LOK JUMBISH - RAJASTHAN

and implementation. However, given that additional teachers/schools and even teacherdeployment was not within the purview of Lok Jumbish, there were delays in thesanctioning of primary schools and appointment of additional teachers. Building repairand construction of additional rooms also involved cumbersome approval procedures.Establishing SSKs was easier and, as a result, their number increased rapidly from 338 in1993 to 2,644 in December 1998 (see Table 2.3 in Annexure 2).5ox >9 SenderWsensitive managementEver since its inception, gender sensitivity has been woven into the very philosophy andstructure of LJ. As ‘gender sensitivity’ is interpreted differently by different organisations, itmight be helpful to clarify what it means within LJ:!" Firstly, it means that circumstances should be created to appoint women in reasonableproportion.!" Secondly, it implies that women should be able to work as equals and not have toconform to stereotyped expectations. Moreover, they should have appropriate workingconditions, with facilities provided for safety and essential comfort.!" Thirdly, women’s role in the family and their motherhood responsibilities should berecognised. They should be enabled to work at a time and pace suitable to them. Thefact that they generally bear a double burden should be acknowledged, and they shouldbe allowed enough time to overcome fatigue.!" Fourthly, circumstances that result in women’s isolation should be altered –– at theindividual and well as group level. An organisation should attempt to create women’scollectives and networks for empowerment.!" Fifthly, necessary steps should be taken to prevent sexual abuse and mental and otherharassment. Exemplary penal measures should be put in place.!" Sixthly, women must have a say in decision making. This should not be confined todecisions that affect only women staff members and women and girls in educationaland related situations. Their participation should extend to all decisions, including thoseconcerning policy and finance.!" Finally, a gender-sensitive system of educational management should be capable ofapplying it to the entire system of education.This is not to say that we have been able to create such an organisation in LJ. However, oureffort is in this direction and each year we take concrete steps to improve the situation.Source9 Lok Jumbish Parishad (January) 1998.Decentralisation went hand and hand with community participation. Recommendations,reviews and changes were initiated from the cluster level upwards. The cluster-levelReview Planning Meeting was the forum where information was shared and projectfunctionaries took stock of the situation on the ground. This information was fed to theblock-level RPM, based on which the BSG made its recommendations. These were thentaken up at the state-level RPM. Developed and fine-tuned over the years, the planningsystem was essentially a bottom-up one. Its functioning was not always smooth, butreports from the field were quite encouraging.Lok Jumbish Case Study Page 16 1 August 2003