Post on 28-Jun-2021
transcript
SikshanaFoundation’sFlagshipModel-‘Prerna’TheprocessofidentificationofthecoreprinciplesandrefiningtheTheoryofChange
Anuradha Agrawala and Radhika Iyengar
CenterforSustainableDevelopment,EarthInstitute,ColumbiaUniversity12thJune2020
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Table of Contents
ExecutiveSummary……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3Introductionandobjectives...............................................................................................4
Projectpurpose..........................................................................................................................4VibhaandSikshanaFoundation..................................................................................................4ThePrernaModel.......................................................................................................................5Scopeofthestudy......................................................................................................................6
Methodology.....................................................................................................................7DocumentReview......................................................................................................................72.Interviews..............................................................................................................................7SchoolObservation....................................................................................................................8TheoryofChangeWorkshop......................................................................................................8MethodologyforAnalysis...........................................................................................................8
FindingsandAnalysis........................................................................................................9
ConstructingasampleTheoryofChange.........................................................................24
Recommendations..........................................................................................................28
StudyLimitations............................................................................................................30Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….32
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ExecutiveSummary
ThisreportisananalysisconductedbytheCenterforSustainableDevelopment(CSD),Earth
InstituteatColumbiaUniversity,forVibha-anorganizationbasedinUSAworkingtoaddress
challengesforvulnerablechildren.VibhaisoneoftheprimaryfundersofSikshana
Foundation,anon-profitworkinginthefieldofchildren’seducation,basedinBangalorein
India.
ThereportpresentsthemethodsandfindingsofanexerciseconductedbyCSDwherein
Sikshana’sflagshipPrernaModelwasstudiedindepth,inordertoidentifycoreprinciplesof
themodeltoenablefurtherscale-upandpresentrecommendationstotightenthe
program’stheoryofchange.ThePrernaModelisamotivation-basedmethodthatworksto
buildchildren’sinterestandexcitementforlearning.From2006,Vibhaidentifiedthe
benefitsofthePrernaModelandSikshana’sabilitytoscale.WithVibha’sfundingsupport
andsupportinbuildingpartnershipsontheground,themodelsawsuccesswithalarge
scale-up,fromworkinginafewdistrictsofKarnatakatoastate-widepartnershipinashort
durationalongwithpotentialpartnershipswithotherstategovernments.
Thisreportdivesintoaddressingthesuccessofthisscale-upandrecommendationsfor
SikshanaFoundationandotherorganizationstoscalethePrernaModelevenfurther.
ThereporthasthefollowingrecommendationstoSikshanaFoundationanditspartnersthat
havetheaimofscalingupoperationsforthePrernamodel:
-ThereportlaysoutbuildingblockstoconstructaTheoryofChangethatistightandclearly
laysoutprogrammaticobjectives,processesandoutcomes.FleshingoutthisTheoryof
Changewillbeusefultoensuringthegoalslaidoutfortheprogramaremet
-Thewayinwhichobjectivesandoutcomesarecommunicatedtoalllayersofthe
organizationisimportanttomaintainqualityofprogramimplementation
-Operationalcomponentssuchastrainingareimportanttoretainessentialprogrammatic
informationacrossseverallayersofimplementors
-ThesuccessofthePrernamodelreliesheavilyonbuy-inandcollaborationfromlocal
government.Buildingthesegovernmentpartnershipsisessentialtothesuccessofthis
model
-Arobustmeasurementsystem,forexampleintheformofabaselineandendlineare
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importanttoensurethatprogrammaticgoalsarebeingmet
Introductionandobjectives
ProjectpurposeThisreportpresentsthefindingsofanindependentstudytoidentifythecorefeaturesof
SikshanaFoundation’s‘Prerna’model.Sikshana’ssuccessfulimplementationofPrernahave
ledtoastate-widegovernmentpartnershipofthePrernamodelinKarnataka.Seeingthis
success,governmentpartnershipsarenowinpilotmodeinneighbouringstatesandthereis
increasinginterestfromstillotherstatestoreplicatethemodel.
Toensurethatthemodelcanbereplicatedascloselytotheoriginallydesignedone,this
studywillaimtoproviderecommendationsforsuccinctlypresentingthecoreelementsof
Prernatootherstakeholders.Itwillalsosuggestwaysinwhichformaldocumentationsuch
astheTheoryofChangecanberefinedtocreateclearerlinksbetweenprogramobjectives,
processesandoutcomes,inordertoensuremaximumimpact.
VibhaandSikshanaFoundationVibha is a 501-C(3) under title 26 of United States of America, and a registered, non-
religious,non-politicalorganization.VibhaIndiaregisteredin2008,workstowardsachieving
theorganization’smissiontoimproveandfixsystemicproblemsofunderprivilegedchildren,
specificallytoeducation.Rightfromidentifyinggenuineprojectsthathavethepotentialto
address innate issues prevalent in the country, to nurturing them one-to-one through
systematicadministration,Vibhaensuresthat itsprojectpartnersmeticulouslyaccomplish
theirimplementationprogramstherebydeliveringreturnonthesocialinvestmentmadeby
itsDonorpartners,justifyingitsroleastheSocialVentureCatalyst.
Having identified Sikshana’s Prerana program as a replicable, scalable and sustainable model to
bring transformation in thePubliceducation system,VibhahasbeennurturingSikshana’sPrerana
programsince2006.
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Sikshana’s JourneywithVibhahasbeenaverygratifyingonewithVibhastepping inatall
decisive stages in the successful spanof implementingPrerana from49 schools to49000
plusschools, inthelastdecadeinKarnataka.ItallstartedwithVibhafundingSikshanafor
implementingPreranaforanentiretalukafterrealizingthatthemotivationangleseemsto
beworkingwell. To understand how this would scale up in a larger context (pan India),
Vibha stepped inwith their Outreach program inducting about 20 of their partnerNGOs
across the country in a trainingprogram tounderstand themodel and fewof them tried
implementingitintheirstates(APandGujarat).
ThenextstepwastoscaleituptoNorthKarnatakaandyetagain,Vibhawithitsfoundation
streaminUSmarketedtheprograminabigwayandwereabletoropeinmajordonorsthat
included Yahoo Foundation, Juniper networks among others. Backed by this successful
experience, Sikshana launched the Accelerator program,whereby they train and use the
existing CRP (Cluster resource person,a layer within the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Education
Department) to understand and implement the program in their schools, with Sikshana
donningonlythefacilitatorrole.Again,Vibhafundedandhelpedoutwiththiseffectiveplan
whichmadeasignificantimpactontheStateeducationdepartment,whichstartedworking
in tandemwith Sikshana. This was truly a game changingmilestone event in Sikshana –
Vibha’sjourney.
Vibhafullyfundedthepilot implementationintwodistricts in2016/17foraperiodofthreeyears.
Observingthepositive impact in justabout6monthsofthisoriginalyetsimplemodelthatcanbe
handedoverandrunbytheState,theStategovernmenthasfullyfundedandlaunchedtheprogram
across the state.Understanding that the true success lieswith theoutcome,Vibha is funding the
KnowledgetransferandthemonitoringeffortsofSikshana.
BackedbytheexperienceandexpertisegainedinimplementingPreranaprograminKarnataka,the
Sikshana – Vibha journey is traversing across other Indian states as well that include Tamilnadu,
Gujarat,AP,TelenganaandMaharshtra.
ThePrernaModelThePrernamodelisoneofSikshanaFoundation’sflagshipprograms.Itcurrentlyrunsin
partnershipwiththeGovernmentofKarnatakaacrossGrade4to9governmentsschoolsin
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allofKarnataka’seducationaldistricts.ThecoreofthePrernamodelfocusesonincreasing
children’smotivationtolearn.PrimaryactivitiesunderthePrernamodelincludesomeof
thefollowing:
(i)Stars:Starsaregivenbyteacherstothestudentswhentheyputinanefforttodocertain
kindsofactivities.Therearethreecoloursofstars-pink,greenandsilver.Theideaisto
encourageparticipationinacademicandnon-academicactivitiesandthereforeeachstar
representsadifferentactivity.
(ii)Prernaclubandpeerlearning:ThePrernaclubisaimedtoencourageleadershipskills
amongststudentsthathavedemonstratedpotential.RepresentativesfromGrade4to9are
selectedwithaPresidentoftheclub.
(iii)Practicebookthroughstructuredlearning:Inordertoprovideastructuredlearning
environment,practicebooksareusedtoencouragestudentstogetintothehabitofroutine
practicelearning.Thepracticematerialcomplementsthecontentcoveredduringusual
classes.PracticebooksareprovidedinKannada,EnglishandMath.Afterthecompletionof
eachunit,therelevantpracticebooksaremeanttobeusedtostrengthentheconcepts
learntinthelessonandinculcateahabitofdedicatedpractice.
(iv)Progressreports:Progressreportsenablestudentstogainaroadmapoftheirlearning
journeysinavisualmanner.Objectivesofsubjectstheyarestudyingarelaidoutandthey
areabletoachievestickersthatrepresenttheirprogressforaparticulartopicmastered.
Thegoalofthepersonalizednatureofthereportandcertificateallowsthestudentstofeel
ownershipfortheirownlearning.
Intotal,theseelementsaimtoworktogetherinordertoprovidestudentsamotivational
environmentinwhichtoworkin.
ScopeofthestudyTherequirementoftheprogramstudywastorefinetheTheoryofChangeforthePrerna
modelinordertogaugethepossibilityofaseamlessscale-uptootherstatesthathave
showninterestinreplicatingthemodel.Thestudywasnotintendedtobeaprogramor
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processevaluation;rathertheobjectiveistounderstandtheorigins,historyanddetailsof
themodeltoensurecompleteclarityinconveyingitsobjectives.Thestudywillbeableto
identifythecoreelementsofthemodelthathavethepotentialofbeingscaled-up.
MethodologyActivitiesconductedduringthestudy
InordertounderstandthecoreelementsofthePrernamodel,thefollowingactivitieswere
conducted.
1. Document Review Sikshanaprovidedprogram-relateddocumentsinordertounderstandPrerna’smodelina
deepermanner.Thesedocumentswerestudiedfordocumentednormsandprocedures
regardingPrernaandformedthebasisformappinginterviewopinions.
ThefollowingactivitieswereconductedduringafieldvisitinBangalore,Karnatakabetween
23rdto26thJuly2019aspartofprimarydatacollectionanddiscussion:
2. Interviews Interviewswereconductedwiththefollowingstakeholders:
TypeofStakeholder No.ofrespondents
Seniormanagementandleadership 2
Teamleads/programexperts 7
Fieldmanagers 2
Teachers 3
StafffromVibha 2
Interviewswereconductedeitherone-on-oneorinagroupformat,withinterview
questionspreparedinadvance.Thenatureofquestionsweredirectedtowardsthe
respondent’sspecificrolewhilesomequestionsgenerallyaddressedthePrernamodel.The
sampleofinterviewrespondentsisnotrepresentativeoftheorganization.Purposeful
intervieweeselectionwasdonesothatafewrespondentsfromeachlayerinthe
organizationcouldbespokento.SikshanaFoundationwasprovidedwiththenumberof
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respondentstobeinterviewedfromeachlayerafterwhichtheorganizationprovided
namesofrespondents.
3.SchoolObservationAfieldvisitwasconductedon25thJuly2019totwoschoolswherethePrernamodelisbeing
implementedunderthegovernmentpartnership.Oneschoolwasinamoreurbansetting,
whiletheotherschoolwasfurtherawayfromthecityofBangalore.Theobjectiveofthe
schoolvisitwastointerviewschoolstaffaswellastobrieflyobserveclassroomsinwhich
thePrernamodelwasbeingimplemented.TheschoolselectionwasdonebySikshana
Foundationandisnotarepresentativesampleoftheprogram.Rather,theobjectivewasto
getabriefoverviewofhowtheprogramisruninschools,asopposedtocollectingdataor
measuringanythingattheschool-level.
4.TheoryofChangeWorkshopOnthelastdayofthevisittoBangalore,atheoryofchangeworkshopwasheldwith
participantsfromSikshanaandVibhaaswellastwoexternalorganizationsthathadcome
foraneducationalvisit.Theworkshopconsistedofanexercisewhereparticipantsanswered
aseriesofquestionsregardingtheirthoughtsontheexistinggoals,objectives,processes
andoutcomesofPrerna.TheseweremappedontoPrerna’sTheoryofChangedocument
providedbySikshanatoidentifygapsandareasforimprovement.Theexerciseservedasa
startingpointforteammemberstothinkabouthowtotightenPrerna’slogicmodel.
MethodologyforAnalysisTheanalysiswillfollowthepostpositivismworldviewofqualitativeresearch(Cresswell,
2003).Theresearcherfollowsreductionismbynarrowingandfocusingonselectvariablesto
interrelate.Inthepostpositivismperspective,theresearcherwillfollowfrom“top”down,
fromatheorytohypothesestodatatoaddtoorcontradictthetheory.
Thisapproachwasbestsuitedforthepurposeofthisresearchstudybecauseofthespecific
natureoftheresearchquestion.Theresearchobjectivewastounderstandthemain
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programobjectivesofSikshanatobeabletodeducekeyfactorsthatmake-upthemodel
itself.TobeabletounderstandtheSikshanamodel,theresearcherstartedtoreview
programdocumentsandobservekeyconversations.Thisformedthebasisofdeveloping
interviewquestionsforthefieldvisit.
ThePostpositivismworldviewhelpedtokeeptheresearchobjectiveinmind,whichwasto
understandtheSikshanamodelandreduceitscoreessentials.Interviewingthestaff,visiting
schoolstounderstandthepedagogyinaction,andcollaborativelydevelopingandupdating
theTheoryofChangehelpedtounderstandthekeyelementsoftheprogram.
ThekeyprogramcomponentsfromtheTheoryofChangeworkshopguidedthedata
analysis.Themeswerepre-decidedbasedontheworkshop.Thesekeythemeswerethe
basisofthedataanalysisinNVIVO(qualitativesoftware).Thisreductionistapproachhelped
tovalidatethekeythemesandtheirfrequenciesinthedata.Thenumberoftimesthe
themeoccurredintheempiricalanalysisreflectedtheimportanceofthemeintheprogram
design.
FindingsandAnalysis
InordertounderstandthekeycomponentsofPrerna,keyquestionswereanalyzedand
broadthemesundertheseidentified,inordertounderstandthecruxoftheprogram.
(a)WhatistheobjectiveofthePrernaprogram?
ThefollowingfindingsaimtoanswerthequestionoftheobjectivesofthePrernamodel
basedonthetheoryofchangeactivityandinterviewresponses.Thisquestionhasbeen
analyzedinordertogetasenseofhowvariousstakeholderswithinandoutsidethe
organizationperceivethegoalsofthemodel.Arguably,forastrongerimplementation,goal
claritywithintheorganizationandalsotoconveytootherorganizations/government
partnershipsthatarepreparingtoundertakePrerna.
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(i)Analysis1:TheoryofChangeWorkshop
InthesessionregardingtheTheoryofChangeincludingparticipantsfromSikshana,Vibha
andexternalorganizations,participantswerespecificallyaskedtonotedownbulletpoints
onwhattheobjectiveofthePrernamodelis.Thefollowingtableprovidestherawdataof
responsesfromeachtypeofstakeholder.Exactresponseshavebeenreproducedbelow:
TheoryofChangeExercise:“ListthespecificthingsthatthePrernamodelistryingtodo.WhatistheobjectiveofPrerna?”
ResponsesRespondentOrganization
Impactasmanyschoolswithmaximumreturnoninvestment SikshanaBringmorecollaborationinthesystemaswellasinteraction SikshanaMotivatetheecosystem SikshanaImprovelearninglevels SikshanaCreateasafetofailenvironment SikshanaMotivatestudentstoattend,participateinschool SikshanaEnhanceclassroomculture SikshanaInvolvestakeholders SikshanaRinginchangesandmaketheschoolingsystemmoreeffective SikshanaCultureoflearningfromeachother SikshanaProvideprocessofstructuretoinculcatehabitofpracticeinstudents SikshanaMotivatechildrentotakemoreinterestinstudies ExternalNGOPromotingpeer-learning ExternalNGOCollectingalargeamountofdatafromschoolsforfutureplanning ExternalNGOEncouragingteacherstomotivatechildreninreal-timebasis ExternalNGOMoreopeninclassandaskingquestions ExternalNGORaisingmotivation ExternalNGOEnhancingpractice ExternalNGOCreatingpeercooperation ExternalNGOPuttingdemandonteachers ExternalNGOBringinginparentstoschool ExternalNGODevelopleadership ExternalNGOCreateownershipbygovernmentatalllevels VibhaBringchildrenbacktoschoolandstay VibhaSchoolasaspacewherestudentscomehappily VibhaSafeenvironment VibhaLeadership VibhaMotivation VibhaChildparticipatesinclass-Questioning VibhaHelpchildrenachievegrade-levelskills Vibha
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Theaboveresponsescanbefurtherbrokendownintobucketsinordertogetanoverall
senseofwhatthedistributionofresponsesare.Thefollowingpie-chartprovidesabreak-up.
‘Improvingtheeducationsystem’and‘Improvingteaching-learningmethods’arethe
categoriesthatreceivedthehighestfrequencyofresponses.
(ii)Analysis2:InterviewResponses
WithrespecttointerviewanalysisconductedinNVIVO,thefollowingkeythemeswere
toucheduponbydifferentlevelsofintervieweeswithinSikshana:
SeniorManagement:
“thefirstpointforsuccesswouldbetheadoptionofthemodel.Wearenotlookingatany
kindofresultsintermsoflearninglevelsandall,thefirstistheadoptionofthemodel,
whetherthegovernmentmachineryhasbeenabletounderstandthenuancesofPrernaand
aretheyabletoimplementPrernathewaythatweasanorganizationenvisaged”.
“Inthatwayitstartswithmotivationtogetchildrenexcitedaboutschooling.Notnecessarily
learning.Andthatwillleadintoabetterclassparticipation,whichwillthengetthemtostart
30%
7%
17%
33%
13%
WhatisMo\va\on?-%ofResponsesbyCategory
ImprovingtheEducamonSystem ImprovingLearningLevels
EnhancingtheLearningEnvironment ImprovingTeaching-LearningMethods
ImprovingMomvamon
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lookingatstructuredpractice.Whichleadstoakindof,ideallywewanttonurturetheability
orgetthekidstotakeownershipoftheirlearning”.
“Sonowcomingbacktothiswhatistheminimumthatisrequiredisprobablyforus
motivationisatthecore.Thatcanbeeasilyachievedbywhatwecallapatonthebackor
kindwordstoachildorataminimum,ourtransactionwiththechildhastoreflectthatthere
isthisaspectofmotivationwithin”.
FieldStaff
“Becausegovernmentschoolstudentsneedmotivation.Becauseallteachersbusyin
teachingwork.Butweimplementingstar,itsmotivatingmore”
“Andchangeeducationsystem”
“Writing,theirhandwritingsystem”
Teachers
“Toimprovelearninglevelsofchildren”“Creativity.Toimprovecreativityinchildren”
“She’ssayingshewilltellthatchildtoreadanddowell,throughthatwe’lltrytomotivate
thechildtogetastar”[Astranslatedbyinterpreter].
“Translator-She’ssayingthechildrenarenotawareofthefoundationskills.thereare3
kindsofchildren-oneisaboveaverage,belowaverageandaveragecategory.Soforbelow
averageandaveragethisishelpfulbecausebydoingallthistheyaregettingfoundational
skills.Andiftheyknowfoundationalskillstheycanachieveanythingbeyondthat”[As
translatedbyinterpreter].
MonitoringandEvaluationStaff:
“Respondent-4basicsteps.Firstyouaretryingtomotivatethechild.Tocometoschool,
attendregularly,participateintheclass,beanactiveuserintheclass”.
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VibhaSeniorManagement:
“Themedium-termobjectiveisthatchildrencometoschool,theyaregivingchildrena
reasontocometoschool.Oncetheyareinschool,whathappensnextisaretheyengaged,
right?”
VibhaSeniorManagement:
“Interviewer-Iwastryingtogetasensewhetheritspartofthestructureoftheprogramto
improvelearningoutcomesandmeasurethem.Oristhatasecondarygoal?
Respondent-“No,thatisaprimarygoalandIwastellingyouonthecall.Rightnow,as
they’redoingthestatewideimplementation,whattheywouldbemeasuringis,arewe
deployingeverythingwesaid.Themodelitself,thevalidityofthemodelwasalreadyratified
bymeasuringthoselearningandwritinglevels.Sowhatthey’resayingis,weknowitworks,
butisthisbeingdeployedcorrectlyandeffectivelyacrossthestate…Measuringreadingand
writinglevelsisreallyprimarytomeasuringthesuccessofthemodel”.
(iii)Analysis3:Printmaterialdefinitions(trainingmanual/website)
ThePrernaTrainingmanual2018-2019laysouttheobjectivesofPrernaasanintroduction
totheprogram.Theseareoutlinedbelow:
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Similarly,publicallyavailablematerialonSikshanaFoundation’swebsiteoutlinesthePrerna
modelinthefollowingfour-stepapproach:
(iv)Combininganalyses:
BasedontheTheoryofChangeexercise,theinterviewresponseanalysis,andprintmaterial
availableregardingthePrernamodel,theanalysesshowsthatthereisawidevarietyof
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responsesregardingtheobjectiveofthemodel,bothwithinandoutsidetheorganization
andbothstructurallyaswellastopically.Forexample,ifinsightsfromSikshanaSeniorStaff
istakentobethetruestdefinitionofthemodel’sobjectivefortheorganization,theother
datainthisanalysismaybecomparedtothisasabenchmarktoseethedifferencebetween
seniormanagement’sunderstandingandactualperceptionofstakeholders.
Inadditiontothis,wecanseethatsomeideasputforwardbyseniormanagementsuchas
“motivationgetschildrenexcitedaboutschoolingandnotnecessarilylearning”isindirect
contrastwithsomeresponsesputforwardduringthetheoryofchangeexerciseandthe
interviews.Responsessuchas“improvinglearninglevels”or“increasinggrade-level
competencies”isspecifiedintheresponses,butnotexactlyemphasizedbysenior
management.
Basedontheaboveinformation,itisclearthatalthoughtheconceptofmotivationmaybe
mentionedfrequently,thesub-objectivesbeyondthisarewiderangingamongstthe
stakeholders.
Benchmarking:
ThefollowingquotesbasedoninterviewanalysisfromseniorstaffmembersatSikshanaare
outlinedbelow:
Quote1fromSikshanaSeniorStaff:
“Inthatwayitstartswithmotivationtogetchildrenexcitedaboutschooling.Notnecessarily
learning.Andthatwillleadintoabetterclassparticipation,whichwillthengetthemtostart
lookingatstructuredpractice.Whichleadstoakindof,ideallywewanttonurturetheability
orgetthekidstotakeownershipoftheirlearning”
Quote2fromSikshanaSeniorStaff:
“…whyIwouldratherstillkeepoureventualgoaloflearninglevel,orabilitytolearn,thatis
averyhighendgoal.Achildacquiringthatabilitytolearnwillsetthemoffforthefuture.
Theydon’tevenneedschoolatthatpointtechnically.Theycangoandacquireaslongas
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thatthingisthereinthem.Thatwemayneverachieveinourlifetime.Butwe’llstillkeepit
there.Buttodothat,wemightnotdoadirectactivity.Becausebeforethatthereareso
manyothers.
ButwhereIwouldwantthewholeteam,andwholeecosystem.Whenyoulookatthat,
anythingthatwedo,shouldbeinrelationtothat.Maybenotaddressingthatinthispointin
time,itmaybeaddressedlater.Butneverlosesightofit.Otherwisethenwhateveractivities
westartdefining,willkindofimmediatelyanswerthatintermediategoalwemightset,
tryingtohaveclearlinkages”.
Bothexcerptshedlightontheapproachthatseniormanagementhastounderstandingor
explainingtheobjectiveofthemodel.
Structurally,quote1canbeexplainedinthefollowingway:
ThislinearprogressionintermsofwhatSikshanaseniorstaffwantstohappenisacrucial
partofmessagingtheobjectiveofthemodel.Forexample,specificwordssuchas“…getting
excitedaboutschooling”(asopposedtolearning)areimportanttoclarifywhattheprogram
isintendingtodo.
Buildingonthis,thesecondquotediscussestheimportanceofincludinglearninglevels
althoughmotivationiscrucialtogetchildrenexcitedaboutschoolandnotlearning.Thisisa
complexbutimportantnuance,astheunderstandingofitchangestheexpectationfromthe
model.
Takingthesetwoquotes,thatmaybetakenasthebenchmarkfortheobjectivesofthe
model,andoverlayingthemwiththeexistingTheoryofChangecanprovidea
comprehensivepictureofwhatthemodelistryingtoachieve.
GivenbelowistheoriginalTheoryofChangeforSikshana.
Momvatechildrentogetexcitedaboutschooling
Classparmcipamonwillincrease
Structuredpracmcewilloccur
Childrenwilltakeownershipoftheir
ownlearning
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Itmaybenotedthatduringtheinterview,seniormanagementatSikshanaspecifiedthatthisversionoftheTheoryof
Changewasspecificallymadeforadonor,andthereforemaynotaccuratelyrepresenttheorganization’sTheoryofChange.
Focusingspecificallyonthemissionandthebucketsforpriorities,wecanseethemention
ofincreasinglearninglevels,thelearningecosysteminschools,transitioningtothe
governmentandchangingtheperceptionofgovernmentschoolsinthehighlightedboxes.
Ideally,thetheoryofchangewouldneedtoincorporatethesamelinearchainofeventsas
outlinedbytheseniorstaff.Section4willelaborateonthisfurtherinconjunctionwithother
parametersofthisanalysis.
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(b)WhyhasPrernabeensuccessful?
Thisquestionaimstoaddresswhatarethekeyfactorsthatintheopinionoftheinterview
respondentsandstakeholders,haveledtothesuccessofthePrernamodel.Upon
identifyingthese,itmaybehelpfultolearnfromspecificpointsofsuccessinordertohelp
othergovernmentpartnershipsreplicatethesesuccessesascloselytotheintendedPrerna
modelaspossible.
(i)Analysis1:InterviewsandTheoryofChangesession
BasedontheinterviewsandresponsesduringtheTheoryofChangesession,keywords
fromrespondentshavebeenpresentedinafrequencywordcloudbelow.
Astheresponsesweresuccinctinnature,thewordcloudrepresentsalargerfonttypefora
higherfrequency.Therefore,‘Simple’and‘Costeffective’weremostfrequentlyusedto
describewhyPrernahasbeensuccessfulandtermsmentionednotmorethanoncewere
‘Adaptable’,‘Measurable’,‘HighROI’etc.
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(ii)Analysis2:InterviewswithVibhaStaffandgovernmentofficials:
InterviewswithstafffromVibhaspecificallywereusefulinsheddinglightonthemesthat
werenotexploredininterviewsortheTheoryofChangesessionwithotherrespondents.
Specifically,twothemesweretoucheduponwhenrespondentswereaskedwhySikshana
scaledupveryquicklyfromasmallpartnershipinafewdistrictstoastate-widepartnership:
Quote1:
“First,thisismyobservation.IwillnotsayI’mtotallyright.Imaybewrong.Probablythey
sawthepotentialinPrasanna.Apartfromgovernmentwork,hewashelpingwithalotof
workthattheywereassigningtohim.Allthedataanalysis,whateverishappeninginthe
educationdepartment.Probablytheythoughthecandosomethingfortheentirestate”.
Quote2:
“IthappenedinKarnataka,becauseKarnatakaisastateinIndiathatisveryprogressive.Let
metellyouveryhonestly.Theycouldunderstand.Atthegovernmentlevelandall.They
couldunderstandthemodelverywell.AtthesametimePrasanna,asaleadofthe
organization,heputalotofeffortinmakingthemodelscalable.Conceptuallyand
financially”
Quote3:Governmentofficial:
“Theonlyoutcomewehaveseen,themostimportantisthedrop-outsoftheschool.Ithas
totallydecreasedthedrop-outsfromtheschool.Wehavetakenthepolicyof,ifachildisnot
goingtoschoolfor7days,thatchildisconsideredasanoutofschoolchild.Thishasbeen
decreased.Theywantedtocollectasmanystarsastheyneed.Thishasgivenhealthy
competitionbetweenstudentsandtheyverymuchwanttocometoschool”.
“…Thenon-academicisiftheycometoschoolcleanandtheyalsowhateverthatisbeingto
keeptheschoolpremisesclean.Allthiswillbeincludedinnon-academic”.
“…Butthisprogramischild-centered.Childisveryimportantandthechildwillbetheperson
whowilltakeuptheinitiativeofimplementingtheprogram.Becauseofthechildthe
programcanbetakenup.Ifthechildwasnotinterested,thisprogramwouldhaveended”
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Quote4:VibhaSeniorStaff
“Number1isgovernmentbuy-in.Thatneedstohappen.Earlierweweredoingthingsonour
own.Activebuy-in.Seewewerethinkinggovernmentgivesuspermission.Wedon'tneed
justpermission.Weneedactiveparticipation.Ifgovernmentgivesmoney,weneed
ownership.They’reaccountable.Number2-Sikshananeedstoengagewiththelocalpartner
for1-2years.Atleast2yearsIbelieve.Sothatthenuancesoftheprogram,whatgetstalked
aboutinthetrainingmodulesandwhatisthesignificaneofeachandeverycomponent.Now
atthedistrictlevel,intheschoollevel:effectivedistributionofthematerial,regular
monitoring,measuringofaretheybeingused,thisisthekindofdatayouaregetting.
Effectiveuseofthosematerialsneedstobemonitoredandmeasured.Oncethese
measurementsaredone,theprimarygoalmeasurementsneedtohappen”.
(iii)Materialreview:InterviewwithGovernmentofficial
Basedonapre-recordedinterviewwithagovernmentofficial,theKarnatakagovernment
decidedtoscale-upPrernaoperationsfrom2districtstoalldistrictsbecauseof3keys
reasons:thepartnerorganizationshouldbewillingtotakeon50%oftheresponsibility
eitherfinanciallyorintermsofimplementation,theprogramshouldbescalableandthe
implementationcostshouldbeverylow.Sikshana’sPrernamodelmetallofthesecriteria
andthereforewasabletomeetsomebasiccriteriatoallowforstate-widepartnerships.
(c)Whatismotivatedbehavior?
Thisquestionwasaskedtoparticipants,inordertogetasenseofwhatkindofoutcomes
theprogramintendstoseeinchildren.Assumingthatincreasingmotivationinchildrenis
oneofthekeygoalsoftheprograms,thequestionselectedthisonegoalandtriedtobreak
downwhatkindofoutcomesaredesirableofthisgoal.
Inadditiontothis,motivationinitselfisadifficultconcepttoencapsulatewhenitcomesto
providingtangibleexamplesofactivitiesthatcanbedoneinordertoachievethisorhow
thesuccessofmotivationcanbeobservedandmeasured.Thisquestionaimstoexplore
differentdefinitionsbystakeholderssothatacommondefinitionmaybemadethatcould
beiterated,solidifiedandadoptedbytheorganization.
21
Analysis:TheoryofChangeandInterviewResponses
Duringthetheoryofchangeexercise,respondentswereaskedtolistdownthebehaviours
thatamotivatedchilddisplays.Theresponsesarereproducedbelow:
Whatbehavioursdoesamotivatedchildshow?
Sr.No Response %ofResponses
1 Participation 22%2 Attendance 8%3 RegularHomework 8%4 AsksQuestions 6%5 Happy 6%6 Disciplined 6%7 Cleanliness 6%8 Academicability 6%9 Supportive 6%10 Ownership 3%11 Shares 3%12 ClassroomCulture 3%13 Collaboration 3%14 Curiosity 3%15 EagernessToLearn 3%16 Helpful 3%17 Curiosity 3%18 Effort 3%19 Competitive 3%20 Initiative 3%Totalof36keyresponses
‘Participation’receivedthehighestnumberofmentionswith‘Attendance’atthenext
frequency.Theremainderoftheresponsesbroadlyvaried.
Aninterestingfindingisthatthe6%ofresponseshighlightedingrey,thatmentionacademic
abilityareresponsesprovidedby2teachers.Astheyarethelast-mileimplementersofthe
model,theirperspectivesseemtobedifferentfromotherstakeholdersanddifferentfrom
theobjectivesoftheprogramlaidoutinSection(a).
(d)HowdoweknowthatPrernaissuccessful?
22
Arecurringthemeduringinterviewswasthediscussionregardinghowtheteamknewabout
thesuccessofthePrernamodel.
(i)Analysis1:InterviewswithVibhaStaffandGovernmentOfficials:
ThefollowingareexcerptsfrominterviewswithseniorVibhaStaffandgovernmentofficials:
Quote1:GovernmentOfficials
“Interviewer-Forexample,you’resayingbecauseoftheprogramtherehavebeenthese
positiveoutcomes.I’mwonderingifthere’ssomewayinwhichthegovernmentdepartment
knowsthis.Istheresomemeasurementofoutcomesorobservationonthefield?
Respondent-Wehavecreatedadashboard.Childrenwillbeentered,itmightbefromthe
teachersorofficialsthatarevisiting.Onthebasisofthat.Wehavenottakenanystudy.Now
wehavetotakeupastudy.Ithasbeenimplemented,itisthe2ndyear.Nostudyhasbeen
taken,butbecauseoftheprogressandtheopinionofthechildren,teacher,HM,district
officialsandeverything,wehaveimplementedthis”
Quote2:SeniorVibhaStaff
“ThenIheardalotofanecdotalstoriesaboutchildrenwhodropoutoftheschoolsystem,
beingbackintheschoolsystembecauseoftheirmentors.Thosethings,Prernamentorshave
playedabigroleinbringingthemback”
Quote3:SeniorVibhaStaff
“Forexample,someonein5thgrade,aretheyreadingat4thgradelevel.Youwouldsee30%-
50%dependingonsomeschools.Oncetheyfinishthestudy,thentheyshouldbereadingand
writingat5thgradelevel.Atthebeginningtheyshouldbewritingat4thgradelevelandthen
5thgradelevel.Nowyoushouldseeabigjump.Insomecasesabigjumpandinsomecases
amarginaljump.Thatvalidatesthatthelevelsareincreasing.Insomecasesrapidlyandin
somecasesmarginally.
Isthatwhatyou’reseeinginthedata?Ofcourseyouneeddatatoprovethis.Thisdatais
thereinbitsandpieces.OfcourseI’dlikeSikshanatoprovideyouwithmorecomprehensive
23
datatoprovethispoint.Becausethisisreallyacriticalpoint.WesawatVibha,wesawdata
inthoseclustersofschools.Wesawthatkindofdatathatconvincedustomoveforward”
Quote4:SeniorVibhaStaff:
“AfterSikshanastartedsomemoreactivitiespedagogybased.Whereitwasveryobvious
wherethechildrenwereparticipating,throughworkbook.Andlearningmapindicatedhow
theyweremovingfromoneleveltoanotherhigherlevel.That’sthedifferenceIcouldsee
whenIusedtovisittheproject”
TheaboveexcerptsfrominterviewsdiscusshowPrerna’ssuccessaccordingtoeach
individualisdeterminedanecdotallybyobservationorbasedondiscussionwith
stakeholdersdirectlyinvolved,suchasteachers.However,perhapsaconsolidatedscientific
studyontherelationshipbetweenprocessesinPrernaprogramsandoutcomesperhaps
needstobedone.
(ii)Analysis2:DeskReviewofReports
Tworeportsweremadeavailableforthisanalysis-theErnstandYoung2013reportinwhich
astudentassessmentwasdonein3taluksofKarnatakaandabriefinternalmeasurement
bySikshanadonein2016-2017.BothreportsmeasuretheeffectofPrernaonlearninglevels
usingtheASERtool.Thereportsindicateanincreaseinlearningoutcomes,whilecomparing
theresultsinthePrernaschoolsascomparedtothestatelevelASERKarnatakareport.
However,thismethodologymayrequiresomefurtherrefinementifdirectcausalityto
Prernaistobeattributed.Thefollowingmayneedtobeconsideredbeforeattributingthe
increaseinlearninglevelstoPrerna:
- Methodologyfortesting:WhenusingtheASERtooltodiagnoselearninglevels,
similarASERmethodologymayalsoneedtobefollowedtoensurecomparability.
ASERisahouseholdbasedsurveyandthereforethestateleveldatapresentedinthe
reportprovideslearningoutcomesforchildrentestedinhomes,governmentand
privateschools.ThePrernameasurementwouldhavebeendoneforchildrenonlyin
governmentschoolsandsotheremaybeaselectionbias.
24
- Structureofstudy:InordertoattributetheincreaseinlearninglevelstoPrerna,
somekindofbefore/afterortreatment/controlmethodmayneedtobeemployed.
Forexample,ifabaselineofchildren’slearninglevelsbeforePrernaandthen
anothermeasurementafterPrernawasimplementedwasdone,withthesame
sample,onemaydeterminethatwithnootherchanges,theincreaseinlearning
levelswasbecauseofPrerna.However,aone-timemeasurementmaynotbeableto
adequatelydeterminethisbecausetherecouldbeseveralotherreasonswhythere
arehigherlearninglevelsinPrernaschools.
ConstructingasampleTheoryofChange
Basedonthefindingsandanalysisintheprevioussection,thissectionaimstoprovide
linkagesbetweentheobjectives,activities/processesandoutcomesofthePrernamodel.In
ordertobuildarobustmodelthatcanbeeasilyimplementedbyotherstakeholderswho
wishtoreplicatethemodel,clearlinkagesbetweeneachoftheseaspectsmaybenecessary
forotherpartnerstounderstandthemodel.Thiswouldbebeneficialnotonlyinternallyto
strengthenoperationsandincreaseunderstandingofthemodelbutalsoforother
organizationstoreplicateascale-up.
Beginningfromtheobjectivesoftheprogram,perhapsastreamlinedobjectivethat
combineselementsfromleadershipandexistingstaffcanbeaccountedfor,inorderto
createacomprehensiveobjective,understoodinthesamemannerbyeveryoneinthe
organization.Overlayingthisobjectivewithactivitiesthatareconstructedtoachieveitand
arefurtherlinkedtooutcomes,wouldprovideacomprehensivetheoryofchange.
ThesecondhalfofthetheoryofchangesessionBeginningwithaquotefromsenior
SikshanastaffwhenreflectingontheTheoryofChangesession:
“Soprocesseswhenwelookedatalltheprocesses,whatstoodoutwasheavilyinvested
towardslearninglevels,ratherthanmotivation.Sothenmythoughtprocesswas,eventually
whatismotivation.Thebi-productofmotivationislearninglevels.Orlearningoutcomes.
25
Eventuallyifachildisgoingtobemotivated,whenyoudefinelearninglevelsitsnotjust
aboutacademics,it’saholisticthing.Itcanberelatedattheendoftheday,they’retryingto
dobetterthatwhattheydidyesterday.Andmaybeourprocessesaregearedtowards
measuringmotivation.Andcomingtothelastpointabouttheoutcomes.Whenwetalked
abouttheoutcomes,itboileddowntolookingatmotivationratherthanlearninglevels.So
wesaidokaymotivationisthere,asabi-productofmotivationthere’slearninglevelssowe
aretryingtomeasurethelearninglevels.Andnotsomuchmeasuring,orfocusingonwhat
meansmotivation.Ifeltthatwasthemissinglinkintheentirepiece”
Basedontheaboveexcerptandtheanalysesintheprevioussections,wecanseethat
presentlytheremaybeadisconnectbetweentheobjectives,theprocessesandthedesired
outcomes,inthegivenTheoryofChange.Perhapstorefinethisfurther,asampletheoryof
changemaybedevisedinthefollowingmanner:
Objective:
-Increasedparticipation-Increasedattendance
Increasingregularity
Objectives
Increasingresponsibilityin
children
Increasingchildmotivationforschooling
Processes/Activities
Usingstarsasrewardsandincentives
Prernaclub Prernapracticebooks
Outcomes
Childrendoingmoretaskswithoutthem
beingasked
Increasedlearninglevels
26
Borrowingfromtheresponsesintheprevioussectionregardingobjectives,ifafewkey
objectivesareselectedasanexample,theywouldneedtolineupwiththeprocessesand
activitiesforeachobjectiveandalsobelinkedtotheoutcomes.Asampleisprovidedbelow:
Thoughthisisanover-simplisticrepresentationofthelinkingofobjectives,processesand
outcomes,itprovidesasampleframeworkwithwhicheachcategoryofthelargeheading
needstolinkwiththenext.Inthisway,amoredetailedandrefinedtheoryofchangecanbe
built.
Measuringsuccess
Inadditiontobuildingarobusttheoryofchange,thenextstagewouldbetobuilda
mechanisminwhichsuccessoftheprogramismeasured.Basedoninterviewanalysis,the
followingmethodsofmeasuringthePrernamodelarecurrentlyinplace:
(i)The‘MyShaala’or‘MySchool’app:whethertobeusedinternallybySikshanaor
externallybythegovernmentsystem,theappthattrackstheroll-outofPrerna.Examplesof
questionsfromthe‘MySchool’forthemonthofJuneare-“DidyousharePrernavideos
withCRPsandotherdepartmentofficials”.Accordingtorespondentremarks-“…theappis
inputrelated”.
(ii)DiscussionsbetweenPrernafieldstaffandgovernmentofficials:Partoftheroleofthe
districtprojectmanagersistoliaisewiththegovernmentmachineryandsmoothoutissues
regardingPrernaroll-outandcreateagoodrapportwiththedepartment.Intheprocess,
successstoriesplayalargeroleindeterminingthesuccessfulroll-outofPrerna.
(iii)State-widetracker:Thestate-widetrackerwhichisanOMRsheetthatgoestoschools
everysemestertotrackprogressoftheprogram.Informationcollectedischild-wise.For
example,itcollectsinformationregardinghowmanystarseachchildisreceiving.
27
Monitoringandmeasurementmethodsunderdevelopment:
Basedoninterviewdiscussionanalysis,theabovemonitoringandmeasurement
mechanismsarefocusedontrackingoflogisticsandinputsoftheprogram.Toquote
respondentremarks-“RightnowthequestionsIshowedyouonthechecklistshowvery
logisticalquestions.It’ssomethingIwanttogobeyondlogisticsnow.Starsaregoingtogo
now.NowIwanttoseethevalueaddedpurpose.Iwanttogotargetthatplace”.
Therefore,thereisanintenttomovebeyondmeasuringinputsofPrerna,tomeasuringthe
actualproductitself.
Inadditiontothis,theteamisalsodevelopinganadoptionframeworkwhereschoolscanbe
classifiedtobe“Prerna-okay”orotherwise.TheframeworkisborrowedfromanICTmodel
andconsidersthreeaspects-usage,frequencyandsustainability.Bucketsborrowedfrom
themodel,suchas“emergent”,“applying”and“integration”canhelpsegregateadoption
stagesthattheschoolisin.Assuggestedbyrespondents-“SoforexampleemergentIwould
sayusageofstars.Oneofthesethingsis,oneortwoofthefollowingishappening.You’re
givingeitherforattendance,eitherforhygiene,forsportsorotheractivities.Applyingitis
thatwe’redoingitforeverythingthePrernaprogramissupposedtosay.Andthen
integrationisapplyingishappening,butapartfromthatwe’realsorewardingstarsfor
completingworkbooksorsittinginthepeerlearningsessionbyyourself.Somethingmore
thanwhatthestarsaresupposedtobe”.
Thereisalreadyanattempttomovefromfocusingoninputstoprocessesandoutcomes.
Giventhatthegovernmentmodelhasonlybeenrunningforayear,itmaybeusefulto
allowthenewmeasurementsystemstogatherdataandbefurtherrefined,beforetakinga
callonfurthermeasurementprocesses.However,currentandfuturemeasurementsystems
needtobeplacedwithinthelargerprogramframework.
28
Recommendations
ThefollowingrecommendationsmaybeusefulforSikshanaFoundationtoensurea
successfulandrobustscale-uptootherstatesaswellasstrengthenitsownoperations.
(a)CorePrinciplesofPrerna:
Basedontheactivitiesconductedduringthisstudy,findingsforcoreprinciplesidentified
havebeenpresentedbelow.Thesefindingsarebasedoninformationboundbythestudy
andserveasastartingpointfortheorganizationtocarryforwardrefiningthetheoryof
changeandactivitiestoensurearobustprojectstructure.Thecoreprinciplesarewide-
ranginginnatureandideally,forefficientimplementation,theseneedtobeclear,concise
andconsistentacrosstheorganizationsothattheprogramisunderstoodandimplemented
inauniformmanner.Theprinciplesoutlinedbelowaresomekeypointsthatcamethrough
fromanalysis:
(i)ObjectiveofPrerna:
Intheclassroom:
1.Gettingchildrenexcitedaboutgoingtoschoolandtotakeownershipoftheirlearning
2.Improvinglearninglevelsofchildren
3.Improvingcreativityinchildren
4.Getchildrentoparticipateintheclassroom
5.Createasafeenvironmentforchildrenintheclassroom
6.Providechildrenstructuretolearnfromeachother/peer-learning
7.Encouragingchildrentogetintothehabitofpracticing
Atastructurallevel:
1.Toworkalongsidethegovernmenttocreateasystemschangeineducation,wherethe
firstpointofsuccessiscorrectadoptionofthemodel
(ii)WhyhasPrernabeensuccessful?
29
Forthemodel:
1.Itissimple
2.Itiscost-effective1
3.Itischild-friendlyandchild-centered2
Ataninstitutional/organizationallevel:
1.Effectivepartnershipbetweenorganizationleadershipandgovernmentleadership
2.Completegovernmentbuy-in.Karnatakagovernmentadoptedtheprogramnationally
becauseitmetbasiccriteriaforpartneringwiththestategovernment
(iii)Whatismotivatedbehavior?
Thissectionhadaverywidevarietyofresponsesduringanalysis.Topresponseshavebeen
reproducedbelow:
1.Increasedparticipationintheclassroom
2.Increasedattendance
(iv)HowdoweknowifPrernaissuccessful
1.Throughstoriesfromstaffandothersthatinteractwiththeprogramontheground
2.M&Eportalsthatmeasureinputssuchaswhetherschoolshavereceivedmaterialsetc.
3.M&Eportalsthatmeasurechild-wiseinformationsuchashowmanystarseachchildis
receiving
(b)Theoryofchange:Conductaninternal‘TheoryofChange’mappingexercisetolayout
objectives,processesandoutcomestoensurethatclearlinkagesexistbetweeneachof
thesecomponents.
1‘Costeffectiveness’referstotheabilityoftheprogramtohavehigh‘returns’withhighscalability.Forexample,lowcostofmaterialsandinputsforaprogram,withahighincreaseinlearningoutcomeswouldmakeaprogramcost-effectiveandeasilyreplicable/scalable2‘Childcentered’referstothemethodofteachingandlearningwherethefocusoftheactivityisthestudentandherneeds,asopposedtotheteacherbeingtheprimaryfocusoftheteaching-learningprocess
30
(c)Messaging:Oncearobusttheoryofchangeisinplace,amechanisminwhichkey
componentsofthemodelcanbeconveyedtootherstakeholdersmayneedtobeworked
on.AmorestreamlinedmessagingofwhatthePrernamodelis,bothinternallyandduring
trainingstoground-levelstaffmaybehelpfulinputtingforthclearerobjectives.
(d)Strengtheningtraining:Themessagingwouldespeciallybeimportantinanelaborate
modelinwhichtheenduser-theteachers-wouldneedtoclearlyunderstandobjectives.
Thismayneedtobehonedinon,asPrernafollowsa‘trainthetrainer’model,wherethe
keymessageofthemodelisconveyedvialayersoftrainingthroughthegovernment
machinery.Itmaybehelpfultostrengthenthemessaginglinksbetweenthelayersto
ensurethatallstakeholdersunderstandtheobjectiveofPrernainexactlythesameway.
(e)Strongorganizationalleadershipandgovernmentsynergy:InordertoreplicateSikshana
aseffectivelyaspossible,simplyputtinginstrongprocessescorrectlythatmirrorthosein
theoriginalmodelinKarnatakamaynotbeenoughtoguaranteesuccessoftheprogram.A
strongrelationshipwiththegovernmentmachinerythatisledbyaneffectiveindividualmay
benecessary.
(f)Conductingabaseline-endlinestudy:Inordertoscientificallyprovideevidenceforthe
successofthePrernamodel,perhapsastudyprogramevaluationcanbeconductedto
measurethesuccessofthemodelwithabaseline-endlinestudy.
StudyLimitations
(a) Thescopeofthisstudywastoanswercertainkeyquestionsregardingthe
implementationandscale-upofthePrernamodel.Thisstudyhelpstounderscore
someofthekeyvariablesthatarethecoreprinciplesofthemodel.Thesefactors
definethemodelandcouldbeusedascommonprinciplestobescaled-upinother
States.However,afullevaluationofallthecomponentsofthemodelarerequiredto
determinethesuccessofthemodelinotherStates.Thisstudycanstatethefactors
thatareimportanttodefinethemodel.
31
(b) Verylimitedschoolvisitswereconductedandthereforemostofthedatacollectedis
basedoninterviewswithstaffanddocumentreview.Directobservational
informationonthegroundwasnotincludedinthereport.Asaresult,thereisno
informationregardingconversationwithstudentsaswell.Afullmoredetaileddata
collectionusingschoolobservationtoolsarerequiredtofurtherthisstudy.
(c)Therecommendationsprovidedinthereportprovidescopeformorediscussions
andprogramreviews,andmaynotprovideprescriptivesolutionsthatwould
immediatelybeabletobeimplementedforfurtherscale-up.
32
Appendix-QuestionnairesThissectionincludesquestionnairesthatwereadministeredwithrespondentsduringthis
exercise.Pleasenotethatinterviewformatswerefree-flowingtoallowrespondentsto
describecomponentsinasmuchdetailaspossible.Whilethebroadinterviewstructurewas
followed,someadditionalquestionswereaskedaswasfoundsuitable.Insomecases,due
totimeconstraints,somequestionswereomittedfromtheinterviews.
33
QuestionnairesforSikshanaProgramEvaluationQuestionnaireforleadership:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.WhatisthehistoryofthePrernamodelandhowdidthemodeldevelopovertime?Fromyourunderstanding,whatarethekeycomponentsofthemodel?Q.Whatwasthegap/problemineducationinIndiathatthePrernamodelwastryingtoaddresswhenitstarted?Q.Whatwerethespecificchangesmadetothemodel?Weredifferentiterationsexperimentedwith?Couldyouprovideadetailedtimelineofthesechanges?Q.HasthesuccessofthePrernamodelbeendefinedandmeasured?Ifso,how?Q.HaveyoufacedchallengeswiththePrernamodel?Ifso,whatwerethey?Whataresomepossibleshortcomings?Q.WhatistheorganizationstructureatSikshana?Howmanyemployeesworkfulltimeintheheadofficeandhowmanyfieldstaffarethere?Q.Arethereprofessionaldevelopment/trainingsprovided?Onwhat?Whoprovidestraining?Aretherementoringorsupportsystems?Q.HaveyoufacedanyleadershipchallengesinimplementingthePrernamodel?Ifso,whatwerethey?Q.Arethereshort-termandlong-termstrategiesthatbuildtowardsthemission?Canyoupleasedescribe?Q.HowdoesthePrernamodelfitinthiscurrentorganizationstrategy?Q.DoyouvisitPrernaclassrooms?Ifso,howoften?Q. What is the total cost of implementing the Prerna model? What is the cost ofimplementingthePrernamodelperstudent?Q.WhatisthescaleofthePrernamodel?Inhowmanyschools,districtsinKarnatakadoesthemodeloperateit?Howmanychildrenarereachedannually?Q.CouldyoudescribeSikshanaFoundation’s relationshipwithVibha?Wouldyou say thispartnershiphasbeensuccessfulovertheyears?Ifyes,why?
34
Q. How do large organizational decisions get taken at Sikshana Foundation?What is theprocess?Q. Do you believe that the Prerna model is the most effective approach in improvinglearningoutcomes?Ifso,why?CommonQuestion-WhatarethebasicelementsrequiredtomakeaPrernaclassroom?(Describevariouselementsincludingphysicalelementssuchasteaching-learningmaterial,manpowerelementssuchastheteacherandher/hisexperiencesetc.)CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.Questionnaireforteachers:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.DescribeadayinthelifeofaPrernaclassroomteacher.(pleasebeasdetailedaspossible,classroompreparationorproceedings,whatactivitiesyouandthestudentsdo,homework,etc.)Q.AretherebenefitstousingthePrernamodel?Ifso,whatarethebenefits?DoyouthinkitisimportanttousethePrernamodelinclassrooms?Ifso,why?Q.AretherewaysinwhichthePrernamodelcanbeimproved?Ifso,inwhatareas?Q.Doyouthinktherearewaysinwhichyoucanconductyourclassesbetter?Ifso,how?(Refertospecificexamplessuchasbettertraining,orteachingmaterialetc.)Q.Describeyourtrainingworkshop/proceduretobecomeaPrernateacher.Q.Howwouldyoudescribetoanotherteacher,whattodoinordertoconductaPrernaclassroom?CommonQuestion-WhatarethebasicelementsrequiredtomakeaPrernaclassroom?(Describevariouselementsincludingphysicalelementssuchasteaching-learningmaterial,manpowerelementssuchastheteacherandher/hisexperiencesetc.)
35
CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.Questionnairefortechnicalpersons(programmanagers/monitoringandevaluationteams/techteam:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.DescribeyourroleatSikshana.Q.What would you say are the essential pieces of the Prernamodel? Do you think themodelisimportant?Inwhatways?WhydoyouthinkthePrernamodelisimportant?Q.DoyoumakevisitstoPrernaclassrooms?Ifso,howoften?Q. Do you believe that the Prerna model is the most effective approach in improvinglearningoutcomes?Ifso,why?Q. Explain the process that goes into making sure the Prerna model is implemented inclassrooms(recruitment,trainingetc.)(operations)Q. Were there challenges in implementing the Prerna model? If so, what were they?(operations)Q.WhatadvicewouldyougiveaprojectmanagerofPrernawho is justbeginningPrernaoperations?What did you learn in the course of your job that you can nowadvise themabout?(operations)Q.Aretheremeasurement/monitoring/evaluationsystemsputinplacetogaugethesuccessofthePrernamodel?(M&E)Ifsocanyousharesomedetails?Q.WhendidtheM&Eteambeginoperations?Whatweresomeofthegoals?Q. Describe the end-to-end process for how data on the program is collected, stored,analyzedanddisseminated.(M&E)CommonQuestion-WhatarethebasicelementsrequiredtomakeaPrernaclassroom?(Describevariouselementsincludingphysicalelementssuchasteaching-learningmaterial,manpowerelementssuchastheteacherandher/hisexperiencesetc.)
36
CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.Questionnaireforgovernmentofficials:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.HowdidyoucometoknowaboutPrerna/Sikshana?Q.WhydidyoudecidetoadoptthePrernamodelingovernmentclassrooms?Q.Whatinputsarerequiredfromthegovernmenttoensurethispartnership?Q.Aretherespecificcomponentsofthemodelthatreallyappealtoyou?Ifso,whichones?Why?Q.Doyouplantosustainthispartnershipinthefuture?Q.CouldyoudescribebasedonyourexperienceandunderstandinghowaPrernaclassroomworks?CommonQuestion-WhatexactlydoyouthinkhasmadethePrernamodelincreasechildren’slearninglevels?Refertospecificexamples.
QuestionnaireforVibha:Name:Role/Position:No.ofyearsspentatSikshana:Q.WhatishasVibha’sroleinSikshana’sprogramsbeen?Q.HowdoyouspecificallysupportSikshana’soperationsinyourwork?Q.Whatledtothestate-widescale-upofthePrernamodel?