Upload
vanhanh
View
218
Download
3
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
A CSR Initiative by
IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd.
Implemented by
Indian Social Responsibilty Network
K-13, First Floor, South Extension Part II, New Delhi – 110049
Transforming School into Uttam School PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT 2017
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 2
Contents
1. Background 3
2. Project Goal 4
3. Project Objectives 4
4. Project Activities 5
4.1. Activity 1: Selection of School 5
4.1.1. Data Collection from Schools 5
4.1.2. Developing Observations and Recommendations based on information gathered from schools 6
4.1.3. Formation of School Selection Committee and its meeting 6
4.1.4. Final Selection of School for the Uttam School Project by IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 8
4.2. Activity 2: Bring the Schools on board by creating awareness and familiarizing the concept of Uttam
School 9
4.3. Activity 3: Need Assessment study of the selected School 11
4.4. Activity 4: Initiating the Implementation process: Inviting Quotations for Products to be Installed 13
4.4.1. Selection of Vendors 14
4.4.2. Visit of Vendors to the Project Site 14
4.5. Activity 5: Installation of Products 14
4.5.1. Installation of products at SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa of Uttar Pradesh 14
4.5.2. Installation of Products at Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir 18
4.6. Activity 6: Training of teachers and other staffs on how to use and maintain the new installed
infrastructure effectively 20
4.7. Activity 7: Handing over Facilities Installed to the School 20
4.8. Activity 8: Project reporting and monitoring 20
4.9. Activity 9: Inauguration of the project 21
5. Conclusion and the way forward 24
6. Annexure 26-54
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 3
1. Background
In the last decade, India has been among the fastest-growing economies in the world.
However, low-quality education is hindering India's growth as its emerging workforce is unable
to cope with the demands of a 21st-century economy. Traditionally, efforts around education
have focused largely on enrolment and not on children's learning. As a result, 97 per cent
enrolment in Class 1, only 35 per cent reach Class 12 and less than 20 per cent enroll into
higher education. Even for those who do complete graduation, nearly half of them are
unemployable in any sector. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER)
published in January 2015, the quality of learning of school children in rural areas is extremely
poor. For example, the percentage of children in Standard II, who still cannot recognize
numbers up to 9 has increased over time, from 11.3% in 2009 to 19.5% in 2014.
One of the priority areas for the present government is skill development to cater to workforce
requirements in different sectors of the economy. The long term success of large government
schemes with a target of skilling 500 million youth by 2022 could only be realized, if the present
school and higher education system is transformed to prepare students for life and the
workplace.
For India to remain an economic power in the future, it will be extremely important to address
the quality issues in education up to secondary level, so that a quality workforce is able to
sustain the growth, and contribute to nation building. Moreover, 68 per cent of India is rural
and is home to nearly 833 million, and 51.73 per cent of them are below the age of 25.
There is an urgent need to recognize that the quality of education at each stage i.e. early
childhood education, primary education, secondary education and higher education is a pre-
requisite for the country to achieve global excellence. In this context, integration of technology
in the pedagogy for effective classroom delivery has the potential to create new models of
learning and achieve impact at scale. It is also important to take care of the aspects outside the
realm of education system, for example, sanitation, safe drinking water, In the specific context
of the status of schools, particularly, in the rural areas technology alone external environment,
among others, that ensures good health of the students.
IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Ltd’s CSR mandate is focused on bringing enhanced value in
the society and the community in which it operates, in terms of enhancing quality of life and
economic well-being of the local population. In this specific context, IFFCO-TOKIO General
Insurance Ltd. wants to contribute to the society by way of offering towards better educational
facilities to schools by means of its CSR mandate.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 4
To meet the objective through its CSR initiatives, IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. entrusted
Indian Social Responsibility Network (ISRN) with the role of executing its CSR Project
“Transforming Schools into Uttam Schools: Improved Quality of School Education”
Thereby, Indian Social Responsibility Network (ISRN) conceptualized a project through which
the company could contribute to improve the quality of learning of school children in rural
India by adopting a certain number of government and charitable institutions’ run schools in
selected areas. The project was positioned to fulfill IFFCO-TOKIO’s multiple CSR objectives.
Uttam Schools as defined under the project envisaged to have the following facilities:
Smart class rooms and staff rooms
State of the Art Library – print, audio and video material
RO Water Purifiers installed for clean drinking water
Proper Sanitation and Hygiene - Separate toilets for boys, girls and school staff
Trained school teachers and other staffs
Apart from the building these hard infrastructures the concept of Uttam school also envisages for the
following interventions focusing on bringing behavioural change in the school by:
Developing it into a Green School,
Making it Clean School,
Making it a digital school with Wi-fi facilities,
Building a child mirror to exercise freedom of expression,
By forming a Grievance Committee for child abuse and creating sensitivity.
2. Project Goal
The overall goal of the project was to contribute in building the future workforce in India
through improvement in quality of education and learning in schools and provide better
environment for the children and teachers.
3. Project Objectives
Adhering to the existing curriculum in these schools, the project objectives were as follows:
Bring infrastructural changes in terms of introducing student friendly learning tools
Improve health and hygiene of school children and the staff and thereby improve attendance
among the students,
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 5
Impart training to teachers and improve the quality of learning of school children,
Creating awareness about environment and the ways to make it sustainable,
Preparing the students competent to cope with the digital world around and gather as much
valuable information as they can and put it to their use,
Creating awareness about child abuse and create ablility to take necessary actions as and
when required,
Making the students confident enough to express themselves which can contribute towards
building qualities like leadership, confidence and the like,
Making everyone in the school aware about cleanliness.
4. Project Activities
ISRN as the implementing agency of IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. CSR project undertook
the following process in implementation of the project:
4.1. Activity 1:
Selection of School for intervention of IFFCO-TOKIO’s CSR Initiative
Based on the information gathered from the schools, ISRN, in consultation with IFFCO-TOKIO,
selected schools for adoption under the Uttam School Project. Out of the 4 shortlisted schools, 3
schools in Haryana were not found suitable for the project on account of the low strength of
students. The details are attached in the annexure sheets herewith. Following steps were followed
for selecting the school for the above mentioned interventions:
4.1.1. Data Collection from Schools
ISRN developed an information sheet (please see the annexure) comprising of all the relevant data
that was required to facilitate the school selection process for the project.
These information sheets were filled by the research group of ISRN through field visits to the selected
schools in the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The following schools were visited in Haryana:
Nand Lal Geeta Vidya Mandir, Sr. Sec. School, Tepla, Ambala
Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir, Pinangwan, Nuh
Hindu Vidya Niketan, Nuh
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 6
Hindu Senior Secondary School, Nuh
In Uttar Pradesh, information was collected using the same information sheet from the following
schools:
SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa Village, Hapur District, Uttar Pradesh
4.1.2. Developing Observations and Recommendations based on the information gathered
from schools.
Being the first project on education, it was advised to take a location nearer to Delhi which will not
only help in implementation of the said interventions but also will be beneficial from the point of view
of highlighting the project activities for exposure and publicity.
In Haryana, while Ambala district is far away from Delhi, the town of Nuh in Mewat district is in
proximity with Delhi. Moreover, given that the literacy rate in Mewat district of Haryana is less
(54.1%) as opposed to the literacy rate of 76.8% in the State of Haryana, it requires attention. Further,
literacy rate of 54.1% among males and 36.6% among female in Nuh is far too low as compared to
literacy rate of (84.9%) among male and (67.6%) among female respectively. Taking these factors
into account, there is an urgent need to improve the education scenario in the Mewat district.
It is be be noted that the school visited in Nuh in Mewat district is focused on providing education to
students from marginalized/ disadvantaged population at a nominal fee.
In Uttar Pradesh, the town of Pilkhuwa in Hapur, Ghaziabad District is in proximity with Delhi.
Moreover, given that the literacy rate in Hapur of Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh being low,
67.55% (75.34% in Urban areas) as opposed to the literacy rate of 88.7% in Uttar Pradesh, it requires
attention. Further, literacy rate of 79.3% among males and 59.26% among female in Pilkhua is far too
low as compared to literacy rate of (80.66%) among male and (66.59%) among female in the State
respectively. In this regard, there is an urgent need to improve the education indicators in the Hapur
of Ghaziabad district. In this regard, the school visited in Pilkhuwa in Hapur of Ghaziabad district is
focused on providing education to students from marginalized/ disadvantaged population at a
nominal fee.
4.1.3. Formation of School Selection Committee and its meeting:
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 7
A meeting of the School Selection Committee was organized by ISRN at its office in Delhi. The
purpose of the meeting was to provide information, observations/ recommendations to the
Committee, so that they are able to provide recommendations to IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance
Ltd. on schools to be considered for adoption under the Uttam school project.
ISRN facilitated the meeting with the School Selection Committee by putting forward its observations
on the various schools, based on the information gathered from the selected schools and inviting the
Principal of the selected schools to present their requirements before the Committee.
The presentations made by the principals of school were evaluated by the ISRN members on the
basis of the following criteria:
Matching the need of the school with the requirements of the project,
Given the timeframe of finishing the project in four months, willingness of the particular
school management to cooperate for making the interventions,
Expected performance of the school to finish the project in set timeframe.
Based on the visit report and the presentations made by the school principals, the Committee
recommended the following schools for adoption:
1. Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir, Pinangwan Village, Mewat District, Haryana
2. SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa Village, Hapur District, Uttar Pradesh
4.1.4 Final Selection of Schools for the Uttam School Project by IFFCO TOKIO General
Insurance Ltd.
ISRN submitted the School selection report and the recommendations of the “School Selection
Committee” to IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd.
IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. also agreed on selecting the following two schools for adoption
under its CSR project on Uttam School for 2017.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 8
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 9
4.2. Activity 2:
Bring the Schools on board by creating awareness and education on the concept of Uttam
School among them
ISRN engaged with the schools to provide information on the concept of “Uttam Schools” and about
the project. This directed towards bringing them on board to facilitate the project through the
schools.
1. Installation of Smart class rooms: Smart classroom facilities were installed in all the five sections
of class V to X. To match with the existing syllabus of the school content has been customized.
Smart content updates will be available to school for fifteen years.
2. State of the Art Library – The library was conceptualized to have wall painted to encourage
students to learn and get inspired to focus on studies through relevant painting of the wall.
Further, beautiful quotations to encourage and provide directions to the students have been
painted on the library walls. The library has been added with facilities like 5 in 1 DVD Player, LED
TV, Audio – Video CDs, Books and Furniture.
3. RO Water Purifiers installed for clean drinking water - RO System of 500 LPH was installed in
the school to provide safe drinking water to students, teachers and other staff. While installing
the RO system, ISRN added value to the installation by added few components, such as a water
cooler of capacity 150 liters attaching to the RO system, so that students and teachers could
drink chilled water. In terms of water recycling, the waste water through the RO system was
directed to a separate tank, and the same water was used in toilets of the school, thereby
avoiding water wastage.
4. Separate toilets for boys, girls and school staff - ISRN has contributed in constructing 15 urinals
and 2 Indian style latrines in Boys toilet. In the teachers’ block ISRN has constructed 3 urinals
(Male – 2, Female – 1) and 2 latrines (Male – 1, Female – 1). Previously, the school did not have
separate toilets for female teaching staff.
5. Capacity Building of Teachers - Apart from closely monitoring the installation of facilities in the
school premises, ISRN ensured that a Do’ and Don’ts list is displayed at all installation points for
proper use.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 10
Apart from creating awareness about these hard infrastructure, the project also emphasized on
creating awareness about the following interventions targeted for brining behavioural change:
6. Green School: ISRN explained the schools the concept of developing a Green School and
thereby the need to plant trees in the school campus. As an example ISRN elucidated that
there can be plantation of five medicinal plants in the school campus and the from sowing
the seed/plant to nurturing it be entrusted to a particular students. Moreover, that student
can make a scientific chart for that plant and mention all uses/abuses, Botanical name, any
kind of information related to that plant in that chart.
7. Clean School: ISRN explained the Schools the need for a clean environment in the school to
be managed by students as well as the cleaning staffs, with support and cooperation from
the other staffs. Also, the students are to be taught about interpolation of waste
segregation such as dry and wet and thereby creating awareness about waste
management.
8. Digital School: ISRN emphasized the need of Wi-Fi facility in the schools so that each and
every student has accessibility to information even at the global level and become
competent enough to compete with this ever increasing highly competitive world. This will
also help students to be confident and comfortable towards technology.
9. Child Mirror: There should be a wall in the school whereon that children get the space to
express their thinking about the school, teachers, staffs, education. Most importantly, the
practice would be anonymous and there should be a Committee formed from among the
students to prevent slangs or any such undesirable informal or anti social expression.
10. Grievance Committee for Child abuse and creating sensitivity: ISRN highlighted the
requirement to have an active functional committee for grievance redressing and making
children aware about child abuses by holding weekly participatory classes (Story-telling,
role play, Participatory activity and the like).
Further, a thorough training for each of the facilities/activities was conducted in terms of preparing
the teachers for running and maintaining it on a daily basis. Feedback forms were distributed during
the trainings that also provided data on the level of satisfaction of the school staff with the training.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 11
The teachers and the students seemed to be quite enthusiastic about the new developments in their
school. One of the teachers exclaimed that, ‘The concept of smart classroom will be very beneficial for
the teaching learning process.’
4.3. Activity 3: Needs Assessment study of the selected schools
A need assessment study of the selected schools was conducted to assess the existing infrastructure
in the schools, quality of teaching, and quality of learning, among others. A needs assessment is a
systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or "gaps" between current
conditions and desired conditions or "wants". The discrepancy between the current condition
and wanted condition must be measured to appropriately identify the need. The need can be a
desire to improve current performance or to correct a deficiency. In this context, it provided the
information for all the needs to be done to create the required infrastructure in the schools, so that it
facilitates improved learning. It further provided an idea about the interventions required on the
particular schools to transform it into an Uttam Schools.
4.3.1. Feasibility Assessment of proposed activities in Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir,
Pinangwan of Haryana and SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa of Uttar Pradesh
ISRN made a visit to the school to assess the requirements in the school vis-à-vis the activities
proposed in the project of Uttam School. To get a holistic perspective on the requirements of the
school, ISRN team also met the School Management Committee members, Principal, teachers and
students.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 12
The enclosed table captures the proposed and actual installation plan as per the need assessment
done with the school.
Uttam School Project: Proposed activities after assessment of Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir, Pinangwan of Haryana
Sl. No.
Installation in the School as per the
proposed Uttam School Project
Installation plan according to the Need Assessment exercise carried out in School
1 State of the art library – Computers audio, video and print
5 in 1 DVD Player, LED TV, Audio – Video CDs, Books, Furniture, Painting of library room, Matting of floor, study tables & chairs, News paper stand, Magazine Stand, Book Shelve, Computer Table and Chair
2 Safe drinking water (R.O System 500 LPH
R.O. (500 LPH) – 1
3 Construction of toilets for boys and girls including urinal, latrines, wash basin for male and female; for teachers including urinals, latrine, wash basin.
Toilet for Boys Urinals Latrines (Indian Style) Toilet for Girls Urinals Latrines (Indian Style) Toilets for Teachers’ Urinals (Male, Female) Latrines (Male, Female)
4 Smart Classrooms Class IX, Class X, Class XI, Class XII. Some of the best rooms of the school was selected for the installation
5 Solar system -Un-interrupted Power supply through installation of solar power plant for the entire school. - Solar Power capacity 7.5 KW in the school main building, which is sufficient for their requirements like functioning of LED, TV and smart classes etc
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 13
Uttam School Project: Proposed activities after assessment of SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa of Uttar Pradesh
S. No.
Installation in the School as per
the proposed Uttam School
Project
Installation plan according to the Need
Assessment exercise carried out in School
1 State of the art library –
Computers audio, video and
5 in 1 DVD Player, LED TV, Audio – Video CDs,
Books, Furniture, Painting of library room,
computers, Computer table & chair, study
tables & chairs, News paper stand, Magazine
Stand, Book Shelves.
2 Safe drinking water (R.O System
500 LPH
R.O. (500 LPH) – 1
3 Construction of toilets [2 blocks
for boys and girls which included
urinals, latrines, wash basin and
another block for male and
female teachers including
urinals, latrines and wash basin.
Toilet for Boys
Urinals
Latrines (Indian Style)
Toilet for Girls
Urinals
Latrines (Indian Style)
4 Smart Classrooms – 5 Class IX, Class X, Class XI, Class XII
5 Solar system Un-interrupted Power supply through
installation of solar power plant for the entire
school with a capacity of 4.5 KW in the school
main building, which is sufficient for their
requirements like functioning of LED, TV and
smart classes etc.
4.4. Activity 4:
Initiating the Implementation process: Inviting Quotations for Products to be installed
The need assessment exercise done by ISRN helped in determining the gap between the prevailing
condition and the expected changes to be done as per the mandate of the Uttam School project for
the betterment of the school and thereby the beneficiaries. It provided the exact requirements of the
school for each product with specifications. Based on the requirements assessed, quotations were
invited for the RO System, Smart class equipment and Smart content. Vendors were approached via
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 14
websites, that have a database of providers of different products and services such as indiamart.com,
where coordinated with for the requirements, and was invited with the quotation.
Considering the logistics, ISRN contacted local vendors in Nuh (for Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir)
and Pilkhuwa (for SVMHSSGB) for the work related to construction of toilets and painting of library.
4.4.1. Selection of Vendors
ISRN followed a very rigorous process for selection of vendors for each of the products. The process
included developing a comparative chart for each product with quote of each vendor for easy
comparison. Both looking at the quality of the product and the price quotation, a short list of vendors
were made for each product. These shortlisted were invited to present and display their products in a
meeting held at ISRN office. Based on the presentation and the price quotation, vendors were
selected for each product.
4.4.2. Visit of Vendors to the Project Site at Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir, Pinangwan
and SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa
The vendors to understand the contextual need for installation were asked to make their initial visit
to the project site. This helped the vendors in selecting location for installing the particular product
and make changes in the product based on their need interacting with the School Management
Committee, the students and the staffs.
4.5. Activity 5:
Installation of Products:
4.5.1. Installation of products at SVMHSSGB of Pilkhuwa of Uttar Pradesh
As part of the project the following activities were undertaken in SVMHSSGB, Pilkhuwa:
1. Safe Drinking Water: RO System of 500 LPH has been installed in the school, and has already
started providing safe drinking water to students, teachers and other staff. While installing
the RO system, ISRN added value to the installation by added few component, such as a
water cooler with a capacity 150 liters attaching to the RO system, so that students and
teachers and the staff could drink chilled water. It is also to be noted that measures for
recycling of water has also been undertaken with this intervention. The waste water through
the RO system has been directed to a separate tank, and the same water was used in the
toilets of the school, thereby avoiding water wastage. This will definitely teach the students
about recycling of resources or waste water management. The RO system has been protected
from sunlight and harsh weather by constructing a special room for it.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 15
2. Smart Classrooms: A thorough procurement process was initiated to ensure best smart
classroom equipment. Smart classroom content has been negotiated, and will be available to
the school for fifteen years, assuming that the hardware compatibility issue would not allow
the content to run after the above time. Free updates of smart content will be available up to
two years after installation. Through our efforts and a time taking exercise, we have been
successful in providing the content in Hindi for maximizing its usage both by teachers and
students. Specific rooms were identified and selected for smart class room installation. The
smart classroom facility is now available to all five sections of class VI, VII and VIII. To match
with the existing syllabus of the school respective school Board (i.e. Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh Board) customization of content by the vendor is going on, which will be handed
over after installation. This concept of smart class will not only help in the teaching learning
process and make studies interesting to the students but also will make the students and
teachers tech savvy and gain confidence to compete with the ever expanding technological
world.
The picture on the left side shows the provision of drinking water before the implementation of
Uttam School Project in the school. The picture on the right side shows the installed RO System
for drinking water in the school. In addition to this, a water-waste management system has also
been put in place. The residual water in the process of RO drinking water is connected with the
washrooms in the schools.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 16
3. State of the Art Library: The library has been conceptualized to have wall painted to
encourage students to learn and get inspired to focus on studies through relevant painting of
the wall. Further, beautiful quotations to encourage and provide directions to the students
have been painted on the library walls. The library has been added with facilities like 5 in 1
DVD Player, LED TV, Audio – Video CDs, Books and Furniture. Along with proper provisions for
sitting in the library, books have also been distributed in the school to encourage the students
to develop reading habit. Computers have also been installed in the library with internet
connection so that the students can access their reading materials on their own.
The picture on the left shows a classroom with the traditional setup while the picture on the right is
the view of a classroom after the smart class installation. The students in a smart class are learning
through the medium of videos and pictures but at the same time it also has a blackboard to
compliment it.
The above pictures show the view of the Library with print rich environment, computers, books and
proper sitting arrangement for the students to study.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 17
4. Toilets: The toilet construction work has been done by a local contractor. The new toilet
block has been built in collaboration with the school where ISRN has contributed in
constructing urinals and Indian style latrines. Previously, the school did not have separate
toilets for female teaching staff. This will be a good relief for the teachers in general and
female staff in particular.
5. Solar Power System: To avoid interrupted Power supply, ISRN installed 7.5 KW solar
power plant in the school main building, which is sufficient for their requirements like
functioning of LED, TV and smart classes etc. for the entire school.
The above pictures show us the washroom pre (picture on the left) and post (picture on the right)
intervention of Toilet Construction under the project of Uttam School.
The above picture shows the solar plant installed in the school for power backup and
uninterrupted supply of electricity.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 18
4.5.2. Installation of the products at Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir, Pinangwan of
Haryana
As part of the project the following activities were undertaken in Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya
Mandir, Pinangwan:
1. Safe Drinking Water: RO
System of 500 LPH has been
installed in the school, and has
already started providing safe
drinking water to students,
teachers and other staff. While
installing the RO system, ISRN
added value to the installation
by added few component, such
as a water cooler of capacity 150
liters attaching to the RO system,
so that students and teachers
could drink chilled water. In terms of water recycling, the waste water through the RO system
was directed to a separate tank, and the same water was used in toilets of the school,
thereby avoiding water wastage. This initiative will definitely teach the students the ways to
recycle water. The RO system has been protected from sunlight and harsh weather by
constructing a special room for it.
2. Smart Classrooms: A thorough
procurement process was
initiated to ensure best smart
classroom equipment. Smart
classroom content has been
negotiated, and will be available
to the school for fifteen years,
assuming that the hardware
compatibility issue would not
allow the content to run after
the above time. Free updates of smart content will be available up to two years after
installation. Through our efforts and a time taking exercise, we have been successful in
providing the content in Hindi for maximizing its usage both by teachers and students.
Specific rooms were identified and selected for smart class room installation. The smart
classroom facility is now available to all five sections of class VI, VII and VIII. To match with the
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 19
existing syllabus of the school respective school Board (i.e. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Board)
customization of content by the vendor is going on, which will be handed over after
installation.
3. State of the Art Library: The
library has been conceptualized to
have wall painted to encourage
students to learn and get inspired
to focus on studies through
relevant painting of the wall.
Further, beautiful quotations to
encourage and provide directions
to the students have been painted
on the library walls. The library
has been added with facilities like 5 in 1 DVD Player, LED TV, Audio – Video CDs, Books and
Furniture.
4. Toilets: The toilet construction
work has been done by a local
contractor. The new toilet block
has been built in collaboration
with the school where ISRN has
contributed in constructing urinals
and Indian style latrines.
Previously, the school did not have
separate toilets for female
teaching staff. This will be a good
relief for the teachers in general
and female staff in particular.
5. Solar Power System: To avoid
interrupted Power supply, ISRN
installed 7.5 KW solar power
plant in the school main
building, which is sufficient for
their requirements like
functioning of LED, TV and
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 20
smart classes etc. for the entire school.
4.6. Activity 6: Training of teachers and other staffs on how to use and maintain the new installed infrastructure effectively
Along with the installation of infrastructure, a thorough training for each of the facility was done by
the vendors to teachers and other staff in the schools to ensure that they are able to maintain it well,
run it on a daily basis by themselves and utilize it to the maximum for effective teaching-learning
process and techniques.
Feedback forms were distributed during the trainings that provided data on the level of satisfaction of
the school staff with the training. The teachers were all receptive and excited for using it for better
result. The teaching and the non-teaching staffs were also trained by the ISRN team about the
importance about the proposed other five components of green school, clean school, child mirror,
the need for a digital school and about the formation of a Grievance Committee for child abuse and
creating sensitivity. The trainees seemed to be quite responsive and enthusiastic about the new
initiatives to be taken in the school with participation of the students. We were encouraged to
receive positive feedback on the quality of training provided school staff.
Apart from closely monitoring the installation of facilities in the school premises, ISRN ensured that
each of the vendor supplies a Do’ and Don’ts list, so that it could displayed at its location for proper
use.
4.7. Activity 7: Handing over the installed facilities to the Schools
ISRN facilitated for a meeting to announce the “Uttam School Project” and hand over the
formalities/ownership of the installed products to the schools for using it. Apart from the school
management, teachers and other key officials from the schools, the workshop was attended by all
the key local stakeholders and IFFCO-TOKIO. It requires clearance from the school about satisfaction
on installation of the facilities provided like its running performance and the quality of training
provided on the same to ensure that it could be run without the help of the vendors.
4.8. Activity 8: Project monitoring and reporting
A Project Management Committee (PMC) oversees the overall project. The Project Management Unit
(PMU) works under the guidance of the PMC and provides monitoring and reporting support on the
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 21
project. All the major decisions have been taken by the PMC, which was supported by the PMU. The
PMC was comprised of IFFCO-TOKIO and ISRN representatives.
1.1. Activity 9: Inauguration of the Project
Inauguration at SVMHSSGB
After installation of the proposed initiatives, training of teaching and non-teaching staffs and
handing it over to the school in both the sites, the project was launched in the SVMHSSGB
School, Pilkhua, Uttar Pradesh on 15th June, 2017 by the Honourable Minister of State in the
Govt. of Uttar Pradesh. He also happens to be alumni of the same school. He delivered a very
encouraging speech addressing the students about building their future through hard work and
using the technological platform that the Uttam School has made it available and accessible to
them.
The inauguration was honored by a number of dignitaries: Shri Ramesh Sahijwani, Vice
President IFFCO-TOKIO, Shri Om Prakesh Saklecha, MLA Jawad, Chairperson, ISRN, Shri Santosh
Gupta, CEO ISRN, Shri Subir Mohan Mittal, Engineer & Social Worker.
The Project Management Committee during their visit
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 22
Shri Pankaj Mittal, the Manager from Vidya Bharati, introduced the dignitaries to the audience.
All the respected dignitaries offer their valuable speech to encourage the students and the
staffs of the school. Shri Santosh Gupta emphasized on the importance and utility of all the 10
components of the Uttam School concept in the lives of the children. He added that the books
and the library can benefit the hostellers to the maximum if utilized properly. He said that
though the smart class cannot replace blackboards but it can be highly beneficial in the
teaching learning process and can be an essential complimenting tool.
The Principal of the School after a brief introduction about the school introduced the local
important persons of the village and also of the school.
Shri Sahijwani spoke about the installed products in the school as a part of IFFCO-TOKIO’s
General Insurance Pvt. Ltd.’s CSR initiative. He also added that the Corporate is also connected
with the farmers by means of insurance and it aims for maximum benefit to them.
Shri Saklechaji started his invaluable speech by addressing everybody and questioning the need
for a concept like Uttam School. He said that our history has taught us rote learning and
prepared us only for clerical activities. It doesnot teach us critical thinking, to analyze things or
to express ourselves or the use of technology. He quoted examples from his Constituency
wherein smart classes have helped students developed their IQ levels which will help them to
quality the competitive examinations. Shri Saklechaji requested the students to make use of
the given technology to the maximum explaining how can it help them.
There were around 300 audience which were students, teaching and non-teaching staffs from
the school, parents, local people from the community and the like. Welcome songs and a
patriotic song were sung by the students to mark the inauguration.
The inauguration ceremony ended with a vote of thanks by Shri Pankaj Mittal. The Hon’ble
Minister and other dignitaries paid a visit to all the spots in the school where the installation of
the products have been done.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 23
Inauguration at Tula Ram Geeta Vidya Mandir, Pilkhuwa, Uttar Pradesh:
After delivering all the utilities to the school, it was time to inaugurate them in the same
manner. Inauguration of Uttam school at Tula ram Vidya Mandir was happened on 24th July
2017.
It witnessed the grand presence of Shri Brahmdev Sharma (Bhai ji), Shri Ramesh Sahijwani, Vice
President CSR, IFFCO-TOKIO, Mangla Singh Ji, representative of Captain Abhimanyu, Hon’ble
Minister of Finance, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Raees Khan, MLA, Pingawan, and Shri Ayub Khan,
Chairman, Pingawan Development Agency.
Shri Naresh Agrawal, Secretary, Tula Ram Vidya Mandir, Pingawan welcome all the dignataries
and introduced them to the crowd. He also thanked to ISRN and Iffco Tokio for providing
advanced teaching technology, RO water plant, solar power plant, digital library and improved
reconstructed toilets. All the dignataries expressed their views and opinion about Uttam
school. Shri Santosh Gupta, CEO, ISRN spoke about the advanced teaching technology and in its
importance in this competitive era of education. He focused on the new teaching methods
which have computer interface.
Inauguration of Uttam School by Hon’ble Minister Atul Garg in SVMHSSGB, Pilkhuwa
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 24
Conclusion and the way forward
ISRN’s concept of transforming schools to Uttam Schools could not have become a reality without the
contribution received from IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. and the generous support from the
contributors. We heartily acknowledge their support received for implementation of the project in
the schools. It would also have been impossible without the support of the State Govt and the school
fraternity. While creating an asset, the primary concern is always sustainability. Creating appropriate
ownership is always a constraint, especially in programmes like smart classes. ISRN, with the support
of all service providers, handed over the project only after organizing training to relevant staff;
organizing several motivational meetings with school authorities; and after ensuring that the
beneficiaries have in-depth knowledge and skills to maintain the assets created. It should also be
admitted that Uttam school will have a lasting impact only if the implemented activities are continued
meticulously by the beneficiaries. In order to resolve temporary issues, handholding support from the
service providers must be ensured for a period of at least 12 months, which will guarantee that the
beneficiaries are fully equipped to scale up the Uttam school concept self-supportively.
The above pictures show the moments of inauguration of the project of Uttam School in
Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir. The picture on the left shows the foundation stone and the picture
on the right shows the plantation drive by the Hon’ble Shri Bhramdev Sharma and other
dignitaries on the day of the inauguration.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 25
The various interventions made in both the selected schools like the provision for safe drinking
water, solar plant, smart classrooms, clean school, green school, child mirror, digital school and
the formation of the grievance committee for child abuse and creating sensitivity are ultimately
aimed at improving the learning outcome of the students, improving the retention rate and
making them adapt to compete with the rest of the world.
Smart classes use all interactive modules like videos and presentations and these visually
attractive methods of teaching becomes appealing to students who are already struggling with
the traditional method of teaching in a classroom. The audio-visual media used in smart
classrooms is more eye-catching and young students can easily relate to them. In this method
of teaching the senses of students are targeted as it helps the students store the information
fast and more effectively. In addition, there is the advantage of utilizing much of the time
wasted earlier in drawing or preparing diagrams on board. Smartboards have all these
information in memory and can be presented during the time of class lectures and thus, the
time saved can be used in more important things. Some students and teachers have problems
with chalk dust and they tend to suffer from allergic reactions. The smartboards saves you from
such distress and won’t let you develop any health issues later. Smartboards are a lot smarter
when it comes to field trips which is impossible with textbooks. A field trip to the deserts of
Sahara or the rainforests of the Amazon basin becomes easy with visuals in the smartboards of
smart classroom. These visuals are definitely more attractive than those descriptions in a few
lines of a textbook. One of the main reasons behind the constant increase in popularity of smart
classes is the fact that this kind of education cater to individual need of the students. For
example; a classroom has students with varied power of understanding and learning, and
studying from notes and other materials becomes difficult for some students. But the use of
smart classes and modern technology eases the learning process for all students. Moreover,
this kind of education in class promotes more interaction between teacher and student with
more participation from both sides.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 26
It was seen during the training sessions that the teachers and the students seemed to be quite
keen on using a smart classroom for the teaching learning process.
The interventions like the provision of RO water will keep the students and the staffs healthy
and hygienic. Reverse osmosis (RO) drinking water systems provide clean and refreshing water.
We hope all these interventions through the CSR initiatives of IFFCO TOKIO brings the desired
result of improving learning outcomes and thereby contribute towards building a better future
for the students as well as for the nation. But to assess the outcome the way forward will be to
do an impact assessment study of the interventions in the targeted schools. This will give us a
clear picture of the impact of the interventions in the lives of the students.
2. Annexure
School Selection for the Project: Visit to Schools
Visit to Schools in Haryana & Uttar Pradesh
Visits were made to schools in Ambala and Nuh district in Haryana and Hapur district of
Ghaziabad of UP as following schools:
Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Ballabhgarh
Adarsh Vidya Mandir, Rewari (Haryana)
Shri Tularam Geeta Vidya Mandir
Nandlal GeetaVidya Mandir Sr. Secondary School, Tepla, Ambala (Haryana)
Saraswati Vidya Mandir Higher Secondary School Gram Bharti (SVMHSSGB), Pilkhuwa,
Hapur, UP
Handing over of RO- Pilkhuwa
Handing Over of RO- Pingawan
Handing over of Solar-Pilkhuwa
Handing over of Solar-Pingawan
Details are provided for each school in subsequent pages.
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 27
Information Sheet- Pilkhuwa
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 28
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 29
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 30
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 31
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 32
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 33
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 34
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 35
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 36
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 37
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 38
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 39
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 40
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 41
Handing over of RO- Pilkhuwa
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 42
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 43
Handing over of RO- Pingawan
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 44
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 45
Handing over solar-Pilkhuwa
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 46
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 47
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 48
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 49
Handing over solar- Pingawan
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 50
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 51
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 52
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 53
Handing over Smart Class-Pingawan
Transforming School into Uttam School A CSR Initiative of IFFCO TOKIO General Insurance Ltd. 54
Handing over Smart Class-Pilkhuwa