OREANDA-NEWS. July 18, 2011. Launch of ‘Siksha ke Badle Siksha’ programme to impart soft skills training to 200 education volunteers from 100 villages of Nirsa block

Microsoft certified programme to assist in enhancing employability of volunteers

Dhanbad, Jharkand: Maithon Power, a joint venture of Tata Power and Damodar Valley Corporation, announced the launch of ‘Siksha Ke Badle Siksha’ programme (Education for Education (EFE)) for 200 volunteers from 100 villages, involved in teaching children of their own community / village. The objective of the programme is to improve the skill level of volunteers and help to augment their employability.

The EFE programme is certified by Microsoft ‘Technology at Work’ and is a structured four-month course offering digital literacy, spoken English and and assistant teacher course (comprising language, mathematics and English) which will be covered in four modules. The programme is currently running in 10 EFE centres, each facilitated by one instructor (local entrepreneur) with two laptops.

The team of 300 dedicated volunteers contributed immensely for the overwhelming success of the ‘Block Excellence Programme’ started in 2010. Tata Power, in association with ‘Pratham’, a non-governmental organisation, has undertaken an extensive and aggressive education outreach — ‘The Block Excellence Programme’— in the Nirsa block. The programme aims to improve the learning level of children between the age group 5 to 14 years and has reached out to 13,460 school students across 262 villages in Nirsa within a span of two years.

Speaking on the EFE initiative, Praveer Sinha, project director, eastern region, Tata Power, said, “We are certain that this programme will provide the required impetus to the motivation and enthusiasm of volunteers and will help in improving the overall education scenario in Nirsa block. The initiative is a continuation of our efforts towards furthering literacy and improving the quality of life of the people of Nirsa.”

The concerted efforts through the Tata Power – Pratham ‘Block Excellence Programme’ has led to 70 – 75 per cent increase in the learning level of children and active participation of the community and parents in their education and the education system as a whole.