Introduction
School Education Trust for the Disadvantaged (SETD)
Surveys conducted by both government and non-government agencies have shown that the school education programmes, particularly in schools of disadvantaged communities in the country, are suffering mainly because of lack of qualified and committed teachers. Qualified teachers (who have passed XII grade with mathematics, science and English) are almost non-existent in rural India.
School Education Trust for the Disadvantaged (SETD) was registered as a non-government, non-profit organisation under the Chairmanship of late Janab Saiyid Hamid Sahib, in 2009. Its main objective is to take up and support all actions which would help in imparting modern education to persons of disadvantaged communities.
The first project was undertaken in the adjacent rural areas of Districts Bulandshahar and Hapur which have large minority population. Nine schools in a radius of about 7 km were included in the project. The activities of the project over a period of 4 years, which were in consonance with the objectives of the Trust, included:
- established science laboratories in 5 schools.
- formed science teachers’ discussion group and conducted their meetings.
- organised science subjects workshops of one day duration.
- conducted a 40 days’ coaching camp at Aligarh for 18 students from the project area for admission test to class XI of AMU.
The project was closed in 2013.
Strengthening Mathematics & Science Teaching in Deeni Madaris & Schools of Disadvantaged Communities – An Outreach Project for in-Service Teachers.
A large number of madaris in rural areas of Northern and Central India along with religious education have introduced school education programmes prescribed by their respective State School Education Boards. The muallim/teachers, who are employed to teach the prescribed courses, themselves have not gone through any formal school education programme of mathematics, science and English. This is resulting in a sub-standard education at primary (classes I to V) and middle school (classes VI to VIII) levels. Students who go out of these madaris are academically not equipped to continue their education in better schools even if they have financial resources and opportunity. In today’s competitive environment, in effect, they are being denied further education.
No nation can afford to have a sizeable chunk of its population illiterate, particularly in Sciences, and no community should hope for a respectable place in the national stream without a meaningful education.
In the last 4 years, SETD has organized ‘Sequential Foundation Courses’. The Course is divided into 5 sessions, each of eight days’ duration, covering subject matter up to class VIII level. The course sessions are held at interval of one month at AMU campus. Interaction sessions of Resource Persons with the Madrasa teachers are held at identified ‘Field Centres’. Project objectives are:
- Make the madaris teachers proficient in Mathematics, Science, Environment & General Knowledge up to class X level.
- Train the teachers in communicative English.
- Train the teachers in basic uses of computers.
- Prepare lecture and activity modules for the teachers and train them in their use for teaching in the institutions where they are employed.
- Provide teaching aids, experimental set ups and libraries at selected Outreach Centres.
- Select promising teachers to become future trainers.
- Motivate teachers to appear in NIOS High School Examination and provide tutorial assistance that may be required.
Recognizing this effort, the Vice-Chancellor, AMU, has allotted two out-of-use old Faculty Residencesin the University Campus at nominal rent to house the Project and allowed it to run under umbrella of its ‘Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims in India’ (CPECAMI).
Serving and retired faculty members of AMU are participating as honorary Resource Persons in this programme. Travel cost of participating muallim/teachers, expenses towards their board and lodging at Aligarh, course text books, etc., are met from donations to SETD, mostly from serving and retired faculty members and AMU alumni, a special mention must be made here of Aligarh Alumni Association of Dallas, USA for their support.
Medium of instructions is Urdu. In general, a syllabus based on NCERT programme is followed. The NCERT books, which are in Urdu, are used as text books.
For the fulfillment of its objectives the Trust conducts other programmes too:
a) Subject Workshop-on select topics for teachers of higher and senior secondary levels.
b) Science practical Course- for higher secondary level teachers and students separately.
c) Tutorial classes for school students-for higher secondary level.
Project Area and Expansion Plan
At present our activities are located in north-western part of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent areas of Haryana and Uttarakhand. We plan to extend our activities to other areas especially eastern and southern parts of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent areas of neighboring states.
The dashed line demarcates the geographical area in which SETD has been active.
In this journey the Trust has received valuable and significant support from several organizations. It is worth mentioning:
a) Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
It has been the fountainhead of support since the inception of the Trust. The University administration and its members, alumni world-wide and present students have relentlessly contributed in human, financial and material resources for various activities of the Trust.
b) Jamiat Imam Waliullah Trust, Phulat, Muzaffar Nagar (JWT)
Its Chairman, renowned Islamic preacher Maulana Muhammad Kaleem Siddiqui Saheb and incharge of JWT’s educational projects Janab Ghufran Anjum Saheb and other members have regularly cooperated in selecting teachers from their Madaris located in north-western part of Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas of Uttarakhand and Haryana. SETD has marked three of these Madaris as its field centres to conduct on-field training and assessment of Madrasa teachers.
c) Wipro Foundation, Bangalore
The Foundation has provided funds for conducting a three-year project for strengthening teaching of Mathematics and English in primary level classes in 10-12 selected Madaris and schools of disadvantaged communities in Aligarh. The project will commence from July 2018.
- established science laboratories in 5 schools.
- formed science teachers’ discussion group and conducted their meetings.
- organised science subjects workshops of one day duration.
- conducted a 40 days’ coaching camp at Aligarh for 18 students from the project area for admission
test to class XI of AMU.
The project was closed in 2013.
Strengthening Mathematics & Science Teaching in Deeni Madaris & Schools of Disadvantaged
Communities – An Outreach Project for in-Service Teachers.
A large number of madaris in rural areas of Northern and Central India along with religious
education have introduced school education programmes prescribed by their respective State
School Education Boards. The muallim/teachers, who are employed to teach the prescribed
courses, themselves have not gone through any formal school education programme of
mathematics, science and English. This is resulting in a sub-standard education at primary
(classes I to V) and middle school (classes VI to VIII) levels. Students who go out of these
madaris are academically not equipped to continue their education in better schools even if
they have financial resources and opportunity. In today’s competitive environment, in effect,
they are being denied further education.
No nation can afford to have a sizeable chunk of its population illiterate, particularly in
Sciences, and no community should hope for a respectable place in the national stream without
a meaningful education.
In the last 4 years, SETD has organized ‘Sequential Foundation Courses’. The Course is divided into 5
sessions, each of eight days’ duration, covering subject matter up to class VIII level. The course
sessions are held at interval of one month at AMU campus. Interaction sessions of Resource Persons
with the Madrasa teachers are held at identified ‘Field Centres’. Project objectives are:
- Make the madaris teachers proficient in Mathematics, Science, Environment & General
Knowledge up to class X level. - Train the teachers in communicative English.
- Train the teachers in basic uses of computers.
- Prepare lecture and activity modules for the teachers and train them in their use for
teaching in the institutions where they are employed. - Provide teaching aids, experimental set ups and libraries at selected Outreach Centres.
- Select promising teachers to become future trainers.
- Motivate teachers to appear in NIOS High School Examination and provide tutorial
assistance that may be required.
Recognizing this effort, the Vice-Chancellor, AMU, has allotted two out-of-use old Faculty Residencesin
the University Campus at nominal rent to house the Project and allowed it to run under umbrella of its
‘Centre for Promotion of Educational and Cultural Advancement of Muslims in India’ (CPECAMI).
Serving and retired faculty members of AMU are participating as honorary Resource Persons in
this programme. Travel cost of participating muallim/teachers, expenses towards their board
and lodging at Aligarh, course text books, etc., are met from donations to SETD, mostly from
serving and retired faculty members and AMU alumni, a special mention must be made here of
Aligarh Alumni Association of Dallas, USA for their support.
Medium of instructions is Urdu. In general, a syllabus based on NCERT programme is followed. The
NCERT books, which are in Urdu, are used as text books.
For the fulfillment of its objectives the Trust conducts other programmes too:
a) Subject Workshop-on select topics for teachers of higher and senior secondary levels.
b) Science practical Course- for higher secondary level teachers and students separately.
c) Tutorial classes for school students-for higher secondary level.
Project Area and Expansion Plan
At present our activities are located in north-western part of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent areas of
Haryana and Uttarakhand. We plan to extend our activities to other areas especially eastern and
southern parts of Uttar Pradesh and adjacent areas of neighboring states.
The dashed line demarcates the geographical area in which SETD has been active.
In this journey the Trust has received valuable and significant support from several organizations. It is
worth mentioning:
a) Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
It has been the fountainhead of support since the inception of the Trust. The University administration
and its members, alumni world-wide and present students have relentlessly contributed in human,
financial and material resources for various activities of the Trust.
b) Jamiat Imam Waliullah Trust, Phulat, Muzaffar Nagar (JWT)
Its Chairman, renowned Islamic preacher Maulana Muhammad Kaleem Siddiqui Saheb and incharge of
JWT’s educational projects Janab Ghufran Anjum Saheb and other members have regularly cooperated
in selecting teachers from their Madaris located in north-western part of Uttar Pradesh and adjoining
areas of Uttarakhand and Haryana. SETD has marked three of these Madaris as its field centres to
conduct on-field training and assessment of Madrasa teachers.
c) Wipro Foundation, Bangalore
The Foundation has provided funds for conducting a three-year project for strengthening teaching of
Mathematics and English in primary level classes in 10-12 selected Madaris and schools of
disadvantaged communities in Aligarh. The project will commence from July 2018.