Knowinspirediscoverle arn

Volume 3 Issue 3 May 2013

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contents
04 06 07 08 10 15 17
Pick top-quality leaders for our schools to build Indias future Azim Premji Leadership, Management, and other dangerous terms Anurag Behar
Content Medha Sundar Design Archana Unny Front Cover Photo Aditi Rai

Q&A with Amarjeet Sinha

Photo Collage - Azim Premji University

District Profile - Udham Singh Nagar Analytics Team, Knowledge Resource Centre, Azim Premji Foundation
We hope you enjoy this issue of Kindle; do write to us with your feedback and comments. We also invite you to contribute articles, as well as suggestions on themes or topics you would like us to carry in forthcoming issues. Please write in at : kindle@azimpremjifoundation.org

Governance in Education: View from the Ground S. Giridhar

Andhra Pradesh School Choice Study: A Study on Impact of Medium of Instruction Srinivasulu Barigela

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Editorial

t is our pleasure at Azim Premji Foundation to bring you the third issue of Kindle this year. Kindle is evolving from being a Newsletter from the Foundation to a Magazine from the Foundation; a medium to reach you, our readers, and have a

conversation, and to share some thoughts, ideas and work in education. Kindle carries articles on aspects of education and development in our country. These range from opinions of key people in this space, profiles of the locations we work in, research highlights, to stories about exemplary individuals we come across who are doing amazing work in government schools and education departments. We are continuously looking to be relevant to our readers who are primarily senior officers of the education departments at the state and district level across the country. Please do write to us and let us have your suggestions on making this more useful and relevant to you. This issue features Azim Premjis views on developing leadership in our school system, and our approach to leadership and management principles at the Foundation. An interview with Amarjeet Sinha, Principal Secretary, Department of Education, Government of Bihar, and thoughts on governance in education by S. Giridhar, Registrar and COO, Azim Premji University, offer more thought-provoking opinions. We also profile Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand a district where we have a field institute and have been working for some time. Other offerings include a research study on medium of instruction from the School Choice Study in Andhra Pradesh, and a researchers reflections from the ongoing Mid-day Meal Study that looks at the schemes execution from a public health perspective. This year, the first batch of students passed out from Azim Premji University after successfully completing their courses in MA Education and MA Development; we bring you a glimpse of their last two years. We also showcase an unsung hero a head teacher who has risen above systemic and everyday challenges. We hope you enjoy the spread of articles. We will also be happy to publish some selected stories, research reports, opinions from you. With the new academic year having just started, we wish you and all the children going to schools a year filled with joyous learning, exciting experiences and lots of fun and all-round development.

Azim Premji Foundation

zim Premji Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with an over arching goal to contribute to a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society in India. We strive to facilitate deep, large scale and long-term impact on the quality and equity of

education in India, along with related development areas such as child health, nutrition, governance and ecology. We seek to address these inter-related domains while keeping Education as a core area of focus. Leveraging its rich experience of working at the grassroots level for over a decade, several institutions established by Foundation have been working together in an integrated manner to facilitate improvements in education and allied developmental areas at multiple levels. These are:

Azim Premji University: Azim Premji University is a critical element of this integrated strategy especially in the area of
talent development and knowledge creation through an institutionalized approach.

Azim Premji State and District Institutes: These are vibrant, high quality centres located in district towns and state
capitals of select Indian states. They are the institutional anchors of education of a district, provide the fulcrum to work in other related domains, and serve as expertise centres for our schools, affiliated schools, and partner activities.

Institute for Assessment and Accreditation (IAA): IAA achieves our mission of deep, at-scale and institutionalized
impact on the quality of education by spreading awareness of, and creating demand for, assessment / accreditation-driven quality improvements in the system.

Demonstration Schools: A limited number of demonstration schools have been established for the specific purposes
of providing learning spaces for the University, the IAA and the State/District Institutes and supporting specific elements of the Foundations strategy. These schools provide good quality education at costs and under constraints similar to those of rural government schools.

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Pick top-quality leaders for our schools to build Indias future

- Azim Premji

here are multiple research studies across the world, including India, which attempt to identify schools where

me share a few thoughts in this regard. First, I think it's important that the school leader be the visible custodian of the purpose of education in her school. Else, it is very easy for us to slip into the ritualistic, rote-based, marksdriven education that we see all around us. Being a custodian is not easy as it will require battling many forces and continually convincing many people, but that, I think, is the natural task of any leader. Second, education of this nature requires capable and confident teachers. For this, school leaders need to create an enabling environment where teachers can grow and develop. This requires a culture of trust, experimentation and openness.

learning is genuinely happening, and to understand the factors that influence these outcomes. There are usually a few common factors that are characteristic of those schools where learning really happens. One of the most significant and consistent of these factors is the quality of school leadership. Where the school leadership (principal, head teacher, etc.) is good, the school is often good. I am sure this conclusion doesn't surprise most of us. Before we go any further, let me briefly touch upon what I think is good education. In my view, good education is one that enables the growth and development of the child in multiple dimensions, so that she is able to fulfil and expand her potential, as also to become an active, contributing and concerned citizen of the world. These multiple dimensions of development of the child that I referred to are cognitive, social, emotional, physical and ethical.

Lead from the Front

Third, the kind of education that we have talked about is not merely an outcome of classroom instruction. It's significantly driven by school culture. And the school leader has the most determining role in shaping the school culture. Let's discuss five specific examples in this regard. If we want our children to grow up with democratic values, then our schools must have democratic values. This means that the school leader must be able to foster a culture where there is reasoned discussion about everything, and things are not determined by hierarchy. In such a culture, the merit of each view and argument is the important factor, not who has expressed that view. If we want our children to grow up with a scientific temper and intense curiosity, then the school culture must be that of rigorous inquiry and debate. Questioning must be encouraged, along with coaching for reasoning. If we want our children to grow up emotionally stable and in a state of well-being, then the school culture must be supportive,

Humans, not just Students

While it's implicit in what I have stated, let me still point out that good education is not rote memorization and getting good grades; it's about developing a good human being and an active citizen, so that we have a better society. This understanding of good education that I have shared is certainly not new. It's there in our national policy documents, in the writings of scores of educationists and in our curricular goals. In the context of this broader and deeper purpose of education, the role of a school leader becomes even more important. Let

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encouraging and accepting of the child. The school culture must not be that of fear and punishment. It must help the child discover her interests and abilities, not label them as good or bad. If we want our children to grow and develop with a deep sense of honesty and integrity, then they must see that the school practices integrity and honesty. In a society where integrity and honesty are eroding, schools and school leaders can play an anchoring role. For this, the school leader will have to build a culture of integrity in the school, which is visible in the relationships between children and teachers, within the teachers and school staff, and with the school leader. Finally, if we want our children to grow up with social sensitivity and responsibility, then our schools have to be socially sensitive. A school being socially sensitive is reflected in the issues that are discussed in the school, in the language that these issues are discussed, and also in the kind of things that the school may engage in with the society around.

But social sensitivity is reflected even more visibly in schools in another way, which children learn from every day: in the way the school treats each individual, especially the powerless. If the school treats the children and the housekeeping staff the most powerless in a school environment with respect, dignity and care, that is what the children will learn.

A Better Society
I have tried to emphasise that education that develops a good human being and a good citizen needs a lot more than classroom instruction. This is why school leadership must be a critical area of work and investment across the country. And good education is one of the most important methods of building a better society.

This article was first published in Economic Times

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Leadership, Management, and other dangerous terms

have often noticed these terms being treated with trepidation and suspicion, amongst my friends

There is a traditional (only one among many) way of describing management as a composite set of activities that include Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Reviewing, Problemsolving, Monitoring, Executing, and feedback loops for all these. Like all lists, this can be extended, contracted, etc. Management, like accounting or education, is, in a wide sense, a social science, and is unlikely to have any final theory. Theory in these domains is provisional, fallible, contextual. But there is enough that we know about management and effective management practices over the years. What about Leadership? Leadership/Leading can be either a property of actions or persons. Much confusion has resulted from the allegedly excessive use of Leadership concepts and the auras attached to leaders. On the other hand, a myopia of equal measure has resulted from efforts to steadfastly ignore the role played (and to be played) by people who are leaders by design, circumstance or accident. Be that as it may, the question of whether leadership is important (how, why etc.) need not be the most important issue to be resolved before any progress can be made in the debate, or for actions to be taken, which have to. In the Azim Premji Foundation (including the University)

and colleagues who work in Education. I am myself a

vocal advocate of keeping at bay Business School style management and leadership thinking (and acting). However, I am writing this note, just to point out that the pendulum must not swing to the other side; we must not throw out Management in itself, from our thinking and acting, in (and for) Education.

Some simple points:

Education is a complex activity to which most modern societies commit very substantial resources (financial, human, technological and other). One indicator is the share of the sector in the GDP. It is just under 4% for India. In addition, it is also a large share of public expenditure. Education accounts for a substantial share of public employment as well. Such complex activities to which societies commit huge resources (public and private) immediately give rise to two further imperatives: the Public Policy dimension and the Management dimension. When public resources are committed to any sector or activity, it is important that there should be a policy framework within which resource-use and decision-making take place. Since Education is a normative and contested area (like Health, Defence, and so on), the involvement of civil society, academics, and other kinds of experts is always desirable. They can improve and inform the quality of the debate, and hopefully help improve what actually happens in Education. When resources are committed, their use is guided by the normative policy framework. However, resource-use actually happens within the management dimension. Management, in this context is, broadly, about the effective and efficient use of resources toward particular ends. Two normative ideas govern the nature of management - efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency is about the optimal use of resources given particular ends/objectives. Effectiveness is a wider term that includes the ability to question, review and modify actions and decisions dynamically in changing and ambiguous contexts (taking account of a wider set of concerns than just efficiency).

we recognize that Education, for all the reasons mentioned above, is a key social sector that needs excellence (ethical, purposive, effective) in Policy-making and Management. Achieving that is a matter of both knowledge and preparation of persons to function well, responsibly, ethically, effectively. And that, anyway, is what education is partly about. Finally, managing/mismanaging, leading/misleading are taking place in Education as we read this, and will continue to. Which is why they require engagement, if we are bothered about good education in the country.

Excerpted from an email from Anurag Behar to members of Azim Premji Foundation

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Q&A with Amarjeet Sinha

marjeet Sinha is the Principal Secretary, Department of Education, Government of Bihar.

Q. So what do you think are areas which could have improved, A.

but they didnt and remained where they were? The quality of the classroom process in particular, is the biggest dampener. On the positive side, there are now more classrooms, more schools, more students in schools, less outof-school children, and these are all very positive developments. But the real dampener is the classroom processes and learning achievements of children the outcomes not having improved.

He has had the unique distinction of having played a major role in designing Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Indias main programme for universal elementary education) and the National Rural Health Mission. He has also been training Indian Administrative Service Officer Trainees at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie on the social sector over the last decade and a half. Amarjeet has published six books and a large number of articles in several books and reputed journals. He recently launched his latest book, An India for Everyone - A Path to Inclusive Development.

Q.

What, in your opinion, are the key things that should be

A. I feel at least the challenges of large public systems must

be recognized, and a societal movement ought to be built to ensure that these are honoured for every citizen, by making use of all government and non-governmental resources which are available. That is really the challenge.

done to achieve these?

Q. You have been closely involved with the SSA and the NHRM
and obviously have deeper insights on the areas of education and health. What do you think are the systemic changes and challenges which have made themselves visible over the last 15 years? Basically, primary education and primary health is the

A.

Q. And what would make the political machinery deliver? Is it A.

a sort of public demand? Ultimately a lot of the aspirations and priorities of the

entitlement of every citizen that argument seems to be building in our democracy as it deepens. The RTE Act 2009, the constitutional amendment to make it a fundamental right, the programme of Sayva Shiksha Abhiyan these are programmes which are universal programmes, these are not incremental goals, these were rights-based programmes. From that point of view, clearly the focus is shifting, from an incremental goal to honoring the rights and entitlements of citizens that is a change. But the preparedness for it was inadequate, and because of that, over time, a lot of problems and challenges are being thrown up. The RTE is throwing up a whole lot of issues on teacher development, teaching training institutions, issues of general development of schools, accountability with community, provisioning. The biggest problem is how do you change the classroom processes? I think thats where institutions like the Azim Premji University play a very important role, in trying to address that key element in education not translating to what it ought to. I think therefore, the real challenge is, how one makes the classroom different so that more children achieve the levels of achievement which are expected of them at the end of their schooling.

political class are determined by what the electorate wants. When the electorate demands more quality education and health, it has to provide that. Many a time it doesnt happen because many other primordial loyalties often are good enough for securing electoral victories and alliances; primordial loyalties of religion, in caste, increased of a region. The deepening of democracy would reflect the societal deepened commitment. I think ultimately challenge democracy is the challenge of an electorate which holds the political class accountable for human well-being.

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The Azim Premji University is committed to developing outstanding leaders in Education and Development. It offers postgraduate programmes in Education and Development and is home to an exceptional faculty group and a diverse student body with over 200 students across 2 batches. The first batch of students from Azim Premji University is ready to pass out on May 15, 2013. The batch comprises 85 students of which 40 completed the M.A. Education programme and 45 completed the M.A. Development programme. Around 70 faculty members an exceptional faculty group of leading academicians and field practitioners in education and development are teaching across programmes. So far, 95% of interested students from the batch have been placed. Here are some glimpses of their last two years at the University.

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District Profile: Udham Singh Nagar

- Analytics Team, Knowledge Resource Centre, Azim Premji Foundation

District Overview

dham Singh Nagar is located at the southernmost edge of the state of Uttarakhand. Its neighbouring districts are Bijnour, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, and Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, located to its south, and Champawat and Nainital in Uttarakhand,

located to its north. It is one of the Tarai districts of the state.

Villages Population Population Density Sex Ratio Literacy Arable Land Forest Land Non Arable Land Total Farmers

688 1648367 648 919 74.44 279447 Hectare 97738 Hectare 3513 85641

Source: District Information Brochure, Udham Singh Nagar The geographical area of the district is 2542 sq. km., which is 4.75 per cent of the states total geographical area. The electoral constituencies and administrative divisions of Tehri Garhwal are as follows: Parliamentary Constituencies: 1 Assembly Constituencies: 14 (Bajpur 2, Jaspur 2, Kashipur 2, Khatima 2, Kiccha, Nanak Matta, PantnagarGadarpur, Rudrapur-Kichha, Sitarganj - 2) Administrative Blocks (tehsils): 7 (Khatima, Sitarganj, Kichha, Gadarpur, Bazpur, Kashipur, Jaspur)

Demography Overview
Population Area (sq. km.) Population Udham Singh Nagar 2542 1648367 % of State 4.75% 16.29% Rank in State 9/13 3/13 Max in State 8030 (Chamoli) 1927029 (Hardwar) Min in State 1955.26 (Bageshwar and Champawat) 236857 (Rudraprayag)

Total Population Male Female

Rural

Urban

0-6 Population Male Female

Rural 77086 69380 65.55%

Urban 40770 36209 34.45% 52.74% 47.26%

550311 511530 64.42%

308595 277931 35.58%

52.11% 47.89%

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Decadal Growth Rate (2001-2011) Udham Singh Nagar (Male) Udham Singh Nagar (Female) Uttarakhand (Male) Uttarrakhand (Female)

Rural 26.61% 28.54% 11.70% 10.98%

Urban 43.65% 47.69% 38.97% 45.27%

Total 32.24% 34.69% 19.15% 19.19%

Social Category Share (2001 census) ST SC

Udham Singh Nagar 8.88% 13.2%

State

Rank in State

3% 18%

1/13 13/13

This is a district with a large and densely packed population. The reason is that it is mainly an industrial district. The most remarkable feature is the rapid growth in population, both in rural and urban areas over the decade 2001-2011. This is likely to be due to immigration in search of employment opportunities. There is also a large proportion of ST population. The sex ratio is slightly skewed in favour of males. The main tribal population of the district consists of the Tharu and Buksa tribes. A small number of households also belong to various generic tribes as well. Udham Singh Nagar was a portion of district Nainital before 30/09/1995.

2. Economic Activity Overview

Expenditure and Poverty Udham Singh Nagar Uttarakhand

Per Capita Income (2008-9) 26082 (6/13) 4015926

Rural MPCE (Rs.) (2004) 714 (3/13) 648

Urban MPCE (Rs.) (2004) 746 (11/13) 978

Rural %poor (2004) 45.7 (3/13) 40.7

Urban %poor (2004) 48.9 (3/13) 36.5

The largest contributors in the District Domestic Product (DDP) of the district are construction and manufacturing. Despite the importance of the secondary sector, however, the primary sector also plays a significant role in the economy, contributing 22 per cent of the DDP. This is much higher than its contribution at the state level about 16 per cent. Despite the progress of these sectors, poverty levels both in rural and urban areas are high in the district, with almost half of the population below the poverty line. MPCE in rural areas is one of the highest in the district, and this together with high rural poverty indicates that rural inequality is high.

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3. Elementary Education Overview

Literacy Rate Persons Total Udham Singh Nagar Uttarakhand Source: Census 2011 Teachers Total PTR Grad Teachers % Prof. Qual. Teachers % Udham Singh Nagar 8323 35.56 38.77 78.67 State 68605 23.10 33.09 81.23 Rank 1/13 1/13 1/13 8/13 74.44% 79.63% Rural 72.97% 77.11% Urban 77.08% 85.2% Male Total 82.48% 88.33% Rural 81.99% 87.63% Urban 83.36% 89.78% Female Total 65.73% 70.7% Rural 63.32% 66.79% Urban 70.13% 80.02%

Total Enrolment in Government School School Category Total Enrollment Gender wise Enrolment Total Enrolment in other institutions School Category Total Enrolment Gender-wise Enrolment Source: DISE -2011-12 data Male 18609 PS 32642 Female 14033 Male 46032 PS 94081 Female 48049

137312 UPS 43231 Male 19164 48071 UPS 15429 Male 8970 Female 6459 Female 24067

Due to its large and dense population, Udham Singh Nagar has large numbers of teachers and student enrolment in the state. Despite that, the PTR is the highest in the state. Also, since it has the highest ST population among all the districts in the state, ST enrolment is also the highest. However, the number of teachers is not proportionately high, reflected in the high school-child ratio. It has the largest proportion of graduate teachers, but few teachers have professional qualifications.

Educational Achievement
As indicated by ASER 2011 results: Performance in educational attainment in the district is lower than the state average. Only in terms of the percentage of children who can recognize numbers does the district fare somewhat better than the state average.

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Reading ability:
In terms of reading ability, the percentage of children of Std. III and IV who could read a Std. I textbook or more in Udham Singh Nagar is 61.9% The percentage of children of Std. I and II who can read letters, words or more, is 77.8%

Math ability:
The percentage of children of Std. I and II who could recognise numbers 1-9, is 80.5 % The percentage of children of Std. III and IV who could do subtraction or more, is 47.5%.

Azim Premji Foundation District Institute, Udham Singh Nagar

Udham Singh Nagar is a heavily industrialized district of Uttarakhand, sitting in the foothills of the Himalayas. Azim Premji Foundation has had a presence here since the Learning Guarantee Programme. After shifting from a programmatic mode to institutionalized presence, the Foundation established a District Institute in Udham Singh Nagar to play the role of an educational anchor in the district. During the first two years, the team had identified the following areas of intervention to work in: Direct engagement in schools: The team has been directly engaged with three schools of one cluster in each block with a three pronged approach of academic support, community mobilization, and school management. Capacity enhancement of individuals and functionaries: This was the primary objective of all activities undertaken. Communication and synergy: Creating a conducive environment for quality education, generating visibility and thus creating a sort of social pressure. Library and Activity Centre: The institute has a fully equipped library and e-library with a large collection of books related to education and development. Resources include updated workshop material like teaching learning material (TLM), reading material, and modules of different workshops conducted. Research and Development: Focus was on work of district profiling, academic research, impact assessment, module development, action research, and case studies.

Current Status of the District Institute

With a team of more than 50 members, the District Institute (DI) is a continuously evolving structure. In the process of reshaping the strategies, some core areas of engagement are being retained as they were, while newer relevant dimensions are being added. During the current academic year of 2013-14, the District Institute has identified two core areas of functioning: Teacher Capacity Enhancement and Educational Leadership and Management. Supporting to these two areas are, Communication & Engagement, which would act as a multiplier, and Research, which would act as an enabler. Teacher Capacity Enhancement: The DI has been engaged in teacher capacity enhancement since its inception. Working with more than 6000 teachers of Primary and Upper Primary Government Schools has been the priority area. The engagement is primarily divided into two areas, i.e. Pre-Service and In-Service for intense involvement, and some independent initiatives with teachers to create an academic environment and positive restlessness among them, such as creating and working with informal and resource groups of teachers, facilitation in academic training and discourse.

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Education Leadership & Management: The Foundations strategy is based on the fact that the leadership of educational functionaries is a key component through which the education system and academic outcomes of schools can be effectively guided. We focus on school leaders and educational functionaries. To support these functionaries, Development Need Analysis (DNA) has been used as a tool to develop modules, followed by relevant training. In a first phase of training, about 500 heads of schools have been trained over the year and the follow-up mechanism is in the phase of development. Communication and Engagement (C&E): The objective is to communicate achievements in issues related to academics within the district. It uses the platforms of Library and Activity Centres at each block, publications, and distribution of various magazenes like Pravah, InFocus, Sandarbh. Organizing Large Scale Interactive Process (LSIP) with educational functionaries and Sangam, engaging young students from various educational institutes through seminars, symposia and meetings are other key C&E activities. Research: The objective is to strengthen the culture of collaborative knowledge creation and support the team in achieving its goals by leveraging knowledge as resource.

The Azim Premji Foundation team at Udham Singh Nagar

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Governance in Education: View from the Ground

S. Giridhar

he government is almost always seen as some large monolith with the result that when one sees poor or

head. Two years ago, when the Principal Secretary, School Education, in a North Indian state requested us to work with them to revamp and establish the primacy of the DIETs in her state, we asked her one question: Do you personally interview and ratify the appointment of the DIET Principal? The answer was No. So we suggested that if DIETs are so crucial, then the Principal Secretary must participate in the selection of the DIET Principal. This is a signal that the state means business and that only the best can become the head of DIET. There will be greater chances that only competent candidates will be put forward, nipping nepotism and favouritism. And the odds will be brighter for a more effective DIET. Already at MHRD, work has begun apace to seriously revamp teacher education (both pre-service and in-service). That kind of macro-level systemic change may take a few years, but a Principal Secretary of a state can introduce a process right away whereby the Principal Secretary will personally participate in the final interview for selection of DIET principals.

ineffective governance, one blames the system and expects that cleansing and improvement will somehow happen with some sweeps of a magic broom. However the truth is that the government like all organizations, is made up of people, some terrific and some terrible, each linked in such complicated structures that we only see one composite indistinct ogre. If we accept this, it enables us to appreciate that opportunities exist at multiple levels of the system for sustainable institutional change and improved governance. I will attempt to explain this from our experiences with Indias education system. Indias education system definitely needs path-breaking shift in policy and these can be in areas of performance management or examinations or teacher education and so on. At the same time, there is enormous potential for a number of smaller steps at varying levels of the system. Why are these smaller steps important? Simply because, even as we advocate and create pressure for the major changes required for good governance, critical and effective steps can simultaneously move the needle forward. Here are some illustrations from our work with the government education system in various states.

At the Block level:

Debate on good governance often comes to a grinding halt with the argument that functionaries in the education system operate in very constricting circle of control and circle of influence and therefore can only execute instructions handed down from the top. But we have seen this argument blown to bits and here are examples, from Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. When we introduced in a limited manner, the concept of competency-based tests to replace rote-based tests both as classroom process and as the usual exams the Block Education Officers of more than a few blocks took the initiative to spread this among all schools. They invested personal time and energy but also got their system machinery to pull its weight behind this initiative. These officers defined their circle of control and influence differently. That is why they were able to introduce into the system, what they believed was a new good practice.

At the State level:

In the Indian education system, the District Education Officers post is the one coveted by functionaries. An equivalent position in terms of seniority and rank is that of the Principal of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). The DIET is responsible for the pre-service and in-service education and training of teachers. Everyone agrees that the quality of pre-service and in-service teacher education is critical to the quality of education our children receive in schools. And yet nobody seems keen to be the Principal of the DIET as this role is not treated with the same seriousness as the administrative

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At the Head Teacher level:

schools to track their own progress against certain goals. Unlike the usual top down policy this was through painstaking workshops with teachers and head teachers to share with them the rationale and the benefit of such an initiative. I have written about this in more detail elsewhere, but I mention it here because this is an example of a good practice being institutionalized at a district without any need for sweeping policy. Parents, children and community at large they know when something good is happening; they know when the teachers are putting in their best. They develop respect and affection for their school and set in motion a virtuous process.

Something that often finds its way to newspapers is that schools have not received their text books and free uniforms for children in time for the beginning of the new academic year. Immediately one imagines inefficiency and poor governance. We ran a program some years ago where we were able to identify outstanding government schools. Admittedly they were a small minority while the others in their region were either ordinary or downright bad. We did a research into factors that differentiate these outstanding schools. One of the very interesting nuggets our study threw up was the fact that 100 percent of outstanding schools reported that they got their books and uniforms in time while more than 70% of the other schools complained that they had not received these in time. It required little probing to understand that the head teachers of outstanding schools had ensured that their representative went well in time to the Block headquarters to pick up their quota while the others waited for the Block Education Office to arrange its dispatch to their schools.

The power of praise:

Even within the limitations of the current system (read governance) it is possible to institute a fair and visible reward and recognition system. In our work on the ground so far, we have been able to identify numerous head teachers, teachers, and education functionaries doing outstanding work. They have been recognized and feted by their government, but it stops at that. Therefore an outstanding math teacher never becomes a resource person for her district or even her block but continues teaching in her school. The loss is not hers but that of the state. If reward and recognition systems can also become a source for identifying the best people for greater roles and responsibilities, one would have another lever for good governance.

Motivation, clarity and governance:

There is a connection between high motivation, a clear line of sight to outcomes and good governance. In Uttarakhand, where we work closely with the district education department in two districts, an initiative called School Progress Plan took root because the district administrators and the academic functionaries were able to come together and train and motivate

The author is Registrar, Azim Premji University This article was first published in Good Governance Magazine

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Andhra Pradesh School Choice Study: A Study on Impact of Medium of Instruction

- Srinivasulu Barigela

Introduction
The medium of instruction should be understandable to teachers and students. It should also enable them to attain comfort levels such that they can both deliver and receive messages using the chosen medium. Farani (1990) described the characteristics necessary for a language in order for it to be adopted as a medium of instruction. These are: The language should be lucid and understandable for the teachers and the taught. It should be possible to promote advanced research work in that language. It should have a simple, not complicated grammatical structure. It must have a rich vocabulary. It should be considered a language, spoken and understood all over the state. Mostly, educational experts recommend that the mother tongue of a child should be adopted as the medium of instruction at the primary level. Zubair (1993) proposed the mother tongue be the medium of instruction at the primary level and argued that, Ideally, the medium of instruction of a child living in its own language environment should be the mother tongue. Children should be taught in their mother tongue and the second language i.e. English, should be adopted/taught as a subject.

Great Debate
The medium of instruction is a matter of great debate among teachers, educationists and parents. The majority of teachers and academicians say that English should not be the medium of instruction but should be taught as a subject right from the very beginning of school. However, parents in rural areas too say that English should be the medium of instruction at all levels since it is a widely used international language. It has (as a medium of instruction and as a subject) its roots in colonial India, when the controversy between the Orientalists and Occidentalists (Ahmad, 1997) began at the time the British Government was creating educational policy for India. The present paper aims at analyzing the effects of medium of instruction on students achievements in the subjects Telugu and Maths at the primary level.

Background of Andhra Pradesh School Choice (APSC) Study

The School Choice experimental research study is being conducted by the Azim Premji Foundation in a collaborative mode with the Government of Andhra Pradesh. This study is part of a larger initiative between the Foundation and the Government of Andhra Pradesh called Andhra Pradesh Randomized Evaluation Study (APRESt) whereby various policy options in education are being piloted and evaluated systematically. These studies have been carried out in 5 districts representing all the regions of Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Kadapa, Medak, and Nizamabad. The objective of these studies is to find the best ways to use the governments human and financial resources to improve the learning levels in rural primary schools. The APSC Project provides a randomly selected sample of government school children with scholarships to enable them to attend private schools of their choice in their villages; this is to understand the contribution of private recognised schools on the learning levels of children. The scholarship is intended for students who were studying in kindergarten (KG) and grade 1 in the school year 2007-2008. The scholarship is worth Rs.

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3,000 per year per child.

the same language as the medium of instruction in the private school too, and they performed well without any language barriers. Whereas the scholarship students who have opted for English as the medium as instruction have experience neither in English as a subject nor in English as the medium of instruction; hence they have begun English as a subject as well as English as the medium of instruction only after attending private schools. Their problems were augmented in the private schools and teachers too concentrated mainly only on English as a subject. Therefore, these students have performed well in English alone and their performance in other subjects like Telugu and Maths deteriorated. and means of effective Table: 1: Students performance in Base line:
Assessment Scores Medium/Subject Baseline 2007-2008 Telugu 47.60 45.22 46.89 Maths 31.93 25.48 30.12 Total 43.17 41.14 42.57

Objectives of AP School Choice study:

To rigorously evaluate the impact of providing school choice to disadvantaged children in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, both on children who receive the choice as well as the aggregate impact on education outcomes for all children in villages where the school choice program is implemented. To disseminate the results of the impact evaluation of the school choice program to inform primary education policy in AP, India, and beyond. To understand the ways implementation of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act to all children of age 6 to 14 years.

Objectives of this Paper

To compare the achievement of English and Telugu medium primary school students in the subjects of Telugu, Maths and English. To compare the teacher characteristics of private and government schools and the contribution of this to the learning achievements of students.

Telugu Medium English Medium Total

The scholarship students who have chosen Telugu as the medium of instruction in AP School Choice performed well in both subjects in the baseline as well as subsequent years. At the time of baseline, all students were in government schools and were studying in Telugu medium only. The table presented here was to understand the performance of the students in the baseline in Telugu and Maths. At the time of baseline, the scholarship students were in Anganwadi and Class 1 in government schools. Table: 2: Students Performance in Lower End Line (LEL) and Higher End Line (HEL) 2008-2009:
Assessment Scores Medium/Subject Telugu Medium English Medium Total LEL 2008-2009 Telugu 53.29 39.77 49.15 Maths 44.53 26.81 39.05 Total 32.42 23.14 29.66 Telugu 41.52 32.87 38.89 HEL 2008-2009 Maths 37.13 25.77 33.68 English 38.45 37.13 37.90 Total 16.34 18.93 17.11

Impact of Medium of Instruction on students performance

Having the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, especially at an early age would facilitate the teaching process of teachers and the understanding and learning ability of students that is necessary at the primary level, either in private schools or government schools. In the AP School Choice Study, there were 1980 scholarship students who opted for both Telugu and English as mediums of instructions in private schools. After completion of 4 years in AP School Choice, the scholarship students who have opted for Telugu as the medium of instruction performed well in the subjects of Telugu and Maths subsequently over the 4 years. On the other hand, the students who have opted for English as the medium of instruction performed well in the subject of English in a few subsequent years. The reason could perhaps be that the scholarship students have experienced Telugu medium when they were in government schools before accepting scholarship and executing their school choice. So, the Telugu medium students have continued

Telugu medium students have performed well in the both rounds of the assessments i.e. Lower End Line and Higher End Line. The teachers engagement in private schools and parents support to them also added value towards their continuous better performance in the learning assessments and other exams in private schools.

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Table: 3: Students Performance in LEL and HEL 20092010:

Assessment Scores Medium/Subject Telugu Medium English Medium Total LEL 2009-2010 Telugu 44.71 42.13 43.85 Maths 36.53 29.20 34.09 Total 32.47 29.15 31.39 HEL 2009-2010 Telugu 43.74 41.96 43.15 Maths 34.75 31.69 33.75 English 43.68 41.75 43.04 Total 18.47 30.21 21.06

medium of instruction is putting the scholarship students at a disadvantage in their performance in learning assessments. The use of English as the medium of instruction indeed contributed to their performance in English at least. It is a positive contribution to scholarship students that their performance in English as a subject improved. The medium of instruction should be the native language at least in primary education so that students get adapted to the subjects. A change in the medium of instruction midterm would not only be disruptive but also counterproductive. Telugu as the medium of instruction would contribute to the improvement of scholarship students in Maths and other subjects including English. Scholarship students from Telugu medium of instruction have performed well in the competences of mechanical and conceptual questions in Telugu and Maths of all the learning assessments in subsequent years in the AP School Choice study. It also confirms that having the native language as the medium of instruction would in fact develop conceptual learning among the students at the level of primary school. Change in the medium of instruction midway through primary education would indeed make students unlearn what they have learned in all the subjects through their

Telugu medium students have continued to dominate in Telugu and Maths in both rounds of the assessment in the second year too. The English medium students have performed comparatively poorly in Telugu and Maths because they have changed the medium of instruction from Telugu to English when they joined private schools with scholarship as part of AP School Choice. This could be because they had to start from the basics and fundamentals in all the subjects and more emphasis has been put on English by the teachers in private schools. Hence, the English medium students have performed well in English in some of the years. Table: 4: Students Performance in LEL and HEL 20102011:
Assessment Scores Medium/Subject Telugu Medium English Medium Total LEL 2010-2011 Telugu 54.81 51.61 53.98 Maths 47.13 46.21 46.89 Total 50.95 48.91 50.42 Telugu 33.44 29.69 32.47 HEL 2010-2011 Maths 22.46 18.69 21.48 English 41.63 52.20 44.36 Total 34.31 37.21 35.06

Telugu medium instruction, especially in Maths and EVS, and they will need to start learning all the subjects afresh through English as the medium of instruction. Scholarship students who entered classes 1 and 2 in private schools for both mediums of instructions have performed differently in competency-based learning assessments. The scholarship students who entered class 2 in private schools have performed well in year 1 and year 2 learning assessments. The scholarship students who entered class 1 in private schools have performed well in the previous year special assessments (Year 3). This communicates that the scholarship students

This year again, Telugu Medium students have performed better in Telugu and Maths than English medium students. The English medium students have performed well in English alone. The difference in the performance of students of both mediums has come down compared to previous years

Summary and Conclusion:

Learning Maths and other subjects through English as the

who entered higher classes with the scholarship have performed well in the beginning of the study. On the other hand, scholarship students who entered a lower class with scholarship have taken some time to acquire basics and fundamentals in Telugu and Maths in private schools and have performed well in later years of competency-based learning assessments.

The author works at Azim Premji Foundation

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