Government High School,
Kadapaswamy Mutt
Year 01
Big
Goals
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Achieve a pass % of 70 in the 10th standard SSLC board exams in Kadapaswamy Government High School, Bengaluru.
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Make students of Grade 9 career and boards ready.
SUB GOAL 1
Push for academic excellence amongst 3 buckets of students - low, medium and high rigour
SUB GOAL 2
Promote socio-emotional balance in teens that are battling substance abuse, puberty and the pressures of entering the “real world”.
Who are we?
We are a group of 45 9th graders who have progressed through school without a proper quality check in education, leaving 50% of us unable to read a fourth-grade text. Many of us struggle with emotional regulation, often expressing anger through violence. Substance abuse and self-harm are widespread among us, influenced by a community deeply affected by alcoholism and gambling.
We are a group of 45 10th graders carrying the weight of our past challenges while facing the pressure of the most crucial exam of our lives—the boards. Disillusioned with the education system, 45% of us are ready to drop out after this year. Without safe spaces to express ourselves, we struggle to find motivation or a sense of purpose for our future.
Classroom Teaching & Revision Methods
Problem Identification:
43, Grade 10 students had huge language and concept gaps with 1000+ pages filled with seven-eight syllable words waiting to be understood, remembered and reproduced, to really shape the next 5-years for the students of the community.
Design Solution:
Turning the syllabus into socially and culturally relevant workshops to help students connect to the material and improve retention.
Students learn in all shapes and sizes - and I was committed to ensuring that all learners thrive. Making use of my design thinking skills, I formulated lesson methods and assessments that ensure all types of learners are growing
The Fundraiser
Problem Identification:
A couple of months into the fellowship, we recognised the need for a safe space with more sunshine, breeze, plants and colors where we could develop relations beyond “one-period-a-day”.
Design Solution:
We ran a fundraiser and were graciously supported with Rs. 2,00,000 from existing networks.
100%
Raised ₹2,00,000
The Community Center
Problem Identification:
The need to co-create a space that adolescents from our school could feel safe in to explore the two subjects along with building collaboration, creativity and self-expression.
Design Solution:
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Leasing a space to call our own!
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Visiting homes and inviting parents to send their children to the space, after school, we had a solid 20 students from Grade 10, regularly visiting our little after-school community center.
The Currency System Motivator
Problem Identification:
Curriculum delivery, and safe spaces had become our strong suits, but student behaviour - not so much.
Students lacked motivation to engage with “school” as a concept, and showed signs of giving up especially with a large exam coming up.
Design Solution:
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A currency system to the classroom that enabled students to win GHSKS Rupees on meeting academic and behavioral goals of the class and losing it too, on drastically going off.
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Every Friday, we opened a marketplace where students could buy a ticket to the “Reward Day Event” at the Community Centre. Here, rewards were placed weekly catering to the interests of different student groups.
The Circle’s Innovation Funding Grant
+ The Drama Therapy Intervention
Problem Identification:
Grade 9 came in as the most divided, difficult to manage class with 45 students, all struggling to sit in their seats for more than 5 minutes without disturbing class. Work had to be done that targets the age group, as well as through a medium that transcends language and the physicality of a classroom.
Design Solution:
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Won The Circles Innovation Funding Grant of ₹70,000
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Collaborated with Mumbai based Drama therapy group - Rangbhumi
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Through this, we explored themes of Identity, Exclusion, Patriarchy, our relation with being leaders of change and embodied experiences of being someone who stand up and takes a stance, against ideas we’ve learned but maybe don’t agree with entirely.
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This beautiful space, held partly on the school terrace and partly at the community center, gave a chance to students to occupy space and express their narratives, hopes, concerns through Applied Theatre principles known as Playback Theatre and a practice called Theatre of the Oppressed. We all also learned Kathak together and performed morning assembly prayer through movement together in one of the sessions.
Customized Journals
Problem Identification:
Big emotions being explored through the drama therapy and the community center, but no space to sit and reflect on these emotions and feelings.
Design Solution:
These conversations around observing ourselves were sustained with a self-exploration book/ personal diary called, “Finding my light” for Grade 9 and 10, with prompts to understand one’s dreams, triggers, strengths and challenges better. This was a hit amongst students as it gave them a space to vent safely and process carefully.
The Circle’s Reinventing Schools program
+ The pitch for “Laya”
After spending countless hours with our highscool students, we had developed a deep understanding of their needs. At this juncture, we got selected to attend The Circle’s Reinventing schools program. Through the course of the next 6 weeks, we developed a pitch for “laya” - Magadi roads first, for profit, music studio. On the 10th of March, we pitched this idea to a panel of education experts, and ended up winning the Popular Choice award. We received a funding of ₹25,000 to make this dream come to life.
Problem Identification:
Career paths for students who fail or drop out after their Grade 10 Boards are either illegal or very dangerous.
Design Solution:
To develop career pathways for students who “fail” in the existing education systems, and to develop 21st century monetizable skills so that they have the confidence to start and grow in a career of their choice.
The Impact
Grade 10 Board Exam Data
32%
pass in BOY assessment
82%
pass in SSLC Board Exam
Drama Therapy Endline Data
30%
students feel they understand themselves better
60%
students feel they understand themselves better
13%
students feel they are creative
80%
students feel they are creative and expressive
27%
students feel they can manage the emotion of sadness