Kishori Chithrapata

- ICTs for
education and empowerment
of adolescent girls

Conference on Learning and Developmental

Needs of Out of School Adolescent Girls, UNESCO
and Plan International, Delhi
March 2010

A project of UNICEF, Mahila Samakhya,

Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan Karnataka
and Centre for Community Informatics and
Development,IT for Change
 Context
 'Mahiti Manthana' program with Mahila Samakhya
in Mysore (GoI and UNDP support)
 Community radio / video / computing

 Kishori Sanghas – out of school girls

 Rural – Poor – Dalit – Girls
 3 Learning Nodes - Attiguppe, Hosavaranchi and
Mahila Shikshana Kendra, Hunsur taluka,
Mysuru district, Karnataka
 ICTs for education and empowerment of kishoris
 Concept
 Adolescence
 Transition from childhood to adulthood
 A journey of exploration, reflection, experiences
 Non existent phase in lives of girls
 Marriage, Mobility
 ICTs
 Subversive tools for learning
 Support enquiry, reflection, peer learning,
collaboration, critical thinking, questioning,
exploring, experiencing, knowledge construction
 Emerging information society is a digital society
 Digital method – has transformed knowledge
construction, storing and sharing
 Content
 Capacity building on camera and video camera
 Computer based educational software tools
 Creation of digital resources from their own
learning
 Audio (community radio)
 Video
 'Techno-Social' or 'Techno-pedagogical' process
 Individual learning processes
 Build collective identity
 Challenges

 Patriarchy in the mind: As a young girl, 'it is difficult for me

to walk a kilometer, what use can this be to me, I feel
shy to come, how can I have a say regarding my
marriage?''I can not come since my mother in law is
sick?, what will people say? ...
 Patriarchy as a culture: I will send my daughters only if you
teach them in the room and not outside'....
 Pace of the project set by socio-cultural factors
 Fear of male gaze
 Household needs priority – sister coming for delivering
child, labour, care taking
 Danger of dropout, marriage
 Outputs so far
 Training modules
 Audio visual resources
 Audio visual training tools
 Short Video clips
 Audio programmes
 Photos taken by Kishoris
 Curriculum from areas of work of Mahila Samakhya
 Literacy, health, legal literacy, local
government, livelihoods
Curriculum Topics
 Process outputs
 Outcomes - Patterns of Change

 Confident and courageous kishoris

 Old Kishoris take up new roles of being mentors
and motivators to the new kishoris
 Many have negotiated marriage postponement
 Kishoris aspire to be 'working women' and start
articulating it
 Sangha women start engaging with adolescent
issues – Facilitating meetings and so on
 Kishoris who didn't speak earlier now not only
answer questions but describe and question
 Ways forward

 ICTs to create curricular digital resources in

participatory manner with adolescents
 Initiate work with Mahila Shikshana Kendras,
KGBVs and NPEGEL schools
 Integrate with mainstream school system
 Work with other NGOs and CBOs working with
adolescents
 Centre for Community Informatics and Development, IT for
Change
 www.ITforChange.net
 Guru@ITforChange.net