STAR School Programme

Education serves as a sustainable pathway to alleviating poverty, not only for individuals but also for communities and entire nations. However, globally, 264 million children are unable to attend school or leave prematurely. YCDA focuses on enhancing the quality and relevance of education in its operational areas by ensuring safe learning environments, well-trained teachers, effective school leadership, and active engagement of parents and communities. In India, while urban children from affluent families often access high-quality education, rural children remain at a disadvantage due to the lack of similar opportunities in their areas and the financial inability of parents to send them to urban schools. This disparity leaves rural children vulnerable to child labor, early marriage, school dropouts, migration, and trafficking.   To address these challenges, YCDA introduced the STAR School initiative with technical support from Edukans Foundation, a hands-on, comprehensive framework for creating high-quality learning environments. The model focuses on improving five critical dimensions of education:

Learning Environment:

A positive and supportive learning environment is crucial for effective education. This includes both physical infrastructure, such as buildings and sanitation, and the social and emotional climate. The project supports schools in creating child-friendly spaces through upgraded facilities and robust child protection policies. Peer learning groups and adolescent clubs will be formed across 150 villages, organizing regular Sunday classes and special sessions to foster engagement and learning.

Learning:

The model emphasizes learner-centric approaches, fostering active and interactive learning. Special remedial classes with tailored materials will help slow and average learners improve. Additionally, the program introduces comprehensive sexual education to enhance students’ knowledge and skills, addressing topics like menstruation and fertility while debunking superstitions. These lessons are integrated into the curriculum using the MKMK toolkit and taught by trained teachers, with community sensitization sessions further reinforcing awareness.

Teaching:

Effective teaching relies on motivated, skilled teachers. Training sessions will equip educators with strategies for activity-based learning, multi-classroom management, and effective lesson delivery. A group of teachers trained to act as resource persons, cascading their knowledge to others in the project area.

School Management:

Strong leadership is essential for a well-managed school. Leadership training for school administrators focuses on creating and implementing school development plans and fostering instructional improvements. Inter-school visits also be organized to encourage shared learning.

Parental and Community Involvement:

Parental and community engagement significantly impacts student attendance and achievement. The initiative organizes workshops for stakeholders at the Panchayat level and develops a community-based monitoring tool. Sensitization programs involving parents, teachers, and students will promote collaborative efforts to enhance education quality.