to instruct the teachers about the basics of theteaching-learning process and class management. In addition, on-the-job training and feedback isregularly given so that weaknesses and shortcomings can be readily identified and shared to help theteachers improve. Monthly refreshers’ are also arranged where class problems are discussed and possiblecorrective measures are suggested or taken. Rehearsal of lessons to be taught in the coming month alsotakes place during the monthly meetings.Formal trainings are : 1) Basic Training, 2) Facilitation Training, 3) Child Rights, and 4) Child-to-ChildTraining.[ 38 ]