NGO Partner: Bhasha Research and Publication Trust
Location: Tejgad, Gujarat
Chapters: Boston, College Park,San Diego
Budget: $15,000
Beneficiaries: Adivasi children of 800 tribal villages

The Radio School is a new schooling system that aims to reach school drop-outs in remote areas through the radio and include them in the learning process by implementing teaching methods they can relate to.

The Radio School is a new schooling system that aims to reach school drop-outs in remote areas through the radio and include them in the learning process by implementing teaching methods they can relate to. By offering oral instruction in tribal dialect, incorporating tribal knowledge and customs along with modern classroom concepts, Bhasha brings students up to speed, allowing them to join regular schools after the board examinations..

Key Features of the Project:

• Unique approach to meet the needs of the Adivasi family - short study time of 3 hours allows the children to attend school as well as tend to cattle, collect water, fetch firewood and help their families during the day
• Instructional materials developed by the academy teachers correspond closely to those in formal schools, but tailored to fit the oral medium in the local language
• Lessons combine formal education concepts with knowledge of local songs, stories, ecology and technology.
• Teachers from within the community help children tune in to the lessons, supervise homework and give feedback
• Audio visual aids keep children interested in lessons. Where teachers cannot go, transistor sets go!