Bridging the digital Divide

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the educational landscape across India and across the globe, as schools and learning institutions have rushed to shift teaching and learning online. However, in this rush, the pre-existing class- and gender-based digital divide has remained glaringly in place, leaving a considerable population of students and learners without remedy. While affluent and well-resourced families have had an almost seamless transition from classroom learning to online learning, children from poor communities have been left behind with no support. 

Among its own students, Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) has found that nearly half (44%) of children from a lower socio-economic background do not have access to smartphones or the internet. Of these, the majority are girls. In many cases, no one in the family possesses a smartphone, and so there is no way for them to access the internet. In other cases, a parent (usually a father) may own a smartphone; however, the girl’s access to this phone is often limited because (1) the parent is working throughout the day and takes the phone with them, (2) she belongs to a large family and a single phone is shared among all family members, or (3) her access is restricted because of her gender. 

While older students may be able to negotiate access or even possess a phone of their own, the problem is often amplified for students in the primary section. Even in cases where the family owns a phone and is therefore able to receive assignments and access online classes, parents are often illiterate and thus unable to facilitate their young child’s learning.

In order to facilitate access to online classes for children (especially girls) from low socio-economic and otherwise marginalized communities, SHEF proposes to provide digital technology and connectivity to select students, alumni, and teachers, who will then be responsible for facilitating learning in their communities. The project has been named “Digital Saathi,” as one device will facilitate and enable the education and learning of many.

Senior students and alumni of Prerna Girls School and Vidyasthali Kanar Intercollege who lack access and live in communities where access is minimal will receive smartphones on loan for the duration of the crisis. In addition to enabling access to their own classes, students who receive a phone will also be responsible for sharing assignments and information with other students who live nearby, and use the phone to ensure their ability to access their online classes and learning. 

Similarly, GyanSetu teachers will be provided with laptops in order to help them facilitate learning in the marginalized communities they serve. This will also enable the expansion of GyanSetu centers’ current function and enable their access to educational resources previously inaccessible by them.

CBSE CLASS 12th RESULTS 2015

Class XII results have been declared for the year 2015. We are glad to announce a school average of 80.4 this year. The school toppers got the overwhelming score of 96.6%. We thank all the parents for support and congratulate all our students.
School Toppers –
1.Ekaansh Ranjan ( Humanities) 96.6%
2.Utkarsh Agarwal (Science ) 96.6%
Subject Toppers
1.Chemistry – 100 Marks Shirish Maheshwari
2.History – 100 Marks Vanshika Rastogi & Shivani Singh
3.Psychology – 100 Marks Samriddhi Shah

School Average
80.4%
Stream Average
Science – 82.83
Humanities -82.89
Commerce -77.32

Congratulations to my children and the Study Hall family

Mrs.Meenakshi Bahadur
Vice Principal
Study Hall School

 

 Study Hall in Press


Curtain Raiser Natyautsav

“Yuva Manch is a theater group started by Study Hall Educational Foundation, Several schools and alumni participate in several theater productions featured at Yuva Manch. This year Yuva Manch brings forth productions from Study Hall School, Prerna Girls School, DOSTI School and Vidyasthali School through U.P Tourism auditorium, Gomti Nagar”
‘Natyotsav’, a presentation by ‘Yuva Manch’, our platform for promoting theater among students.
We look forward to your presence and encouragement.

We look forward to your presence and encouragement.
Venue: Uttar Pradesh Paryatan Bhawan ,Gomti Nagar , Lucknow.
Date: 9th & 10th May, 2015
Time: 5:00 pm

Natyotsav Programme Order ( 9th May,2015)

5:00 pm to 5:10 pm

Introduction

5:10 pm to 5:25pm

Ganit Raja ( Play by Dosti)

5:25pm to 5:45pm

Dushman koi Nahin( Play by Vidyasthali)

5:45pm to 6:10pm

Thodi Thodi Aur Bajegi( Play by Junior School)

6:20pm to 7:00pm

Main Gandhari ( Play by Alumni & students of Senior School)

7:00pm to 7:10pm

Dance Drama( by CFL students)

7:10pm to 7:20 pm

Principal’s Address

Natyotsav Programme Order ( 10th May, 2015)

5:00pm to 5:10pm

Introduction

5:10pm to 5:30pm

Haan Zindagi Badlegi ( Play by Prerna Girls School)

5:30pm to 5:40pm

Izzat ( Dance Drama by Prerna Girls School)

5:40pm to 5:50pm

Song ( by Prerna Girls – filler)

6:00pm to 6:40pm

Main Gandhari(  Play by Alumni & students of Study Hall)

6:40pm to 6:50pm

Dance Drama ( by students of CFL)

6:50pm to 7:00pm

Urvashi Aunty’s Address & Certificates

7:00pm to 7 :10pm

Vote of Thanks by Principal

VEERANGANA BRAVERY AWARD 2014


“Shivani’s courage and action are a model for girls everywhere, and Prerna continues to show us what girls’ education can and should be. Thank you!”

– Dr. Glynda Hull,
Elizabeth H. and Eugene A. Shurtleff Chair in Undergraduate Education
University of California, Berkeley


“My god, what an act of bravery indeed, and of education and self-preservation and intelligence.”

– Dr.Kathleen Gallagher
Professor
Canada Research Chair
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto

EQUALITY AND EDUCATION FROM THE GROUND UP IN INDIA

Dr. Urvashi Sahni

Last month, India emblemized its role as the world’s largest democracy as over 800 million eligible voters went to the polls in what may have been the largest democratic event in history. High on the list of priorities for all contesting parties was women’s empowerment, women’s equality and overall safety for women. In fact, surveys show more than 90 percent of Indian voters see combating violence against women as a priority and 75 percent of men and women believe that the political promises made to advocate women’s rights have been inadequate so far.

There is good cause for Indians to be concerned that not enough has been done for women in their country. According to India’s National Crime Records Bureau, more than 25,000 rape cases were reported across the country in 2012 alone. Out of these, almost 98 percent were committed by a relative or neighbor. Additional statistics are no less troubling: latest estimates suggest that a new case of rape is reported every 22 minutes in India, a dowry death occurs every 77 minutes, and a case of cruelty committed by either a husband or husband’s relative occurs every 9 minutes. Forty-seven percent of girls are married by 18 years of age, and 18 percent are married by 15 years of age, resulting in around 39,000 child marriages taking place each day. From a global perspective, 40 percent of the world’s child brides are from India.

Even before girls reach their teenage years, they face distressing challenges in India. Many more girls than boys die before reaching the age of 5. And with female feticide approaching nearly 1 million a year, fewer girls are born. Indeed, our sex ratio is at 914 women to 1,000 men, the lowest it has been since independence in 1947.

Domestic violence and gender disparities are especially pronounced in India’s northern states. Women and girls In Uttar Pradesh, in particular, suffer physical abuse at rates of 18-45 percent, non-consensual sex at rates of 18-40 percent, and physically forced sex at rates of 4-7 percent.

These are terrifying statistics. While the government has tried to boost girls’ education and has made some significant gains (females are now enrolled in primary school almost at parity with men), girls are still far from equal in India. Only 40 percent finish 10th grade. Ultimately, the social climate at home and in communities is too discriminatory to allow for girls being educated or becoming autonomous, equal persons.

Dissatisfied with the government’s efforts, NGOs, women’s movements, journalists, economists, academics and lawyers are promoting their “Womanifesto,” a six-point plan, first drafted last year, that details what needs to be done within the next five years to improve conditions for India’s women and girls. First on the list is “Educate for Equality.” It reads, “We will implement comprehensive, well-funded and long-term public education programs to end the culture of gender-based discrimination and violence. These will include: SMS, radio and TV public service campaigns, accessible lesson plans for schools, and modules for training teachers. To this end we will reach men, women, boys and girls in both urban and rural areas.” Significantly, it specifically speaks of education “for equality,” and not a more watered-down, paternalistic “education for girls.”

The group that I’ve founded, Study Hall Education Foundation (SHEF), has been doing just this. In the last decade, we have adopted the motto of “educate for equality,” understanding that not only is mere enrolment not enough but a gender-neutral academic education is not sufficient to empower girls and will not necessarily lead to better life outcomes. We embed strong, focused, rights-based empowerment programs within schools’ curriculums with very encouraging outcomes. Teachers are led to examine their own gendered mindsets and trained to become advocates for girls’ rights. The teachers then help girls become advocates for themselves and for all girls’ rights. They have a large parent community that they can influence and they use all their interactions with parents as platforms of advocacy.

Our program has reached out to 4,000 adolescent girls, 300 teachers and over 16,000 parents. Teachers have started using their parent teacher meetings to discuss issues like gender discrimination, child marriage, dowry, girls’ right to education and violence against girls. Girls participate in these meetings, using drama to give voice to feelings of oppression and to stake their claim to their right to equal personhood. Interestingly, parent attendance at these meetings has increased 55 percent since the teachers began using them as platforms to discuss gender issues. Teachers report that parents are finding the meetings much more meaningful and are engaging actively in discussions centered on issues that are close to them.

As part of SHEF’s efforts to educate wider communities on gender, we organized a large campaign against child marriage, which impacted approximately 16,000 teachers, students and members of the community. The month-long campaign brought critical dialogues into the classroom, and kicked off discussions with parents at parent teacher meetings. It culminated in a student and teacher-led march through the community, where students and teachers from 43 schools across four districts in Uttar Pradesh shouted slogans against child marriage and for girls rights, performed street plays in the villages and enlisted support from community adults via signature campaigns.

If India is to become a better place for all of its children, then it is vital that we value and respect our daughters. We must move the conversation of girls’ education from “learning outcomes” to “life outcomes” and take up “education for equality” as our mantra across the country. We should include gender education in our curriculum for both boys and girls. And we should teach these lessons not just to our students, but also to their parents and communities in order to construct an egalitarian gender perspective. This is imperative if India is to fulfill its constitutional promise of gender equality.

 

Originally Posted at

Brookings

BOKO HARAM – WHAT A FANCY NAME FOR MERCENARIES

 

Dexter Figg
Digital Study Hall

Yet again the civilized world is held to ransom by a band of lunatics armed to the teeth with lethal weapons. And this time they are taking orders from an idiot.

The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad also known by its Hausa name – Boko Haram – kidnapped 300 girls from their schools in the town of Chibok along the Nigerian border last month, and their leader, Abubaker Shekau, has threatened to sell the girls as slaves. People like Abubakar Shekau have no mission and their vision is only on money and it does not matter where it comes from. They would sell their own mothers and their soles if the price was right – we call them “mercenaries”.

Abubakar Shekau said that the girls should not have been in school in the first place, but rather should get married. “God instructed me to sell them, they are his property and I will carry out his instructions,” Abubakar Shekau has been quoted as saying. Now, the question is, who is going to buy the girls? The same people who armed the Boko Haram?
What man would stoop so low as to hold harmless girls hostage to get his 15 minutes of fame? Or are these “men” just seeking revenge for being born? They are armed to the teeth and oppress a people who have cowered down for centuries. They fight gorilla warfare that includes striking by surprise and from behind, what is more they strike innocent citizens in public places by planting bombs and scurrying away in time to save their own miserable skins – they are not what men are made of, in fact I doubt they are even human.

At the time of writing this, May 23, 2014, the US had sent in it troops to assist in the rescue of the girls, while a few hours earlier on Thursday, May 23, 2014, the United Nations Security Council approved sanctions against Boko Haram, claiming it to be linked to the Islamist terrorist outfit – the Al-Quaida, putting the Boko Haram on the list of the 1267 sanctions already imposed by the UN against similar organizations. These sanctions will hopefully close off important avenues of funding, travel and weapons to Boko Haram, and display global unity against their savage actions which has left thousands dead since 2009. While I do not condone violence, at least the kind the US is capable of, at this time I pray they show no mercy – these people do not deserve a trial in a human court of law. When they donned military uniforms and took up arms they chose to die by the gun, and they should.

Words fail me; I am unable to react. I just want to say, it is high time the world united and fought not only madmen such as Abubakar Shekau, but every sane person should join hands to kill the very thought process of such people. Let’s forget women’s empowerment for a moment and focus on humanity at this time. A small group of lunatics are holding the world at ransom, have mocked each individual’s freedom and they are laughing in our faces and us men and women can do nothing but look on because we never acted on equality when we had the chance – which was generations ago!

Procrastination has destroyed many a man. Let’s seize the opportunity every day gives us to make a small change in our own mindset and only then in that of our neighbors. Speak out against social evils and show the world that you stand for something. If you don’t, you will fall for anything – such as the Boko Haram.

“…the girls should not have been in school in the first place.” Need they say more to prove their insanity!?!

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WITH PRERNA GIRLS

Prerna Girls were a part of a 5 day long photography workshop conducted by a world class photographer Mr. Giacomo Pirozzi. Girls choose different themes and went around the city to click breath taking photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHY THE SILENCE NOW?

Shalini Sinha
Principal, Study Hall School

Boko Haram say that their murder, rape and selling people into slavery is in the name of Islam. I can’t imagine any greater blasphemy or insult to a religion than that. Why are Boko Haram not denounced by the UN? For far less, the developed nations do not think twice in entering the borders of another nation. Why the silence now? Why are the Islamic nations quiet? This is the time for the world to unite and send a strong message to the terror organisations that they cannot get away with blasphemy.

IN THE NAME OF HATE

Aiman Jafri
Student, Study Hall School

In the Northeast Nigeria operates an Islamic Jihadist and Takfiri terrorist organization named Boko Haram. They seek to establish an Islamic state which is ruled by Sharia and repudiate westernisation. The group is known for attacking Christians, Muslims and government targets, as well as for bombing churches, mosques, schools and police stations. The group also kidnaps western tourists and has assassinated members of the Islamic establishment who have criticized the group. Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency has resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths between 2002 and 2013.Strangely, the same organization that caused the death of thousands condemns westernisation for causing criminal behavior.

On April 14, this organisation abducted about 250 girls of Government Secondary School in Chibok of Borno State, Nigeria. The students were forced into Islam and into marriage with members of Boko Haram. Some were reportedly send to Chad and Cameroon. Boko Haram spokesperson said ‘attacks would continue as long as Nigerian Government continues to interfere with traditional Islamic education’. Due to their militant activities, 10,000 children don’t attend school.

It is shameful that an organization seeking political gain turns to a religion in order to receive the attention it assumes it needs. These strands of events have sparked great ridicule and criticism on Islam. People are flooding the social networking sites with demands such as ban on Islam. There is an equally powerful opposition to comments like these. Amidst the mayhem of followers and haters of Islam, a question pops up. Why is it that in events like these, where an extremist – Islamic organisation commits crimes in the name of their religion, people automatically generalise ideas/faith/believes of the whole of Muslim population. It’s even more ridiculous that people have accepted an extremist organisation as a representative of Islam, even after constant opposition from religious heads themselves. For instance, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh joined other religious leaders in the Muslim world to condemn the kidnappings, describing Boko Haram as misguided and intent on smearing the name of Islam. He stated that Islam is against kidnapping, and that marrying kidnapped girls is not permitted. Just because some people do something in the name of Islam doesn’t mean they entirely represent the manners and culture of Islam. Every religious text can be interpreted to your world views if you try hard enough, and it is obvious that the majority of Muslims in the world will find Boko Haram as horrid as everyone else.
I leave it to you to decide whether it’s their ignorance talking or a religion.

AN UN-ISLAMIC EXTREMIST GROUP

Jyotika Misra
Student, Study Hall School

In April, 2014 we saw the horrific case of 234 Nigerian schoolgirls being abducted by an Islamist terror group. This incident garnered the attention of everyone across the world irrespective of their nationality, religion or race. It forced many to ask what actually an Islamist group is. Do these people who claim to propagate Islam even understand the religion? This group abducted innocent Nigerian girls in order to force the government to meet their demand of releasing their militants in return of providing freedom to their girls. But the question here is whether the method which they adopted is right and Islamic (as they mention it)? The initial inactiveness of the government on the whole issue is also something which gathered eyeball of everyone across the globe.

Boko Haram, the militant group which abducted the girls, claims to follow and preach Islam to such extent that its official name translated to English as ‘People committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s teachings and Jihad’. But this name is wholly inappropriate for such extremist group. The deeds of the members of Boko Haram which comprises of kidnapping, murdering is nowhere in line with what Prophet Mohammad taught the world. Islam is as peaceful as any other religion, whether it be Hinduism or Christianity. But it is due to these extremist groups that it is wrongly interpreted. One of the main principles of Islam states that no one should be a cause of anyone else’s grievances. Here, torturing or traumatizing anyone is considered as haram. But through this action of Boko Haram, hundreds of girls are into trouble and their families are in the worst state, awaiting the arrival of their loved ones. They don’t know in what state their daughters are? And whether they will ever come back to them? In a recent video released by this militant group we saw the Nigerian girls wearing hijab and reciting the namaz. This showed that they have been converted to Islam by the group. But this action is completely immoral and unethical. No person can force anyone to adopt a particular religion, this is what even the holy book states. The leader of the group in the same video states, that they have ‘liberated’ the girls by converting them to Islam. But is this liberation? By carrying out inhuman activities like abducting the girls, converting them to Islam, this group is rather imprisoning the girls and forcing them to slavery.

Boko Haram is a group which largely targets secular, western educational institutions as they think that these can be a threat to their religion. But in the process of doing so they are worsening the global scenario. There is no harm in being religious but the real problem arises when people become communal and extremist. The action of this militant group is in contradiction with what they claim to propagate. Instead of promoting Prophet Mohammad’s version of Islam they are bringing it into a bad light through its misinterpretations. Whether based on religious context or human interpretations, no value in the history of mankind justifies such brutal acts.

In order to avoid such situations firstly it’s important for such groups to understand the religion, its true meaning and the human values attached to it. And in order to avoid communal divide in the extreme situations like what Nigeria is facing, it is the duty of Muslims to deliver the real message of Islam to the world. At the same time it is also the duty of non-Muslims to understand the holistic situation before rushing to judge.