B. Some Emerging Policy Challenges and Insights
1. On motivation
2. Is Grade 10 success?
In preliminary interviews with teachers and supervisors of Gyan Shala, the most important challenge identified is the lack of motivation of students. The need to constantly push and motivate students to study, read, attend, perform, prepare for the grade 10 exam is a challenge, particularly in slum-like settings where demands placed on teenagers range from schooling to household work, and often paid work in addition – as the interviews attest. Days are long and exhausting. Television can distract in India, just as video games and apps distract in wealthier contexts. “Motivation” of students is an unaddressed issue that needs further research and emphasis – it is a global issue, a global challenge. It begs the question: is the traditional educational model becoming outdated and perceived as irrelevant?
In such a challenging educational context, the after-school classes could provide a time and space for teachers to work with students in smaller groups - as an additional opportunity to work on their motivation/coaching etc. Girls in particular seem to be influenced by female role models. As such, this is a step to consider: to increase the interaction between students and teachers to motivate and inspire students in a slightly more informal setting.
Regardless of how much data is collected and analyzed, the High School program cannot be deemed entirely successful if it is somehow not piloted until Grade 12. This begs the following question: to what extent can a non-profit grow further with the constant and imminent fear of shortage of sustainable funding? What shift of organizational strategy is required from the institution? Or what adjustments can donors collectively make to sustain funding for a longer period and imagine not just educational outcomes, but educational impact over the longer-run? Failure to do so will inevitably favor for-profit models who are perceived to be more sustainable. This is debatable. However, a deeper reflection on educational impact, together with organizational consequences, seems called for.
Although the conundrum of growth in a non-profit merits a critical reflection, as we are suggesting, it is equally important to be reminded that given the socio-economic context of Gyan Shala’s students, they would in essence be left with worse or no educational options, ranging from weak government schools to no schools in their neighborhoods without a program such as PSIPSE. The impact would be more severe for girls whose ability to commute away from the vicinity is generally limited. In sum, supporting Gyan Shala with a longer-term view, and sustainable funding, is imperative to invest in segments of society that are generally under-served.
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