The Zimedari Project under the Aspirational District Program was launched across the Kupwara District during the first week of September 2022. Taking on a holistic approach to education, this project aims to tackle post-covid learning gaps in government schools and increase accountability in the education system of the district.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a massive hurdle for the education system as all schools were suddenly shut down and both students and teachers had to learn to operate in the online mode. Academics suffered, but most of all, the online mode affected the socio-emotional learning of the students and their co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. The lockdown also triggered an increase in dropouts, further heightening the issue of learning loss.
Now, schools are functioning in person again, but the educational ramifications of the past two years are still evident. Making the schooling system more accountable towards the students’ holistic development seems like the only way to overcome the setback created by the pandemic and make our way forward. This is precisely what the Zimedari Project aims to do.
The approach to the project is to develop ownership and contextualize the transformation indicators at the district level to drive mass scale holistic transformation under the Aspirational District Program.
The project is designed to bring reform under the following six thematic areas:
- Academics
- Basic Infrastructure
- Human Resource Development
- Co-curricular Activities
- Extra-curricular Activities
- Social and Emotional Learning
Based on these six thematic areas, 85 indicators have been identified, which shall be evaluated & monitored across all 1884 Government Schools in the district. This includes schools ranging from primary to higher secondary and affects no less than 1, 29,286 students
Objectives:
The major objectives of the project have been selected as follows:
- To inform, aware & sensitize various stakeholder in Education Department in general & teaching community in particular about the holistic
development of the education system across 85 indicators. - To identify the Key Focus Areas and prevalent gaps through various thematic.
areas including; Academics, Basic Infrastructure, Human Resource Development, Co-curricular, Extra-Curricular, Social & Emotional Learning & their performance in Government Schools. - To identify the learning gaps, particularly post Covid scenario for ensuring quality education.
- To ensure Assessment, Evaluation, Ranking & Monitoring of Government Schools to promote positive competition among government schools under thematic areas across 85 indicators through Dashboard.
- To increase capacity building of Teachers/Masters/Lecturers/HoIs of the District Kupwara.
Implementing Department and Partners :
The project shall be implemented and monitored by a special district level team composed of key members of the district’s education department, in partnership with the Piramal Foundation. The first phase of the project has been designed as a three month endeavor. The process is continuous and cyclical though, and further phases of the project will be developed according to the findings and learnings of this phase.
