Shikshasetu
In the field of education, the Foundation is involved in various activities like Infrastructure development, patronization and running of schools and Shiksha Setu - A teaching and learning enhancement programme.
It all started with Shardashish School at Sabarmati Ahmedabad which initially had Primary and Secondary Classes. Subsequently, in the year 2019 Higher Secondary classes have been added. All the schools are equipped with modern infrastructure to provide adequate learning to the students.
Shikshasetu: A Teaching-Learning Enhancement Programme
Initiated in year 2011 the Programme aims to improve quality of learning among students in the arena of primary education. In a span of 13 years, the programme has reached 45 primary schools in 40+ villages of Gujarat, 250+ teachers and more than 15000 students and 3500+ parents from economically disadvantaged sections of the rural communities and urban slums. The programme has four main components:
- Assessing the learning levels of each student & identifying gaps
- Providing continuous support and capacity building of teachers in teaching pedagogies, soft skills and ICT based teaching tool
- Providing ICT based adaptive learning tool to students
- Community mobilization for spreading awareness about the importance of education
- Vocational skill development programs
- Transformative approach towards learning Maths and Gujarati
Shardashish: Enhancing School Infrastructure
Under Shardashish initiative various activities like construction of new buildings with state of art facilities, strengthening and modification of existing school infrastructure, mid-day meals and working towards improving delivery and overall management of the school premises have been carried out. Total of 141 rooms in 6 schools (Primary, Secondary and High Secondary levels) benefiting 4000 students have been built which includes:
- Shardashish High School at Chhapi : A new building with 39 rooms including classrooms, science and computer labs, assembly hall and playground has been constructed for making it one of the biggest high schools of Gujarat.
- Shardashish High School at Memadpur : was renovated by strengthening and modifying the earlier school.
- Sharda Mandir Primary School, Indrad : A state of art new building with 22 classrooms, computer labs, and mid-day meals kitchen shed was constructed for in the year 2010.
- Primary School at Akhakhol, Surat : Before intervention of Torrent, the primary school at Akhakhol was a 2 room school. In the year 2013, a new school building with 8 classrooms covering shed and other utilities was constructed. With increase in number of parents enrolling their children in Akhakhol primary school post renovation and consistent increase in attendance, the school now runs up to 8th standard with separate classroom for each standard.
- Baddi School & Community Development Work, Baddi : The Baddi school is situated near the Torrent Group Company’s Pharma plant at Baddi in the State of Himachal Pradesh (India). The Company has been supporting the school since long to ensure proper infrastructure and also personality development of the students by conducting various programmes through involvement of employees and to provide other support with respect to extra-curricular activities and academics. Various community development works at Baddi or its nearby areas are also undertaken directly or along with other organisations..
- School, Panchayat and other infrastructure facilities at Sikkim : Upgradation of School and Panchayat buildings and other infrastructure facilities are required at Sikkim for which the Group contemplates to contribute towards the above activities.
Though providing infrastructure and state of art facilities is an important contribution, however, it is equally important to provide quality learning to the students and improve the soft skills of students as well as teachers in primary education.
Government teachers are trained to teach students through innovative and interactive pedagogies / methodologies, so that students, while gaining conceptual clarity find learning interesting. The cumulative improvement in the learning level was assessed to be 53.18% in the programme’s Phase I (2011-16).
Based on the learnings from Phase I, and feedbacks received from teachers, additional facilities and activities were added in Phase II. The Programme additionally provides for smart digital classrooms, digital aided learning for five subjects through tablets instead of two subjects earlier, enhancing of soft skills of teachers and Parents’ sensitization in children’s education.