Anandam - Education for Empowerment

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With the expanding divide between quality of education in rural and urban landscapes, a deepening disparity in focus and attention on rural children, CCD decided to intervene in rural education. Having worked for the first ten years in rural women’s economic empowerment and the next ten years in agricultural produce marketing issues among rural farming communities, CCD has chosen to engage with the rural children to empower them educationally. Its focus in the coming decade will be on “Transforming Rural Education for Empowerment” 

If we want to make education engaging and relevant for the students, facilitating learning beyond the classrooms is of paramount importance. It is very crucial for the children to be well aware of the world around them. This will also help them understand the concepts practically. At the same time, rural children need to be enabled with advanced technologies, especially digital knowledge so that they are not left far behind. Also, in the digitally growing world, it is very important for every child to be aware of scientific and technological advancements. With this perspective, CCD has launched “Ananda Sirargal Iyakkam”, a Movement of Joyful Childhood. 

CCD has designed this educational intervention on the foundation of certain non-negotiable principles. It is guided by its vision of ‘Life in understanding and harmony with nature’ and building institutions around traditional wisdom to face emerging challenges of the disadvantaged communities. The principles guiding it are:

• Locally relevant and Culturally Appropriate: All the educational interventions would be designed without affecting the cultural fabric of the native communities and it would be ensured for local relevance. 
• Enabling to Empower: Expanding human capabilities would be the outcome envisioned in every intervention. It will encompass both capacity and ability, which is an outcome of high quality teaching and learning.
• Appreciation for labour: As Gandhiji said, physical labour is superior among all forms of labour. The labour is a method of serving others. Education should make the children cherish the value of physical labour and not limiting to just an intellectual labour. 
• Collaborative effort: Education is a collective endeavour, needing contribution from multiple actors, the primary collaboration is between the teacher and students, and require participation from research and resource organisations, philanthropic and civil society organisations. 
• Primacy on scientific thinking: Learning should kindle scientific thinking involving inquiry, experimentation, validation of evidence, formation and modification of concepts and theories about the natural and social world. 
• Harmonising body, mind and soul: Nurturing physical and mental well-being of children is very critical for building future society healthy and strong in moral values. 

    
The Village Learning Centres (VLCs), also known as Ananda Siraargal Mayyam (ASM), are remedial education centres promoted at the village level and run by a locally identified learning facilitators (Community Teachers). Each Centre is functioning in a common community infrastructure provided by the village community. Children are enrolled from the neighbouring villages around the Ananda Siraargal Mayyam and managed by the community teachers. 

The Way Forward

• CCD has planned to reach out to all the villages in these two blocks and take the services of Ananda Sirargal Mayyam to at least 10,000 children at the age group of 7-14. The ASMs have been conceived to be learning centres for holistic development. Every year, 10,000 children will go through the active learning modules of these learning centres. 
• An advisory group including educationists and enthusiasts from civil society organisations working in the field of education would be set up to consult on pedagogical and process innovations. 
• To realise this vision, CCD looks for partnerships that can contribute in whatever the ways possible, may it be in the form of financial or content contribution, volunteering to handle select segments of the programme, extending material or logistical support, hosting the training / skill building programmes and so on.