Subjects that the organization has worked on and currently engaged in
Elementary Education
Under Elementary Education initiatives SPS is presently working on community mobilization and empowerment for quality education and right to education. It also has undertaken capacity building of SMC members, teachers and local institutions and building of TLM process development etc to improve the pace of learning among children. SPS is also working with remedial coaching, tracking and back up support to mainstream out of school children to formal schooling system.
Urban Governance
Under the Urban Governance initiatives SPS works to empower the urban slum communities and children for improved access to basic services, entitlements and livelihood opportunities. It works with local municipal bodies to develop community participation in urban local self governance. It also facilitates solid waste management initiatives in Giridih. This initiative has been supported by NFI since 2004.
Adolescent Issues (Health Initiatives)
SPS has been a district support agency for training of adolescents on life skills under Rajiv Gandhi Kishori Balika Sashakti Pariyojna (SABLA) in Giridih District. Earlier on, the organization has given training to 1100 youths on Reproductive health and hygiene through a program called SABLA supported by the women and child development department of Jharkhand under the Rajeev Gandhi Kishori Sashaktikaran Yojana. The experience will be used to facilitate the future events regarding the same.
Women empowerment
Under the Women Empowerment initiatives SPS works for SHG promotion and their financial inclusion to support livelihood opportunities for the rural poor in Giridih. Currently there are 125 SHG groups where more than 1575 women are active in their respective groups and initiatives.
Educational Experience
Samajik Parivartan Sansthan has been working on primary education issues in Giridih district since its inception in the year 1999. SPS was a major partner organization of SPEED (State Project for Elementary Education Development). It proactively facilitated community mobilization and micro planning for primary education in Supaul, Saharsa, Patna and Moakamah and Giridih districts of undivided Bihar. The organization has been instrumental in promotion of Village Education Committees, Panchayat Education Committees and Parent-Teacher Associations to encourage community participation for universalization of primary education.
SPS has a good team of committed and skilled educators, facilitators and supervisors who successfully piloted the USAID-NBJK supported REACH India programme. Here SPS mobilized local community contribution in setting up good learning models to improve the access of 2100 at-risk children to quality education and their mainstreaming to formal system of education.
SPS is the partner of ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) conducted by PRATHAM Mumbai since 2005 till date.
SPS has also successfully demonstrated mainstreaming of about 220 street children to formal schooling with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan through Rain Basera (Residential Bridge Course, supported by SSA) Initiatives. The organization has encouraged child centered practices and educational management to encourage participation of children and community in improved educational environment.
In the year 2008 in partnership with JRDTT, SPS run a five-year project called Strengthening Education Mainstream (SEM) in Giridih to introduce quality education initiatives in 6 rural education clusters of Giridih block. Here SPS has initiated and encouraged Guru Gosthi, innovative teaching learning methods and school events in Govt. Schools to sensitize and motivate teachers, parents and local community. SPS has also good experience of developing useful teaching learning materials, training modules for educators and classroom activities that enhance learning capacity among children. Currently this initiative has been extended for three more years under the name Continuous and Expansion of Access to Quality Elementary Education supported by TATA Social Welfare Trust (TSWT).
So far SPS has mainstreamed about 4500 out of school children to formal system of education with good retention and performance at schools. As per the midterm evaluation reports SPS has been able to regularize the CRC based monthly reflection meeting by 48% that was almost negligible at the start of the project. So far the organization has been able to achieve 80% of the project outcome and we expect to achieve about 90% of project accomplishments through continued interventions by next year.