- What do we want to achieve out of the meeting?
- Gain an understanding of what would attract different groups to the coalition, what needs it expresses and how it can play a role in social mobilization
- Build consensus around some immediate targets and an initial set of actions in the first three months; and broad organizing structure
- Agree on how to keep in touch with key groups/ individuals and next meeting of this group /enlarged group
- Outline principles for the coalition
- Equity as the primary principle – opportunities for learning and development to be available to all, in fulfilment of RTE, with no discrimination due to socio-economic-other factors
- Organizations/individuals to contribute as per their priorities and capacities – forming a ‘loose coalition’
- While we will) focus our short-term activities on the immediate education emergency needs, these should be linked to the question of ‘what education we want for our children’ (participatory/ social transformatory / inclusive )
- Proposed Agenda
| Session | Details | Anchor/ Speakers | Time |
| Opening session | Context setting, Rationale, Vision, initial ideas for proposed next steps for coalition | Facilitator – Gurumurthy Speakers – Venita Kaul and Sajitha Bashir | 3 – 3:40 |
| Supporting communities to provide opportunities for education | Sharing of experiences and possibilities for local support What is the situation on the ground ? What is state doing? What do parents, students, teachers need? How can we use this to transform education for marginalized sections? Key ideas, principles, volunteer preparation, Do’s and don’ts | Facilitator – Padma Sarangapani Speakers – Subir Shukla, Subhankar C, Anjali Noronha, Deepika Singh | 3:40- 4:30 |
| Right to education and social mobilization | Understanding right to education in pandemic conditions; guidelines for reopening of schools; protection of children Mobilizing to demand rights because the state is abdicating its responsibilities. Using the levers of power (participation in public policy; legal protections; media voice; representation) to make education central to public discourse. Formulating clear principles and simple demands that can mobilize people. Initial set of demands . Using the pandemic to address inequalities in education | Facilitator – Niranjan Aradhya Speakers – Meenakshi Ganguly , Manisha Priyam, Santi Snigdha (Hawkers’ Joint Action Forum) | 4:30 – 5:20 |
| Next steps | Who else should be invited/ reached out to ? Bench marking of states and districts on education emergency. Media resources . Preparing resource materials for parents on how to approach school, state authorities, with right to education. Preparing resource materials for organizations / educators to learning in communities Organizational structure | Facilitator – Sajitha Bashir – Learning resources – Social mobilization – Research needs – Rishikesh B.S. Website and newsletter – Gurumurthy | 5:20 – 6 |
3. Indicative time management
The facilitator for each session will outline session aims and share ideas/experiences/suggestions. The other identified speakers will then share their ideas. Following which we have space for open house in each session, for people to share and comment. Rough time split can be 10 minutes for facilitator, 5 minutes for speaker and 20 minutes for open house and last 5 minutes for wrap-up.
The meeting will be on the BigBlueButton (BBB) platform, on https://b3.teacher-network.in/b/gur-g94-hyn BBB can be accessed using a web browser (Firefox or Chrome) on your computer or your phone, no app installation is required. BBB Tutorial
Highlights of the meeting are available here
Shared notes (record) from the meeting, click here
Is there any registration required for this event or we can simply click on the link on Friday and attend it?
There is an unprecedented challenge on the life of children and childhood. And it is that which the most important. While we worry about schools and learning and rights what is the biggest challenge is the increased inequity that poor students are going to see. There is going to be additional pressure on the children to help the family survive. So to me that is more important then parents being advised on how to approach schools or bench marking learning etc
agree fully Hardy.
The ‘education support to schools/communities’ must consider the increased hardships being faced by parents / communities and hence be sensitive to these while engaging with communities, and while exploring how parents can participate in the learning of their children.