Schools that opt to educate differently
Schools and children are sometimes adversely affected by changes in society. Although various institutions such as family, community and educational boards make attempts to prevent such ramifications, their efforts often prove to be inadequate. By and large, mostly children from all segments of society are affected by such changes, but those from marginalized sections are the worst affected. The big question before schools is, can they respond to the present situation? And if yes, then how?
In this chapter, we will share how some schools or school leaders have responded to these issues. Or to put it differently, how schools can consider organizing themselves differently so children from all sections of society are happy and learn well and teachers remain creative and committed.
Educational literature in different parts of the world indicates that one of the ways to improve learning is to have smaller classrooms (Mathis, 2016). In a smaller class, children get adequate attention from teachers and are able to share their individual views and avail facilities such as books from the library or easily access computers. Under such conditions, there is a greater possibility of children learning well. However, in order to cater to the huge number of students, there needs to be several smaller classrooms and teachers; that can escalate the cost of education. In a country like ours, where there are more than 10,00,000 government schools and over 3,00,000 (NUEPA and GoI, 2016) private schools, where a large number of children need to be in school, and where resources are limited, having a larger class size becomes imperative even though it might not be the most desirable option. In a situation where large numbers of schoolgoing children may be from families that have fewer resources or where parents may not even be literate, we need an approach that can be large-scale, accessible, affordable and sustainable. The challenge is to structure the curriculum, pedagogy, engagement with children outside classroom, arrange for professional development of teachers and interface with families in a manner such that even a school with a large number of children can provide equal opportunities to all.
In the following pages, case studies of ten such schools are presented. All the schools that have been selected have large student populations, ranging from about 1000 to 5000 and above; most families can afford the fees charged by these schools. They have been in existence for a decade or more, thereby demonstrating their sustainability. The case studies have been developed over a period of ten years. In some cases, it is possible that the practices of the schools have changed over time either due to change in leadership or management. In such cases, what is reported is the feasibility of what can be achieved. We have deliberately avoided providing results of children in board examinations, though most schools had reasonably good results; most children have passed in their respective board examinations. Many of the schools are very sought after in the area where they are located.
The case study of each school describes its unique features and how it functions. It may also be noted that teachers in these schools have the qualifications and salary structure as prescribed by the board to which the school is affiliated or of the respective state governments.