<p>A star on the lapel can go a long way towards keeping students in school and motivating them to learn. This is what the nonprofit Sikshana Foundation found during its interventions in several schools in Karnataka. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Recognising the impact of such ‘student motivation programmes’, the state government has partnered with the NGO to implement a pilot project for three years in Chitradurga and Davangere. The programme will cover 1,519 higher primary schools and 1.18 lakh students in the two districts. <br /><br />It will introduce measures to make the learning process more enjoyable and child-friendly. Every small effort will be rewarded with incentives. “If a student is well-groomed and regular to school, he will be given a green star. If an otherwise shy child asks a question in class, he will be given a white star for academics. Participation in extracurricular activities will be encouraged with a pink star,” said Raj Kumar, director of operations at Sikshana Foundation. <br /><br />According to the 2014 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for rural Karnataka, only 32.8% students in class 7 could subtract and 29% could divide. To improve learning achievements in mathematics, an important component of the programme is the practice books for the subject. “Each student will be given six of these supplementary books in an academic year. Currently, they are at the class 4 level. From the next academic year onwards, the books will be upgraded to match the competency of classes 5-7,” said an official from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). <br /><br />An internal evaluation of schools supported by the nonprofit showed that 71% of their students achieved foundational math skills in 2015-16. <br /><br />The project is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 11 crore under a public-private partnership model in which the government will provide 50% funds and the nonprofit will raise the rest through donations. <br /><br />P C Jaffer, State Project Director, SSA, said, “The government of Karnataka has been working through in-house projects, and with a number of NGOs to improve the quality of learning materials and teaching methods in government schools. Sikshana Foundation has shown that student motivation programmes can be a low-cost but effective input to further improve learning outcomes.” <br /></p>
<p>A star on the lapel can go a long way towards keeping students in school and motivating them to learn. This is what the nonprofit Sikshana Foundation found during its interventions in several schools in Karnataka. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Recognising the impact of such ‘student motivation programmes’, the state government has partnered with the NGO to implement a pilot project for three years in Chitradurga and Davangere. The programme will cover 1,519 higher primary schools and 1.18 lakh students in the two districts. <br /><br />It will introduce measures to make the learning process more enjoyable and child-friendly. Every small effort will be rewarded with incentives. “If a student is well-groomed and regular to school, he will be given a green star. If an otherwise shy child asks a question in class, he will be given a white star for academics. Participation in extracurricular activities will be encouraged with a pink star,” said Raj Kumar, director of operations at Sikshana Foundation. <br /><br />According to the 2014 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) for rural Karnataka, only 32.8% students in class 7 could subtract and 29% could divide. To improve learning achievements in mathematics, an important component of the programme is the practice books for the subject. “Each student will be given six of these supplementary books in an academic year. Currently, they are at the class 4 level. From the next academic year onwards, the books will be upgraded to match the competency of classes 5-7,” said an official from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). <br /><br />An internal evaluation of schools supported by the nonprofit showed that 71% of their students achieved foundational math skills in 2015-16. <br /><br />The project is being undertaken at a cost of Rs 11 crore under a public-private partnership model in which the government will provide 50% funds and the nonprofit will raise the rest through donations. <br /><br />P C Jaffer, State Project Director, SSA, said, “The government of Karnataka has been working through in-house projects, and with a number of NGOs to improve the quality of learning materials and teaching methods in government schools. Sikshana Foundation has shown that student motivation programmes can be a low-cost but effective input to further improve learning outcomes.” <br /></p>