BRIDGING THE LEARNING GAP: WHY PARENTAL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS KEY TO INDIA'S FLN MISSION

The success of FLN goals and programmes hinges not only on what happens within the classroom. There is a need for more community-level campaigns and support mechanisms that can bridge the gap between school, home and studies.

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In Lalakhedi village, located in the Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh, Ramprasad, a daily wage labourer, is a father of three school-going children, Anshu, Vidhya, and Gauri, who study in Classes 1, 3, and 4, at a government school, Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Lalakhedi. When asked about his involvement in their education, whether he motivates his children to attend school regularly or complete their homework, or knows what syllabus is being taught in school, he said, “Yes, but they do it themselves.”

Ramprasad says his children return home after school and complete their schoolwork on their own. “They don’t get any homework these days,” he added. Both he and his wife, who is also a daily wage worker, are often away from home during the day, leaving little room for academic support to their children. When asked if his wife gets involved in the children’s studies, Ramprasad said, “She has not studied much, so she is often unable to help.” He added that he has studied till Class 8.

Expressing a common belief among many parents, he said, “There’s nothing much to study in Class 1 and Class 2 in any case,” suggesting that early-grade learning is easy and can be the school’s responsibility.

As schools work toward basic reading and arithmetic, families and communities outside school also play a major part, say educationists, adding without their participation, classroom efforts alone may fall short. However, a significant proportion of India’s schoolchildren are not very different from Ramprasad’s children. Their parents and the extended community around them are not in a position to play that role.