• 08/16/2023

  What We Have Been Up to This Year!

   

  Sat Sri Akal Ji!

  As we approach the second half of this eventful year, we are excited to share our progress in achieving two primary goals: fostering the next generation of youth leaders dedicated to transforming Punjab and ensuring access to quality education in government primary schools.

  Let's take a look at some 2023 highlights, where key themes include growth, collaboration, and systemic shifts.

  1.We won an international award!

  The Punjab Education Collective (PEC) was endowed with the Collective Social Innovation Award at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, presented by Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

  2. We signed 8 MoUs with colleges across Punjab.

  To develop many more young people as system thinkers and engage many more people in academia with grassroots-level work.

  3. Sent out the 3rd cohort of Youth Leaders to serve Punjab!

  PYLP’s Cohort 3 (2021- 2023) completed their 2-year journey in May 2023. They worked in 5 blocks of Ropar – Anandpur Sahib, Chamkaur Sahib, Ropar 2, Morinda, and Takhatgarh. Post PYLP, all of them have joined different education-focused non-profits in Punjab.

  4. We teamed up with three organizations for Inclusive Education.

  We collaborated with Jai Vakeel Foundation (JVF), Mumbai, NeoMotion (incubated by IIT Madras), and School for Differently-abled (Pingalwara, Amritsar) to bring about a transformative change in the education of Children with Special Needs (CwSN). The initial focus will be on teacher professional development, student assessments, and the establishment of improved mobility infrastructure.

  5. Students are now included in every School Management Committee (SMC) across Punjab.

  This significant step taken by the Punjab education department signifies a great leap towards promoting greater student participation in decision-making processes. This latest mandate brings students to the forefront of educational governance.

  6. Empowering Education System with Gram Sikhiya Sabha.

  We partnered with Samarthya to achieve the successful adoption of the 'Gram Sikhiya Sabha' within the education system. The Punjab education authorities recently issued a state-wide instruction to all teachers and school heads, sharing a comprehensive SOP for implementing the 'Gram Sikhiya Sabha' (a key process innovation by Sanjhi Sikhiya). This approach has been recognized as a best practice for enhancing parental participation and fostering community ownership. This milestone is gratifying, particularly considering our previous efforts to organize 300 such sabhas.

  7. Balley Balley! We went Dutch through dance!

  We conducted a Bhangra workshop in collaboration with Amsterdam Bhangra and hosted a dinner in collaboration with TastyTalks in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

   

  Stories That Keep Us Going...

  Ek Sarpanch Aisi Bhi - A Movement In Herself

  

  Nestled in the heart of Punjab, India, lies a quaint hamlet named Chak Karma. Within its confines stood the Chak Karma Government Primary School, an establishment attended by 64 students and and managed by a single dedicated teacher. The School Management Committee (SMC) members were scarcely involved, and the panchayats remained oblivious to their roles in the school’s advancement.

   

  In the midst of this scenario, Bhawna, a dynamic young leader, crossed paths with the Head Teacher and was informed of the challenges of this school. Recognizing the urgency, Bhawna initiated Read More...

   

  From Bihar to Punjab - Raja's Journey Back To School

  

  Manya Jain, a Young Leader at Sanjhi Sikhiya, during her visit to government primary schools in Chamkaur Sahib, crossed paths with Raja, a migrant student from Bihar, who was struggling to understand anything at school. Manya’s curiosity led her to his teachers, and she got to know how Raja was struggling to attend school. On one hand he wanted to study but the financial condition at ho Read More...

  READ MORE HERE!

• 05/15/2023

  Our Vision & Our Process

   

    The Sanjhi Sikhiya Foundation is a nonprofit organisation with a vision of transforming Punjab into a land of hope, courage and possibilities. We understand that the issues facing Punjab today: substance abuse, migration, declining water and soil health, etcetera, can not be tackled in isolation. The solution to these problems is Systemic Change, a holistic approach to shifting the population’s priorities towards socially significant subjects over time. Our work revolves around preparing the landscape for this Systemic Change through two avenues. 

  

    The Punjab Youth Leaders Program (PYLP) is a one-of-a-kind leadership development programme which identifies young leaders in the community and prepares them with the mindset, skillset and network to bring about Systemic Change. The preparation is conducted in the context of a two-year fellowship (compensated) with the simultaneous objective of improving the quality of education in the primary government-schools of Punjab. With a heavy emphasis on personal learning (frequent learning sessions) and practical experience (intensive fieldwork), the young leaders graduate the fellowship, equipped with the essentials, to make our vision a reality.

      The Cluster-Transformation Process (CTP) is an education reform initiative which currently focuses on ‘elementary government schools’ in Punjab. In Punjab, every district (ਜ਼ਿਲ੍ਹਾ) is divided into blocks (ਤਹਿਸੀਲ)) which are further divided into clusters, each comprising 10-15 schools. The CTP initiative has two parallel verticals operating at the cluster level: a learning path and a governance path. The Learning Path hosts discussion platforms for teachers to collaborate and improve learning outcomes in children. The Governance Path hosts discussion platforms to activate the School Management Committee (SMC) and local-government authorities (Panchayats). This is done by informing the SMC of its rights and responsibilities in SMC Meetings; and, seeking participation of the Panchayat in Gram Sikhiya Sabha (GSS) Meetings.

   

  Cluster-Transformation Process

  Summary of our efforts in 3 districts of Punjab since the beginning of 2023.

  Learning Path 

  The Learning Path is oriented towards the engagement of teachers to improve learning outcomes in children. This is accomplished through teacher collectives, also known as Cluster Academic Meetings (CAMs). 

  a) Cluster Academic Meetings (CAM)
  Purpose

  • To provide a space for teachers to collaborate (by sharing their best-practices and solutions to challenges).
  • To plan monthly academic goals effectively.

  In-Practice 

  Twenty-eight meetings were conducted.

    Governance Path

    The Governance Path is oreitned towards the engagement of the community to raise awareness on the rights and responsibilities of the SMC (school administration) and Panchayat (village administration). This is accomplished through three platforms of discussion:

  a) School Management Committee Meetings (SMC)
  b) Gram Sikhiya Sabhas (GSS)
  c) Panchayat Collectives

   

  a) School Management Committee Meetings

  Purpose

  • To activate and empower the SMC (by raising awareness of an SMC’s rights and responsibilities).
  • To create a School Development Plan.

  In-Practice 

  Eight meetings were conducted.

  
  b) Gram Sikhiya Sabha (GSS)
  Purpose

  • To empower SMCs (by giving them access to a community discussion forum).
  • To activate the Panchayat in carrying out its responsibilities.
  • To create an ecosystem which values and supports government schools.

  In-Practice   

  Twenty-three meetings were conducted.

   

  c) Panchayat Collectives

  Purpose

  • To initiate conversation around foundational education in local government. 
  • To provide for Panchayats to collaborate (by sharing by sharing their best-practices and solutions to challenges)

  In-Practice 

   - Six meetings were conducted.

• 05/15/2023

  The Need for Systemic Transformation in Punjab

    As Punjab struggles with a flux of emigration which can only draw parallels in zones of civil-turmoil, a question arises: why, despite not being such a zone, is Punjab so afraid to stay at home?

  

    The primary rationales behind this tide of emigration are dim employment prospects and vulnerability to substance abuse; these ‘push’ factors have implications for two sets of stakeholders. Firstly, there is a direct impact on the youth, which,  in the search of better job opportunities and a secure environment, leaves the country. Secondly, there is an indirect impact on families, which, seeking the same opportunities and security for their children, leave the country. Considering the present-day conditions of Punjab, the validity of these reasons is undeniable.

    However, the concerns lie elsewhere, and are not easily foreseeable because they present with a time-delay, a few years after immigrating . As the rush of skyscrapers and lights, as the excitement of new cars and new houses begins to settle, one finds several pieces missing. The communication and cultural gaps between parent and child seem insurmountable. The distance from parents and the guilt of long lost-time away from home scrapes away at the heart. The absence of a constructive social-circle triggers splurges on shallow shows of splendour. Yet, the puzzle remains unsolved. 

  
    Tracing this sequence of events back in time: it started with the ‘move’ away from home; which was a result of Punjab’s imperfect circumstances. Therefore, it is very clear that the root of the ailment lies in India as we take symptom-masking pills across the globe. Fixing the root problem requires generation of employment opportunities which would inversely impact substance, crime, poverty, etcetera. Sustainable-Employment which starts today and persists into tomorrow is the way forward for a nation which seeks genuine prosperity.

  

    Punjab Youth Leaders Program (PYLP), a social-initiative based in the state, is an endeavour which checks both criteria of Sustainable Employment: opportunities today and opportunities tomorrow. Promising young leaders are selected and offered compensation to work in education reform. Along with this, their personal development is supported to inculcate social responsibility and a true sense of leadership. These values are what will carry forward to create employment opportunities in the future. 

    As young leaders of Cohort-3 graduate from the PYLP Fellowship, the Cohort-5 selection process is also coming to a close. This year, around 620 aspirants completed the online PYLP application. After intensive review, shortlisted candidates were invited for the in-person selection rounds in Bathinda and Jalandhar. Both selection days saw an exceptional turnout of 160 future leaders from diverse backgrounds. The selection process engaged the aspirants in four screening components: an interview, a counselling round, a group activity and a group discussion. Regardless of what the selection outcome will be, the candidates got a first-hand experience of what the world of leadership looks like.

   

  Here is a glimpse

  

  

  

  

  

• 01/31/2023

  Updates from Quarter 3 (October- December 2022)

  Updates from Quarter 3

  Our operations in the field are divided into two categories:

  1. Teachers Development
     -Cluster Academic Meetings (CAM)/ Teacher Collectives
     -Implementation observed post-teacher collectives
  2. Community Participation
     -Gram Sikhiya Sabhas (GSS)/ Community Collectives
     -School Management Committee (SMC) Meetings
     -Panchayat Collectives

  Following are some updates from the last quarter:

  
  I. Teachers Development

  Cluster Academic Meeting (CAM)/ Teacher Collectives 
  Number of collectives held : 24

  Purpose of Cluster Academic Meetings:

  To create a space for a cluster’s teachers to

  -Understand the importance of collaboration amongst them;
  -Share and innovate new practices that would help students attain LOs.
  -Brainstorm on the common challenges and design their solutions.

  Some of the topics of discussions during these meetings were:

  1. A conversation on how Storytelling can be used in teaching language skills was initiated. Discussion on the following themes took place:

  
  -What is storytelling? Why is it important?
  -How can it help children in language learning?
  -How to design storytelling sessions with the children?

  2. Oral comprehension:
  -How to build upon the children's existing knowledge in helping them become fluent in speaking?
  -A discussion on our focus on comprehending oral expression vs focus on the accuracy of pronunciation was also held.

  3. Discussion on the baseline assessment conducted in the month of July with the teachers, and address the gaps.

  4. Teachers discussed the areas where they face challenges with the students such as letter identification, vocabulary, reading and comprehension, face value and place value, and word problems.

  

   

  II. Community Participation 

  1. Gram Sikhiya Sabhas (GSS)/ Community Collectives
  Number of collectives held: 57

  Purpose of these community collectives:

  -To enable an effective dialogue between the community and the school;
  -To raise awareness on the community’s involvement and responsibilities in the school, 
  -To discuss the community’s vision of their school and planning the next steps for it.

  Some highlights from the Community Meetings:

  • The roles and responsibilities of the SMC and the Panchayat towards school were discussed.
  • There were certain infrastructural issues that were discussed in the meetings.
  • The parents also agreed to help in the provision of quality education to their children by actively engaging their children post-classroom and providing a learning environment at home. 
  • Issues related to low enrollment and how to improve enrollment were also discussed.

  

  

  2. School Management Committee (SMC) Meetings
  Number of meetings held:30

  Purpose of SMC Meetings:

  -To encourage parents and SMC members to participate in the school development plan & support its effective implementation.
  -To discuss the progress of the outcomes and tasks discussed in the previous meetings.

  Some highlights from the SMC Meetings held:

  • Discussed the importance of parents spending time with their children, importance of storytelling in their child’s lives;
  • Importance of having a healthy home environment and parent-child relationship for a child was also discussed;
  • Supported the teachers in facilitating the ‘Child Sexual Abuse’ aspect in the Mother’s workshop. Since this was an important topic of discussion, we invited all the parents (i.e. of all the grades);
  • Discussion on their roles and responsibilities and their significance to the school was held;
  • SMC & Parents were encouraged to frequently visit the school to discuss the school and their child’s needs with the teacher.
    SMC, Sarpanch, and Teachers volunteered to pay a salary of Rs. 3,000 for their computer teacher volunteer;
  • SMC agreed to meet monthly for discussing the school’s needs;

  
  3. Panchayat Collective
  Number of Collectives held: 01

  Location: Chamkaur Sahib, Rupnagar

  
  Purpose of Panchayat Collective:

  To bring different stakeholders from Panchayati Raj and Education Department together, namely BDPO, Panchayat Members, Panchayat Secretaries, BPEO, and CHT to discuss infrastructural issues in the schools of the cluster.

  
  Issues Identified and Discussed:

  

  Challenges put forward by the Panchayats:

  

  Way Forward:

  • More Participation of Panchayats in SMC meetings, Student Enrollment Drives, Child-friendly schools, and a community environment is needed to fulfill the initiative of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994;
  • Need for cordial cooperation between Concerned Teachers and Panchayats;
    Panchayats need better guidance on different types of funds available and how to avail them.

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