Felicitation of RUPANTAR Trainer by Uttar Pradesh Government

In an event organized in Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh, a trainer from RUPANTAR of Sri Aurobindo Society was felicitated by the administration for the help provided in the smooth implementation of Zero Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives (ZIIEI) ideas. The Minister of State for Basic Education distributed 40 bags, shoes and socks to the students on behalf of Sri Aurobindo Society to the students.

At the occasion, Mr Sambhrant Sharma, Director–Education, Sri Aurobindo Society, said, “With RUPANTAR, we aspire to create the next future whose foundation is being strengthened today, by reforming the education in government schools across the country.”

RUPANTAR by Sri Aurobindo Society is an umbrella programme transforming the quality of education in the government schools in various states of India. It aims at harnessing the power of the people and existing resources. Each project component of RUPANTAR strategically targets the highest impact areas within a state education system—that is, teacher empowerment, vision and insight development among decision makers, leadership skills for education administrators, management skills for principals, students’ empowerment, and participation of parents and communities. 

Zero Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives (ZIIEI) and Comprehensive Mental Health Education (CMHE)

Zero Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives (ZIIEI)

RUPANTAR comprises of several projects, with Zero Investment Innovations for Education Initiatives (ZIIEI) and Comprehensive Mental Health Education (CMHE) currently gaining momentum.

Imbibing innovative ideas and best practices with the help of existing resources in the pedagogical system at zero costs is what ZIIEI stands for. It has proved to be an answer to the absence of a platform for recognition, diffusion and implementation of best practices and ideas of many teachers, lamentable ‘teacher–educational officer’s coordination, no training of teachers, less student enrollment, poor attendance and ineffective implementation of government policies.

With encouragement and support of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, and funding support by HDFC Bank, ZIIEI became operational in Uttar Pradesh from October 2015. By March 2017, ZIIEI became one of the world’s largest drives to implement grassroots innovation in education, covering all 75 districts in the state. 

Currently, more than 15,000 principals are being trained so that they ensure the effective implementation of ZIIEI ideas and lead the initiative by example.

Launch of ZIIEI Project in Three More States

In July the ZIIEI project was launched in 3 more states—Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh—and has already started creating ripples of change and a new perspective towards the education system in these states. In Jharkhand, ZIIEI has covered 14 districts so far. With 10,227 idea books already been distributed, 5,212 idea submission idea forms and 20,151 idea adoption forms received, the project is going ahead in Jharkhand in full throttle. Total registration and total feedback forms number 22,988 and 32,518 respectively. In Chhattisgarh, the project has been launched in 23 districts. As of now, 26,315 idea submission forms and 37,461 idea adoption forms have been received along with the distribution of 8,733 idea books. The total registration and total feedback forms amounting to 45,248 and 39,697, respectively. ZIIEI has started spreading its wings in Himachal Pradesh as well, covering 2 districts of the hill state for now. With 92 idea submission forms and 344 idea adoption forms submitted, 275 idea books distributed, total registration and total feedback forms amount to 543 and 343 respectively, the project is gaining popularity with each passing day.

Comprehensive Mental Health Education (CMHE)

Currently mental health project is operational in two states: Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. In July, the mental health project was started in three more districts of Jharkhand: Kanke, Sadar and Tamar.

Education and Mental Health are part of the basic human rights of children and youth. And this ultimate goal of holistic education for all is being achieved through CMHE. Mental health workshops are being organized for teachers under this programme. Teachers are provided with checklist on various disorders. Post a thorough understanding of the checklist, they identify students showing signs of possible mental health issue and present their case studies to the psychologist. Remedial tips are given to ensure inclusion in the classroom.

The project aims at enabling teachers with special education skills, sensitizing and motivating them to identify Children with Special Needs (CWSN). A specialized person is required to design a curriculum for CWSN, thus this programme is ever evolving.