Sponsor the educational journey of a poor child by Purkal Youth Development Society

This program benefits the students of PYDS Learning Academy situated in village Purkal on the outskirts of Dehradun. From this year onwards, CBSE has decided against streaming students into Science, Commerce, and Arts after Class X. We welcome CBSE’s decision to allow a wider combination of subject choices for students. With a wider range of subject choices, students could choose their subjects as per their career choices. This is aligned with our mission of adequate employability. We have created 9 subject combinations for students to choose from. Each combination is aligned to career options. We are using 3 points of reference for subject selection for each student: ● Cogito Hub aptitude and personality test report● Student preferences ● Teacher recommendationHere’s how students were accessed for this academic year.Classes I to V - We made an effort to withdraw textbooks from our little ones and offer them learning through activities and projects instead. Through hands-on experiences, the children from classes I to V acquired a strong base and warranted a different kind of assessment and evaluation. For the final assessment, an integrated project and an oral presentation were conducted for primary Classes I-V.Classes VI to XII - We conducted final assessments on campus for classes VI-XII. These were a combination of single-subject projects, multi-subject projects, and written assessments. After the final assessment, we decided to address the attendance, engagement, and performance of students for class I-XII at the Parent-Teacher Meetings PTMs. Due to students attending online classes for most of the year, we had a few standout failures and borderline students. Therefore, we instituted a plan that placed students in 3 categories and got written consent from all parents for the following: Promotion to the next class – students who performed well were promoted Probation – The borderline students were temporarily promoted. For promotion, all these students must have a) 100% online attendance from mid-April to mid-June b) must score 75% and above in all subject assessments Hold back – Some students will repeat the class due to very poor attendance and performance leading to significant learning loss by such students. We had in total 53 students who were borderline cases. These students were provisionally promoted to the next class and put on probation from mid-April to early July. Their performance was closely monitored and they were put through a process of three Formative Assessments to assess their progress. Based on this assessment, 41 students out of the 53 probationers who were provisionally promoted are now fully promoted to the next class. The rest of the 12 students will repeat their present class. They will be provided with special help to ensure that repeating a year will raise the standard of their performance.Keeping in mind distance learning and last year’s experiences in conducting written assessments, Formative Assessments are adapted as a new and continuous way of assessing students considering the following 1. Assessing the knowledge of our students about a particular topic 2. To have quick feedback of both students and the teachers before a new topic3. To evaluate students’ learning throughout the course and special attention can be given whenever/wherever needed 4. To avoid cheating as such assessments will be a surprise for the students. 5. To increase students’ participation and engagement level in the class Every month, three assessments are scheduled. Students participated in several subject-based activities Activity 1: Students participated in a debate on the topic “Our Education System”, where they expressed their views for and against our education system. This activity was done to improve their academic development. Activity 2: Students Illustrated Poems with Drawings and Videos. Students in this activity were asked to make a video or draw things they understood from the poem, “The Road Not Taken”. They understood the dilemma faced by the poet in deciding his lifeActivity 3: Students, in this activity, explored musical instruments and by looking at the amazing facts of the main characters of a chapter. They created music at home by using utensils at home and tried beatboxing. They even gained a lot of knowledge about various musical instruments. Here is a link to the YouTube video of Neha Thakur: (https://youtu.be/nn0VnsV1Kv4) Department of English and Art organized an art illustration competition, where the students from classes VI to XII participated.

Every subject teacher prepares a lesson plan to utilize classroom time optimally and enable the usage of different teaching/learning styles to produce all-rounded learning outcomes as per the topic/subject. Adapting to the new online distance learning in the 2020-21 academic year, some of these learning outcomes were not met due to limitations in classroom activities. To fill these gaps, subject teachers took classes on campus from 05-15th April before the start of the new academic year. These classes primarily focused on students’ individual learning gaps for the next academic level. We have learned from the previous academic year that our students fall into four categories based on their connectivity and access:- Those with no access- Those with multiple siblings, so shared devices hence limited access- Those with limited access because parents needed their device when they go to work- Full accessOur focus for this year is to enhance levels of student attendance and engagement. We made a timetable such that students had the option to attend either morning or evening (or both) sessions. Teachers taught the same course content at both sessions.

Story from the ground:Name - Priya Jakhwal Father’s Name - Mr Ghana Nand Jakhwal Mother’s Name - Mrs Hem Lata Class - IX Background of the family Priya`s father Ghananand migrated from his village Basura, Pauri Garhwal to Dehradun over 13 years ago. Ghananand worked at various places and later got an opportunity to work for Kasiga School, Dehradun as a helper in the kitchen. He is working in Kasiga School for over 11 years. He earns a monthly salary of Rs 10,000/- per month while Priya's mother is a homemaker and looks after her youngest child Karthik who is about 7 months old. Priya's younger sister Simran is studying in Class I at John Martyn School while her younger brother Karthik is 7 months old. Status of the house The family lives in a servant quarter which is one room cum kitchen and a common washroom. The belongings they have are a small television, an old refrigerator, 2 single beds, and other household items. Academic Performance Priya is a good-humoured child with a cheerful demeanour. She loves taking responsibilities and carries them well. She displays great enjoyment for studies and puts in all her efforts in learning new things. Last academic year, Priya struggled with distance learning due to the unavailability of phone and connectivity issues. She tried hard to engage and be part of the discussions and activities. Despite all these issues and learning gaps, she performed well in the second assessment. Gradually, she gained experience in understanding and relating various concepts. Her participation in the class discussions and debates is improving. She needs to build her concepts and continue practising basic grammar skills like using tenses, articles, and punctuations. Though her parents are keen to get her educated, they would not have been able to educate her without our School which educates at no cost to beneficiaries.

We emphasise the practical application of the theories learnt in classrooms so that students can grasp the actual utility of concepts rather than just memorising them. The resources and tools in our Tinkering Lab are a result of the generous donations given to us by several friends like GiveIndia. We hope to add to them in the future with your support.
Sakshi Joshi of Class IX (B) participated in an Inter-School Best Out of Waste Competition, Green Gurukul Education Program, organised by NGO, Waste Warriors. The idea was to encourage students to use 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) through hands-on activities. Her creative article stood Fifth in the competition among many students from 8 different schools.
Amaan Ullah, of class IX, has designed and prepared a Wooden Foot Operated Handwash Dispenser. With COVID–19 spreading, such dispensers are the need of the hour. They will aid in eliminating common contact points through which the virus can be spread. Here is a link demonstrating steps taken by Amaan to make the dispenser.
· On 17th July, a workshop was conducted on ‘Continuous Learning for Students at Home’. We, along with four other similar organisations participated and shared our resources and experiences on Distance Learning. The workshop enabled its’ participants to become familiar with strategies and resources that can be contextualised and implemented in the schools. It also helped build a great network of partners to jointly navigate challenges being thrown up in the current scenario. We are looking forward to collaborating with them with a view to enhancing distance learning for all of our students.
· To ensure uninterrupted learning, book distribution began in July. The staff team travelled and provided books to the students at their doorstep. At the same time, old books were collected from students so that they could be used by their juniors. This is a conscious effort made to imbibe a sense of responsibility towards the environment and sensitize our students towards resource utilization. This, after all, is our ethos as a family-centred and community-based institution. As a new academic session is in progress, it was essential that they receive books which could aid the distance learning process.
Twenty-Eight students from Classes VI to XII have been given a mobile tablet for online learning while two tablets have been issued to the hostel wardens. These are used by the students who are staying on campus. We have also supported them with mobile recharge for eighty-four days during the distribution of these tablets.
We built 3 toilet units in the Primary Section for Classes I, II and III. As outreach and number of students grew, ensuring a clean environment for all grew in importance. This project of building a toilet in the primary block has serious benefits for our young students’ health and well-being. The toilet block for the entire school is located just across the playground, which is quite a distance from the primary classrooms. The construction of three toilet units was undertaken in the School’s Eastern Block (Primary Section) for Classes I-III.

Igniting the young minds

At Purkal, we focus on more than just the academic growth, Our support extends to the physical, emotional, social and intellectual care of the child. In January, our girls won the Khel Mahakumbh U-17 State Level Volleyball Tournament. One of our students played the U-14 State Level Volleyball Tournament where her team won the Silver Medal. Ashita Penouli from class 8(A) has been selected for the National under 14 team. She would be going shortly to Lucknow to play in the finals. Our boys’ and girls’ Basketball team competed in the under 14 Basketball Competition. Our girls’ team was the runner up team while the boys’ team secured 3rd position. Lots of activities were undertaken in the Tinkering Lab, a learner's space where our students love to spend their time. They've been working on something or the other since its commencement in 2018. During the last quarter, some teams were assigned a task of creating Robo-Cars which pitted against each other. Our comprehensive medical care ensured the well being of every student. Medical clubs were weekly held for preventive health measures. Some volunteers from Griffith University took a session on oral hygiene. Like the medical club, several other hobby-specific-clubs were also held. These clubs help students hone the skills for which they have a flair. This New Year 2020 began with a memorable trip to Gujarat where a group of 56 (50 students and 6 teachers) experienced the rich Gujarati history, heritage, and culture. The Pushkin Chandra Memorial Competition was organised on 17th February. This competition entails Story Narration and Poem Recitation in both English and Hindi by the students of classes 1-5. It was instituted by Mr. Anil Chandra in the memory of his son Pushkin and has been held every year since 2012.

Program Update

This quarter witnessed a more academic environment on the school campus, with final term exams in March. After the celebrations for India’s Republic Day and the school’s investiture ceremony, focus was largely on the revision of the annual syllabus. Surveying and identification of beneficiaries for the next academic session also took place during this quarter. 12th graders were also busy with college applications and were counselled on their choices. Other activities included Olympiads, essay-writing and poetry competitions, both in and out of the school. A few medical issues were also reported and taken care of in time.

Story from the field

Happy Singh came to PYDS 5 years ago and was awed by the world of circuits and mechanics introduced by his Physics teacher. Fast-forward from there and the Tinkering Laboratory, a NITI Aayog initiative, was inaugurated at school in October’18 by Hon’ble CM of Uttarakhand.
From image-processing to Arduino programming to 3D-printing to Raspberry Pi, Happy Singh excitedly grabbed the opportunity to learn about all the futuristic equipment brought into the tinkering lab. He along with Kashish Aswal, a grade younger, submitted a solution titled Re-purposing Women's Fashion into Self-Defence Equipment, at a competition organized by INTEL “Make Tomorrow for Innovation Generation”. The project and the confident delivery of it to the presenters, was among the Top 10 Finalists.
This was a big achievement for a boy like Happy, who has been raised in a family with innumerable economic limitations. In his own words, “I aspire to become a Software Engineer. I am learning lots of new things about electronics and circuits and how things work and how software is used to drive different machines.” His teachers say it, as does his excitement – the impact of technology on campus has given him a dream to work towards in the future.

Program Update

The new academic session started in early April and we took in more beneficiaries under our care. Almost all children fared well in their examinations last year and moved up a class. Students who were unable to cope are now undergoing additional Remedial Classes to help them with their learning gaps.

In terms of assets, 2 new school buses were added to our fleet. A third boys' hostel has been rented to accommodate 22 more boys, primarily hailing from the upper reaches of our Himalayan State. A Tinkering Laboratory to inculcate scientific temper for futuristic technologies is also being constructed and will be operational within a month.

A group of students were taken on an excursion to the higher Himalayan range during the summer break. They visited villages and learnt about the local culture. They also understood the importance of teamwork and fraternity. Further they saw snow-capped peaks of Nanda Devi and Panchchuli. They stayed at a Gandhi Ashram facility and learned more about Mahatma Gandhi. The whole trip was really a learning experience for all the students. This was particularly interesting since many of the children are native to similar regions in the State.

Story from the field

Akash is today in the midst of opulence in a five-star ambience, perhaps ten hours every day. His aspirations lie in a career that doesn't remotely resemble his past. The Taj Group selected him for their Golden Threshold Program which they run in association with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; while the latter provide the input and training in their theory. They are also providing the practical orientation for his training in the hospitality industry.

His life in New Delhi, where he encounters affluent customers, is diametrically different from the life he has led so far. Having lost his father as an infant, his widowed mother was left penniless and forsaken by friends and family. After years of relentless toil, she remarried, and found an employer who uses her as domestic help and her husband as a driver.

During his years with us, Akash grew into an admirable young man, proving himself not only in academics but also as a leader. He made conscientious efforts to develop himself as an all-rounder. He is a recognized athlete and skilled dramatist. His strength lies in his composed and affable personality. We are proud of him and are confident that he will soon secure his future.

Republic Day was celebrated at Purkal Youth Development Society on 26th January. The highlight of the day was a March Pass followed by Patriotic songs, PT and aerobics display by the children. The Secretary of the Society talked about the many Institutions that constitute the Nation’s pillars and the need to support them by all citizens of the country.
The school participated in the Regional level science exhibition organized by C.B.S.E. at the Asian School Dehradun and have qualified for the National level. They even presented a project on ‘Water Recycling by Phytoremediation’.