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The primary objective of the Bridge Education Centers is to fill gaps in students’ understanding, which could be a result of extended school closures, prolonged periods of absence from classes, or a requirement for developing expertise in language, arts, and mathematics. These centers create a conducive learning atmosphere that enables students to catch up on missed material and progress in their academic grades. Ultimately, the aim is to equip all students with the essential skills and knowledge to excel in their studies.
A baseline study is conducted to study the need-assessment with respect to children who need support to cope up with their lost learning during the pandemic. This includes, scouting for potential evening education centres, availability of a volunteer-educator at the beginning. Later the current levels of knowledge of the enrolled children are assessed through a preliminary test in Maths and language which will be compared again at the end of the year to see what impact does the bridge education centre had on the child's learning outcomes.
The voluntter-teachers/educators are selected based on their education (usually who have completed their graduation and who are pursuing their PG courses) and they are given an initial orientation by the Svarnim Puducherry Education team and the Coordinator for Bridge Education Centtres. This is followed by periodical training programmes evey fortnight on the content to be transacted in the centres on language, math and STEAM education which are all activity based.
In the month of August, Svarnim organized an engaging Training Session for our dedicated volunteers, focusing on the importance of fostering reading habits among the children. As a follow-up to this training, Svarnim distributed the renowned children's magazine, 'Thumbi,' to all our centers. This step marks the beginning of our endeavor to create mini-libraries within each center, providing children with access to a variety of reading materials. We at Svarnim are excited about the prospect of inspiring the children to write their own stories through their exposure to 'Thumbi' Magazine. They are encouraged to create very simple narratives, and their enthusiastic response has been remarkable. We anticipate a continuous improvement in their writing skills as this training method continues. In addition to the emphasis on reading and writing, the Bridge Education Centres offer a range of diverse activities. These include mathematics exercises, engaging crafts, and focused practice on fractions, part-whole relationships, and the identification of simple fractions. There are plans to further explore and expand on these topics in the upcoming months, providing children with enriching educational experiences.
In addition to academic development, the Sri Aurobindo Society Learning Centers place emphasis on physical exercise, including yoga and stretching exercises. Students are encouraged to adopt a daily routine to enhance their fitness, flexibility, and overall well-being. Personal and parental counseling sessions are conducted, offering suggestions for lifestyle modifications. Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials are distributed to children and parents. School physical instructors are enlisted to conduct warm-ups, physical exercises, and stretching activities within their respective schools. During July, approximately 500 students of all ages actively participated in this program at the Bahour Region. The response from school authorities, students, and parents has been overwhelmingly positive. Schools have expressed their desire for regular implementation of such programs.
Svarnim's Bridge Education and ORC teams came together to provide positive mental health support to marginalized students in Puducherry. The two teams worked together to create a program that would address the unique needs of the students. The program included group activities and individual counselling. The program was well-received by students. They appreciated the opportunity to learn new skills and to talk about their challenges.
The Svarnim Puducherry team held a two-day training session in Bahour commune to help improve Tamil literacy among 43 government school children in grades 3-11. Savarimuthu, a B.Ed, led the training. coordinator, and Jancy, a twenty-year-experienced teacher at St. Mary's High School, LIFT. Through interactive exercises and Tamil short stories, the training aimed to increase vocabulary, creative thinking, communication skills, and reading speed. The teacher-educators instructed the students to assemble a Tamil alphabet table using tokens to foster learning and communication and to distinguish between Kuril and Nedil. The children were able to correctly write and emphasize the meanings of Tamil words after the training.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the establishment of the Bridge Education Centers. With schools closed for almost two years, children from underprivileged backgrounds were among the worst affected as they lacked internet connectivity and smartphones to access online education. This led to a learning deficit and a decline in reading, writing, and mathematical proficiency among rural school children.
The Bridge Education Centers were set up with the primary goal of helping these children improve their language skills in Tamil and English, as well as their mathematical abilities. Apart from these subjects, the centers also cover environmental studies, oral history, arts, and aesthetics. The centers are staffed by local, educated youth recruited by SVARNIM, who use experiential learning techniques and incorporate STEAM components to assist children in enhancing their skills.
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