Transforming Lives: Women Educators in Education

The cherysh Shiksha learning program trains local women to become Learning Facilitators. Mr. James D’Souza, a high school teacher from Haliyal, selects and trains these young, qualified women. The cherysh saadhan learning program has a fantastic initiative to develop local Learning Facilitators. They select and train young, qualified women from the community to become Shikshas’ educators. Mr. James D’Souza, a high school teacher from Haliyal, coordinates the training program.  He brings his teaching experience from the local high school. He also has an impressive command of functional English from his studies at the Regional Institute of Language. Every week, they have training classes with lots of activities, songs, and plays.  Many trainers have worked hard over the years. They provided hundreds of hours of coaching. With the support of the program, 37 young women from Haliyal have become confident educators. They now have regular incomes.

Training Sessions Enhance Learning Facilitators’ Skills

This academic year kicked off with training sessions for Learning Facilitators, thanks to The Meghshala Foundation. They focused on using the Meghshala App and teaching techniques, helping educators create a better learning environment for students in Haliyal. To start the academic year, several training sessions were conducted. Our Learning Facilitators attended these sessions, which were held in partnership with The Meghshala Foundation. Meghshala designs the digital learning modules that are taught in the Shikshas with the use of tablets. A few training sessions were held over the summer. They focused on the use of the Meghshala App and the accompanying study modules. Our learning facilitators are use the app on tablets they are provided with tablets to teach in the Shikshas. These training covered the different elements in the digital modules. They also explained how the learning facilitators can use them in Shikshas. In June, a two day training session was held and was conducted by Mr. Manjunath Hemapur of Meghshala. This training was more focused on teaching techniques outside of the app. It equipped our Learning Facilitators with more active tools to encourage learning in their Shikshas. They were taught a handful of group activities as a part of this. Some topics were covered to make the learning facilitators understand that each child learns at a different pace. It is important for the children to question and make mistakes to really learn. Our learning facilitators learned a lot about their role in creating a positive learning environment for their students. They understood how their behavior and seriousness are reflected in their students. These leanings will make the learning facilitators more efficient. Our Shikshas will also become more efficient in imparting learning. This improvement will enhance the quality of education available to the children in Haliyal.

CherYsh Educator Program

Women empowerment is one of the cornerstone principles at CherYsh. Another pivotal program under this principle is the “CherYsh Educator Program.” This program aims to empower local women as teachers, helping to meet the educational needs for the young children of their communities. English, science and maths teachers, often referred to locally as “Learning Facilitators” undergo over 50 hours of in-person sessions and supplementary online training that focuses on pedagogy, technology, and subject coaching. Modules incorporate interactive activities, songs, and play to create an engaging learning experience. This approach has transformed over 200 women into confident educators and master trainers with stable incomes. Their societal dignity contributes to improved learning outcomes for the rural children they teach. Key Partnerships Supporting the Program CherYsh has developed one of the most widely recognized Learning Facilitator Training Programs in rural India. Collaborating with esteemed institutions such as the Council for Technical Education (CFTE), Pi Jam, Raspberry Pi, KLE Technological University, Intel Corporation, and Deshpande Private Industrial Training Institute (DIPTI). As a result, this program underscores excellence in education, technology, and subject matter expertise. Strategic Partners and Focus Areas CFTE E-classroom modules for STEM education. Pi Jam Coding education and master trainer programs. Raspberry Pi Hardware provision and user training KLE Tech University Coaching in English, Math, and Computer Science Intel Corporation Technology infrastructure support. DIPTI Training in multimedia tools. Thoughtworks Software training Program Overview CherYsh identifies and trains young, qualified women from Haliyal’s rural communities to become educators and master trainers in technology for the various CherYsh Shiksha Centers. The 12-month learning facilitator program comprises weekly sessions covering pedagogy, technology integration, and subject-specific coaching (English, Mathematics, and Computing). Each educator is provided with a digital tablet, preloaded with curated content from CherYsh’s strategic partners. Our Differentiation Our Impact Graduates of the program emerge as competent educators with stable incomes, contributing to rural development and enhanced learning outcomes for students. Through education and skill development, CherYsh empowers women, transforming communities and fostering sustainable socio-economic progress.