PM’s MV program is an initiative to improve learning in primary school children in four govt primary schools in T.Narasipura Taluk in Mysore District. It is different to the extent that this model is based on the premise that education happens not merely in the classroom but from every experience of living in a community. Every agency associated with the child has a lesson to teach. The home, the play ground, the community and the school determine the quality of learning.
Though the process started during 2018, the program was interrupted due to the outbreak of the Covid pandemic. It was started again during April 2022 after the schools reopened.
The promise of a better education and a better future for their children is what drives the program. Witnessing the improved levels of learning, other villages too want to join the program.
Parents help is not dependent on their economic status or education. It is about their concern, participation, periodical visit to the school to inquire how their child is progressing in studies. It is also about creating the right environment at home for the child’s learning.
SDMC stands for School Development & Monitoring Committee. The members of this body consists of mainly school children’s parents, school Headmaster and members of the village Panchayat. They are required to oversee the functioning of the school, teacher attendance, discipline, punctuality, toilet hygiene and drinking water. More often than not, this very important body fails in its task. In a Model Village, a representative of Pratham Mysore will actively participate and ensure that the meetings are held regularly and the proceedings are recorded in a prescribed manner.
It provides a place to set up the Learning Space. Finds volunteers to support the program and raises money to pay the teachers.
Rural students compared to their urban counterparts are less informed or have less scope to clear doubts or answers to their questions. A mentor is a reasonably educated adult residing in a urban space assigned to a rural student (mentee). The mentor will speak to the mentee through a mobile once a week on a subject of general in nature or to a specific question the mentee may have. By so doing, the mentee is in touch with the world outside his or her village.
It literally means ‘Weekly Broadcast’ in Kannada. Once a week a topic is chosen which is not in the studen’s school curriculum and which is useful to a sudent. This is broadcast in all the Model Villages every Saturday of the month. Content is prepared by a qualified teacher. Questions arising from such broadcasts is answered or clarified by mentors.
All Model Villages have libraries in the Learning Space centers. But the books are not same in each village. It is rotated so that students get an access to all the books. This is done with the help of a van which carries such books to all the Model Villages.
Poshana means nutrition. This program talks about the importance of proper nutrition for a child’s learning. Periodical meetings are held to educate the mothers on the subject and also ways to grow greens and vegetables in their backyards.
Cost of educating a student per year is Rs.2500