Questions/Answers
Question 1
Please provide a brief summary of the initiative including the problems/challenges it addressed and the solutions that the initiative introduced (300 words maximum)
BaLA (Building as Learning Aid) is an innovative concept to improve the quality of education in India, through the development of child-friendly learning-based school infrastructure. This concept was developed by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Gujarat with support from UNICEF in 2006 and since then, it is implemented in more than 2558 Model Schools of 33 districts across the state.
Under BaLA project, the concept of i-BaLA (or inclusive-BaLA), is implemented by SSA, Gujarat, in which there is a special focus on making inclusive learning environment for Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in all schools. This is one of its kind initiative being undertaken in the country and an example for other states.
a. What are the overall objectives of the initiative?
Please describe the overall objectives of the initiative (200 words maximum)
Major objectives of BaLA project are:
• To make school buildings child-friendly places
• To create a conducive self-learning environment for children
• To promote inclusive learning and to make provisions for CwSN. SSA’s i-BaLA is a step in achieving this purpose.
• To provide accessibility of learning materials to children, at all times
b. How does the initiative fit within the selected category?
Please describe how the initiative is linked to the criteria of the category (200 words maximum)
BaLA is a way to holistically plan and put the school infrastructure to innovative use. It incorporates the ideas of activity based learning, child-friendliness and inclusive education for CwSN. At the core, it assumes that the architecture of school can be a resource for the teaching-learning processes.
BaLA is an innovative concept towards qualitative enhancement in elementary education through intervention in school building infrastructure. Since buildings are the most expensive physical assets of a school, efforts should be made to derive maximum educational value from them. Thus, BaLA is about exploring uniqueness of three dimensional space as a child friendly learning resource for all children.
Question 2
The initiative should improve people’s lives, notably by enhancing the contribution of public services to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the SDGs
a. Please explain how the initiative improves the delivery of public services (200 words maximum)
BaLA is about exploring uniqueness of three dimensional space as a playful learning aid for all children. It is an innovative concept towards qualitative enhancement in elementary education through intervention in school building infrastructure. The development goals of BaLA project are: To provide access and to retain –CwSN children in school, To promote the sense of equity among students and; To deliver quality education basis children needs to promote inclusiveness.
To make the BaLA elements more child friendly and inclusive, i-BaLA was adapted for Hearing Impaired, Mentally Retarded and Visually Impaired children with an aim to develop inclusive setting in schools. The key features adopted for i-BaLA are location, size, content, eligibility, colour scheme, Orientation Reference Locator (ORL), line and edges, etc.
Question 3
The initiative must impact positively a group or groups of the population (i.e. children, women, elderly, people with disability, etc) and address a significant issue of public service delivery within the context of a given country or region.
a. Please explain how the initiative has addressed a significant issue related to the delivery of public services (200 words maximum)
As per a survey undertaken in September-October 2016, there were a total of 1,06,713 Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in the age group of 6-14 years in Gujarat. Out of this, 92,633 are enrolled in schools. To provide quality education to these many children and to get the Out-of-School (OoS) CwSN children enrolled in school was a challenge which the SSA, Gujarat which is addressed very effectively through the BaLA initiative.
The development goals of BaLA project are: To provide access and to retain –CwSN children in school, To promote the sense of equity among students and, To deliver quality education basis children needs to promote inclusiveness. To make the BaLA elements more child friendly and inclusive, i-BaLA was adapted for Hearing Impaired, Mentally Retarded and Visually Impaired children with an aim to develop inclusive setting in schools. The key features adopted for i-BaLA are location, size, content, eligibility, color scheme, Orientation Reference Locator (ORL), line and edges, etc.
b. Please explain how the initiative has impacted positively a group or groups of the population within the context of your country or region (200 words maximum)
BaLA is about exploring uniqueness of three dimensional space as a playful learning aid for all children to promote inclusivity in education. It is an innovative concept towards qualitative enhancement in elementary education through intervention in school building infrastructure.
As per a survey undertaken in September-October 2016, there are a total of 1,06,713 Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in the age group of 6-14 years in Gujarat. Out of this, 92,633 are enrolled in schools. To provide quality education to these many children and to get the Out-of-School (OoS) CwSN children enrolled in school is a challenge which the SSA, Gujarat is addressing through the project BaLA.
Question 4
The initiative must present an innovative idea, a distinctively new approach, or a unique policy or approach implemented in order to realize the SDGs in the context of a given country or region.
a. Please explain in which way the initiative is innovative in the context of your country or region (200 words maximum)
As per survey undertaken in September-October 2016, Gujarat has achieved over 86% enrolment of CwSN children in the age group of 6-14 to the schools. Inclusivity is new to Indian context. The concept of BaLA is developed by Vinyãs, Centre for Architectural Research & Design, with support from UNICEF for promoting equity and inclusivity in education. Specifically in Gujarat, SSA is working towards achieving the goal of enrolling 100% CwSN candidates in 6-14 year age group as per RTE Act-2009 to school.
SSA has provided various facilities to promote inclusive education in the state of Gujarat. One, Aids and appliances, are provided to the Orthopedically Handicapped (OH) & Hearing Impaired (HI) Children. Total 1,902 OH children have availed aids and appliances and training on its utility. Two, Transport and escort allowance, are provided to CwSN for attending school. Total 17,342 children were provided Transport allowance and escort facilities during the year 2016-17. Three, Corrective Surgeries, per the Survey and budget allocation in the year 2016-17, total 65 major and minor surgery are done. Four, Teacher trainings, are being organized for the purpose of developing capacity of project staffs, regular teachers, SMC members and parents.
Question 4b
b. Please describe if the innovation is original or if it is an adaptation from other contexts (If it is known)? (200 words maximum)
Inclusive Education is at the core of the work SSA is doing in Gujarat. The concept of inclusive education is very new in Indian context. Inclusivity becomes even more important in the context of Gujarat seeing the vast population of CwSN children in the state. As per a survey undertaken in September-October 2016, there are a total of 1,06,713 Children with Special Needs (CWSN) in the age group of 6-14 years in Gujarat. Out of this, 92,633 are enrolled in schools. To provide quality education to these many children and to get the Out-of-School (OoS) CwSN children enrolled in school is a challenge which the SSA, Gujarat is addressing through the project BaLA.
SSA is implementing the RTE Act-2009 with the key objective being: the universalization of elementary education. Under SSA, efforts have been made to provide equal opportunities in the school activities and quality based inclusive education to Children with Special Needs (CwSN) and soon after the age appropriate enrollment of children in the school, parents of differently able children have been nominated as member of School Management Committee (SMCs) in the Schools.
Question 4c
c. What resources (i.e. financial, human , material or other resources, etc) were used to implement the initiative? (200 words maximum)
Resource Rooms, SSA Gujarat has setup Resource Rooms, wherein a total of 255 Resource Rooms are setup that are well equipped with: Group Hearing Systems (GHS), Visually Impaired (VI) Kits, Mentally Retarded (MR) Kits and Speech Kits. A CwSN child uses the required equipment here as per guidance provided by experts.
Physiotherapy, Psychotherapy, Speech therapy and other children related therapies are provided at Resource Rooms. Total 8,650 Children are benefited from Resource Room Services and therapy support during 2016-17.
Aids and appliances, are provided to the Orthopedically Handicapped (OH) & Hearing Impaired (HI) Children as per their requirements and recommendation from experts during their assessment. Total 1,902 OH children are availed aids and appliances and training on its utility.
Transport and escort allowance, are provided to CwSN for attending school. Total 17,342 children were provided Transport allowance and escort facilities during the year 2016-17.
Corrective Surgeries, per the Survey and budget allocation in the year 2016-17, total 65 major and minor surgery are done.
Teacher trainings, are being organized for the purpose to develop capacity of project staffs, regular teachers, SMC members and parents.
Question 5
The initiative should be adaptable to other contexts (e.g. other cities, countries or regions). There may already be evidence that it has inspired similar innovations in other public-sector institutions within a given country, region or at the global level.
a. Has the initiative been transferred to other contexts?
Yes
Yes
BaLA Project is exploring uniqueness of three dimensional space as a playful learning aid for all children to promote inclusivity in education. There is a need to provide for educational opportunities and provision of arrangements to provide these specially-abled children education in their surrounding for the sake of equity.
State’s Road & Building Department, Health department have taken up the initiatives of making the government premises, building more inclusive and providing access facilities for specially-abled visitors in their premises. This is a step forward in line of making our society inclusive.
The same is applicable many similar educational and training institution where similar facilities could be developed. During induction period, they are provided with all the special trainings to assist them later on on-the-job.
Question 6
The initiative should be able to be sustained over a significant period of time.
a. Please describe whether and how the initiative is sustainable (covering the social, economic and environmental aspects) (300 words maximum)
SSA Gujarat has worked towards making the education delivery process inclusive. i-Bala is the recent approach developed by State government to make BaLA elements more child friendly and inclusive.
Inclusive education is the social aspect of BaLA project. School is a place where children learn and grow. Equipping schools with access facilities for CwSN – promotes equity in society. And, upgrading already existing schools with access facilities for CwSN is economically more viable for the department than creating special schools for these kids. Thus, BaLA is about exploring uniqueness of three dimensional space as a child friendly learning resource for all children.
More than 86% of the total CwSN children in the age group of 6-14 are enrolled in schools which is significant. To achieve the 100% target of enrolment and to provide quality education to the already enrolled children, are the challenges which SSA, Gujarat is addressing through the project BaLA.
b. Please describe whether and how the initiative is sustainable in terms of durability in time (300 words maximum)
Yes, the initiative is sustainable.
The project is running for the last 12 years since its inception in 2006. i-Bala is the approach developed by State government to make BaLA elements more child friendly and inclusive. The programme aims to enroll 100% of the children in age group 6-14 years and belonging to all classes, under Right to Education Act-2009 (RTE). For doing this, there is a need to make the teaching process inclusive and uniform in terms of quality across all schools. The infrastructure needs to be developed catering to the special requirements of CwSN candidates.
Gujarat has made significant progress already in enrolling the CwSN candidates to the schools. As per a survey undertaken in September-October 2016, there are a total of 1,06,713 Children with Special Needs (CWSN) in the age group of 6-14 years in Gujarat. Out of this, 92,633 are enrolled in schools.
Question 7
The initiative should have gone through a formal evaluation, showing some evidence of impact on improving people’s lives.
a. Has the initiative been formally evaluated?
Yes
If yes, please describe how the initiative was evaluated? (200 words maximum)
Impact Assessment was conducted by concerned team of SSA during 2016-17 in selected Schools of the state where BaLA project is running.
Criterion of survey:
• Selected schools surveyed in selected districts of Gujarat for evaluating the enrollment and effectiveness of BaLA initiative on CwSN students
b. Please describe the outcome of the evaluation of the impact of the initiative (200 words maximum)
Gujarat has made significant progress already in enrolling the CwSN candidates to the schools. More than 86% of the total CwSN children in the age group of 6-14 are enrolled in schools which is significant. To achieve the 100% target of enrolment and to provide quality education to the already enrolled children, are the challenges which SSA, Gujarat is addressing through the project BaLA.
The innovative way of teachings in BaLA ready Schools have resulted in following outcomes that vouch for the successful running of the program:
• Resource Rooms, SSA Gujarat has setup a total of 255 Resource Rooms, with: Group Hearing Systems (GHS), Visually Impaired (VI) Kits, Mentally Retarded (MR) Kits and Speech Kits. Total 8,650 Children are benefited from Resource Room Services and therapy support during 2016-17.
• Aids and appliances, are provided to the Orthopedically Handicapped (OH) & Hearing Impaired (HI) Children. Total 1,902 OH children are availed aids and appliances and training on its utility.
• Transport and escort allowance, are provided to CWSN for attending school. Total 17,342 children were provided Transport allowance and escort facilities during the year 2016-17.
• Corrective Surgeries, per the survey and budget allocation in the year 2016-17, total 65 major and minor surgery are done.
• Teacher trainings, are being organized for the purpose to develop capacity of project staffs, regular teachers, SMC members and parents.
c. Please describe the indicators that were used (200 words maximum)
Impact Assessment of Smart Schools is done based on Infrastructure, Teachers’ involvement and Training, Students’ enrollment & retention ratio, CAL Lab, and Pragna & BaLA. Indicators for assessment are as follows:
• Students’ enrolment has drastically improved because of the new and engaging way of learning which is helping to attract and retain children. Total enrolment in Std. 1-8 has increased from 66.01 lakh in 2003-04 to 90.12 lakh in 2016-17
• CwSN Students’ enrolment, out of a total of 1,06,713 Children with Special Needs (CwSN) in the age group of 6-14 years in Gujarat – 92,633 are enrolled in schools achieving over 86% enrolment
• The drop-out rates in the schools up to Std. 8 has also significantly decreased from 18.79% in 2004-05 to 6.06% in 2016-17, which lead to a high retention rate of 93.94% for students in Std. 8.
• School Infrastructure along with overall ambiance of school has improved with BaLA component playing a vital role in school ambiance by innovatively developing the space and the built elements to make the existing school architecture more resourceful
Question 8
The initiative must demonstrate that it has engaged various actors such as from other institutions, civil society, or the private sector, when possible.
a. The 2030 Development Agenda puts emphasis on collaboration, engagement, coordination, partnerships, and inclusion. Please describe what stakeholders were engaged in designing, implementing and evaluating the initiative. Please also highlight their roles and contributions (300 words maximum)
The model of initiative was designed after rigorous rounds of consultations with Vinyãs, Centre for Architectural Research & Design, and support from UNICEF and Government of India, for this specific initiative. Opinions from sector experts and educationalists of the state were taken to address the needs while development of the initiative. The detailed framework was designed for implementation by State or through local level / CSR activity.
SSA Gujarat has trained its large team civil engineers at district and block level, several teachers and Head Masters of schools have been trained to plan, implement and effectively use the BaLA concept in Model schools.
Total enrolled CwSN Children as on October 2016 in Government schools in Gujarat is 92,633. Out of this: boy children are 55,047 and girl children are 37,586.
Question 9
a. Please describe the key lessons learned, and any view you have on how to further improve the initiative (200 words maximum)
The programme aims to enroll 100% of the children in age group 6-14 years under Right to Education Act (RTE). For doing this, there is a need to make the teaching process inclusive and uniform in terms of quality across all schools. The infrastructure needs to be developed catering to the special requirements of CwSN candidates.
Gujarat has made significant progress already in enrolling the CwSN candidates to the schools. As per a survey undertaken in September-October 2016, there are a total of 1,06,713 CwSN in the age group of 6-14 years in Gujarat. Out of this, 92,633 are enrolled in schools.
Scope of further improvement:
An implementation framework is revised by covering additional contemporary approaches applied to the schools, following are the further improvements in the programme:
1. Demand based selection of schools by receiving entries from schools
2. Selection of 1 school per Block for all 253 Blocks in 33 Districts
3. Selection of total 2 schools per Block for EBBs and Tribal Blocks