GS-1 - Poverty and Developmental issues, [GS2]-Developmental processes-the role of NGOs

Key phrases: Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, Pratham (NGO), ASER Report

Why in news:

Pratham, a civil society organisation dedicated to improving the quality of education among underprivileged children in India and across the world, has been conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2021.

Analysis:

Indira Gandhi Peace Prize:

• It has been named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
• It is conferred every year since 1986 by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
• Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, also known as Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, is the prestigious award accorded annually by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust to individuals or organisations in recognition of

• creative efforts toward promoting international peace development and a new international economic order
• ensuring that scientific discoveries are used for the larger good of humanity, and enlarging the scope of freedom.

• The prize carries a cash award of 2.5 million Indian rupees and a citation.

Pratham:

Mission- "Every Child in School and Learning well". By increasing the literacy levels of India's poor which account for about one third of the world's poor, Pratham aims to improve India's economic and social equality.

This is carried out through the introduction of low cost education models that are sustainable and reproducible.

Pratham is known for the following:

1. Mumbai Slums: Pratham started by holding balwadis (pre-education classes) for children in Mumbai's slums. Volunteers were recruited to teach in spaces within communities, including temples, offices, and even people's homes. The Pratham pre-school classes multiplied and were replicated in other locations.

2. ASER: Annual Status of Education Report (or ASER), is a household-based survey that collects information on children's schooling status and basic learning outcomes in almost every rural district in the country. The ASER survey is an enormous participatory exercise that has involved about 500 organizations and upwards of 25,000 volunteers every year since 2005. As part of the survey, estimates of children's schooling and learning status are generated at district, state and national levels. ASER is the only annual source of data on children's learning outcomes available in India today, and is often credited with changing the focus of discussions on education in India from inputs to outcomes. The ASER model has been adapted for use by fourteen other countries across three continents. These countries have organically come together to form the People's Action for Learning (PAL) Network, with a secretariat housed in Nairobi.

3. Developing low cost innovations: In basic education, Pratham develops low-cost and replicable innovations, working with the government and engaging the community to improve learning outcomes. Its programmes now cover children and young adults in 21 States.

Why Peace Prize to Pratham?

The 2021 Prize is awarded to Pratham for its pioneering work over more than a quarter century in seeking to ensure that every child has access to quality education, for its innovative use of digital technology to deliver education, for its programmes to provide skills to young adults, for its regular evaluation of the quality of education, and for its timely response in enabling children to learn during the COVID-19 related school closures.

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2021 Key Findings:

ASER 2021 was conducted in 26 states and 4 union territories, surveyed over 76,000 households with children aged 6-14 yrs. 16th ASER is a phone based-survey due to the ongoing pandemic, the survey assessed enrolment in schools and tuition classes and access to devices and learning resources.

• Enrolment: the percentage of rural children who were not enrolled in school doubled during the pandemic.
• Shift in enrolment: there was a shift in the government schools (64.3% in 2018 to 70.3% in 2021) at the expense of private schools (32.5% in 2018 to 24.4% in 2021). This shift could be as a result of financial distress, the closure of affordable private schools and the movement of migrants to rural areas.
• Learning outcomes: 92% of children had textbooks for their grade, but only a 3rd had access to any other resources or support.
• Tuition classes: almost 40% of students took tuition classes as many parents struggled
  to provide the learning support, as the schools remained closed.
• Traditional learning: about 65% of students did some type of traditional learning during the week of the survey (44% in Jharkhand, 90% in Kerala).
• Online learning: interstate variation could be seen in access to limited online resources like smart phones.

1. 91% students from Kerala
2. 80% students from Himachal Pradesh
3. 10% students from Bihar
4. 13% students from West Bengal had online education.

Way forward

Pratham is an innovative learning organization created to improve the quality of education in India. As one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the country, Pratham focuses on high-quality, low-cost, and replicable interventions to address gaps in the education system. For a true democracy to exist in India, both the elected representatives and civil society organizations like Pratham should work hand in hand.

Source: The Hindu

Related Prelims Question

Q. Consider the following statements about Indira Gandhi Peace Prize:

1. Pratham is the first civil society organisation to win this award.
2. The award consists of a monetary award of ₹25 lakhs along with a citation.
3. The jury for 2021 is chaired by former Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S. Thakur.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b)