The quiet strength of freedom in the aangan

Tell me and I forget Teach me and I remember Involve me and I learnrdquoBenjamin Franklinrsquos words warm the walls of a midtown school They echo the ethos of seven such Muktangan schools set up by the Paragon Charitable Trust in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC at Worli Prabhadevi and ParelPaying no fees children from surrounding bustees and chawls study the Englishmedium SSC curriculum from Lower KG to Class 10 Teaching is based on principles of active constructivism imbibing concepts through experience and interaction rather than passively received information with knowledge cocreated by teachers and studentsldquoKhup chhaan paddhati ney shikavtaat private school chey tension nahi mulaanna the manner of teaching brings kids none of the stress that private schools imposerdquo says one mother Commending the collective journey a father says ldquoMuktangan is our very own school It belongs to us The motto is lsquoLearning and growing togetherrsquordquoTranslating as ldquofreedom in the aanganrdquo Muktangan mdash named by the first batch of trainees mdash believes every child and educator flourishes with a liberal recognition of individual learning levelsMuktangan opens schools in existing governmentrun schools Infrastructure and facilities come from the BMC with items like books bags water bottles and shoes The comprehensive teacher training and educational expertise is MuktanganrsquosA dynamic and evolving pedagogical approach sustain this model Every year teachers design curricula aligned with the state board syllabus Continuous reflection and innovation keep the teachinglearning process freshldquoEducation holds the key to a bright future transforming lives helping communities realise their power to shape the worldrdquo says Elizabeth Liz Mehta the visionary foundertrustee of Muktangan She and her husband Sunil are the inspired force behind the experiment budding from a balwadi classroom with seven teachers in 2003 ballooning into this brilliant education model Made possible under a public charitable trust set up by Sunilrsquos father Shantilal Maganlal Mehta who established Paragon Textile Mills this soon also saw children come from Tardeo Sion Dharavi and ChemburldquoWe met on a mountain trip while studying at Leeds Universityrdquo Liz laughsComing to India after her BSc in psychology she worked at institutions like the Spastics Society of India and as director of the Aga Khan Education ServiceThen she embarked on a search for ways of initiating ldquononjudgemental child observationrdquo The objective was to parallelly improve on mainstream educationrsquos blind teaching of the alphabet and numbers in overcrowded classrooms by undertrained teachers and a lack of childcentric pedagogy and SEL socialemotional learning modules Factoring in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan the government programme for free compulsory elementary education of six to 14yearolds she started seeding reformThe Muktangan Education Trust formerly Paragon Charitable Trust relies on individual and corporate donors As an effective publicprivate partnership maintaining a relationship of transparency with the BMC it focuses on understanding issues of accessMehta refers to Lev Vygotskyrsquos ldquotheory of proximal learningrdquo helping learners stretch their abilities with appropriate support ldquoProximalrdquo implies learning which is close to mastering Children are allowed to acquire maximum cognitive skills which they then practise on their own Customised lesson plans also incorporated for special needs children are implemented with sensitised training Training women and men from lowincome communities in underserved neighbourhoods Muktangan especially empowers women along with their children Strong empathy relevance and ownership mark the teachinglearning process recognising how correctly tapped potential loops back into upliftment of these hopeful communitiesldquoBlessed to have Muktangan in my life I feel a sense of pride and purpose Itrsquos been a journey with fullcircle momentsrdquo says Aarti Gupta ldquoI remember entering the same school gates as a student greeted by motivated teachers Returning as a trainee teacher and now a teacher Irsquom grateful to be able to pay forward the lessons I receivedrdquoVinita Sanghi Leader In Service says ldquoIn 17 years as a teacher educator I see women work against the traditional background of rigid societal norms fixed mindsets and diffidence Itrsquos rewarding and humbling to witness their transformation into confident reflective compassionate educatorsrdquoBefore In Service training is a yearlong Pre Service orientation for men and women aged 18 to 45 from local communities At the Prabhadevi school Shreya Sawant Leader Pre Service and Shruti Ravi Senior Executive Resources and Communications walk me through 16 academic departments where we watch multisensory ways of learning unfoldUniforms are not mandatory to wear daily Chairs are arranged for teachers and pupils at an equal level Instead of graded classrooms subjectwise classes let students physically move from room to room mdash besides a mental reset between lessons this improves concentration and engagement to prepare for the next learning periodEach room is festooned with cheerful charts announcing ldquoThe English language is a work in progress have fun with itrdquo or ldquoMATH means Mistakes Allow Thinking to Happenrdquo Kids jump high in hopscotch games over the numberline painted in the corridor outsideHeartening attitudinal shifts are seen in households that once clung on to the awomanrsquosplaceisinthe home trope In Bombay as a newlywed from Sangameshwar in Ratnagiri Pooja Gurav was surprised her old grandmotherinlaw urged her to enroll for teacher training ldquoNot fluent in English I hesitatedrdquo says the Senior KG teacher ldquoShe said lsquoAt least tryrsquo Her husband and mine thought likewise She was there with enthusiasm for everything mdash collecting the admission form Muktangan home visits and my certification ceremonyrdquoScaling its model with multiple partners statewide the Muktangan Education Forum at Wadala amplifies advocacy and systemic impact Despite very disparate ground realities in social milieu even IB school principals borrow aspects of the Muktangan model to emulate Various elements including the extensively resourced library programme are outreached panIndia Teachers from similar linguistic and cultural backgrounds act as a bridge for children to transition smoothly into an Englishmedium environment A dedicated Marathi and Hindi department promote playbased literacy from the early years ldquoWe emphasise duallanguage instruction building comfort and competence in studentsrdquo says CEO Mayur Khaire ldquoFor migrant families regionallanguage schools feel like a mismatch Children donrsquot get enough exposure to those languages at home English on the other hand represents aspiration mobility and a shared better futurerdquoMentorships groom pupils at the crossroads after Class 10 Chartered accountant Bhuneshwar Gupta was bent on pursuing engineering ldquoUseful career classes made me rethink mdash science wasnrsquot my cup of tea Doubts cleared I switched to commercerdquoAniket Parmarrsquos love for technology crystallised after a quiz on computers Completing postgraduate studies in cybersecurity in Ireland he says ldquoSchool imparted differently structured practical knowledge alongside theory No rote mugging from books Animation videos explained problemsolving handson demos brought products to class My social skills too got honed with the Muktangan Choir where I mixed with new people without shyness or fearrdquoThe Muktangan Childrenrsquos Choir at a Bombay Chamber Orchestra concert at Tata Theatre in 2009 PIC COURTESYMUKTANGAN EDUCATION TRUSTA growing number of alumni seek careers in commerce and finance Khaire says ldquoIn response wersquove introduced programmes in Python app development and robotics for higher grades Our teachers use AI tools to meet the needs of students and fellow educatorsrdquoReplicating its best practices to further contextualise in universally applicable learnings Muktangan is consulted for discussion panels and think tanks with papers presented at national and international forums Among its collaborators are the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Azim Premji Foundation Ummeed Child Development Center and UNICEF Research partners have been the University of Cambridge Oxford University and University of PennsylvaniaBhuneshwar Gupta has this message for current students ldquoGrasp whatever you experience here to the fullest You have no idea whether yoursquoll get an opportunity like Muktangan again anywhererdquoFor more information visit muktanganeduorglsquoEducation should be joyfulrsquoMuktangan founder trustee Elizabeth Mehtarsquos learning fundasLiz MehtaldquoWe want to unlock the true potential of every child teacher and parent At the heart of our journey lies the possibility of powerful synergy a harmonious connection between teacher child parent community administrators and government officialsIt isnrsquot our job to criticise but to seek alternatives and celebrate successes We all possess immense natural curiosity to learn and are most motivated to facilitate childrenrsquos learning when we join hands Classroom learning has to be relatable to the larger worldChildren must ask questions think independently They have the capacity and inclination to bring change and know there is happiness in doing so We have the drive but families show us the direction Then everybody begins to dance together Across the country education should be seen as joyfulrdquoMuktangan impact3800children directly benefitted through active learning year on year in schools1000community members skilled to become Englishmedium teachers9937passing rate in SSC Board examinations2300alumni in the Muktangan network with 98 per cent pursuing higher education and professional courses97000children and 5500 teachers and teacher educators have benefitted from Muktangan outreach projectsAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom