Centre For Learning Resources

Centre for Learning Resources(CLR) is a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) located in Pune, India. IT Works with the goal of improving quality, rather than quantity, of early childhood Care and development, early childhood education and elementary education of the rural and urban disadvantaged children in the country. It also works in collaboration with government agencies and NGOs engaged in the same field.

History

CLR was founded in 1984 in Pune, India with a vision to enhance development of children in disadvantaged communities and to fulfill their right to a good education. It is a non-profit educational institution of The Society For Educational Improvement And Innovation which is registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860, the Bombay Public Trust Act of 1950 and the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act of 1976.

Areas of Work

Since 1984, CLR has been working in the fields of Early Childhood Care and Development, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education and the Teaching of English in Maharashtra and other states in India. Additionally, CLR works with post-secondary youth literacy too.

Projects and activities

Early Childhood Care & Development

*:Technical Support to Chhattisgarh Government Agencies for Forthcoming Project in Caregiver Education for Home-based Holistic Child Care and Related Community-based Advocacy: Known as Sajag, this program was started in January 2012 in Rajnandgaon Block of Chhattisgarh. The program aims at promoting holistic based Child-care. Financially supported by the UNICEF and EU, its a unified effort by various government departments like the Dept. of health, State Literacy Mission Authority (SLMA), Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD), to promote integrated health care for children with the assistance of CLR. It was originally a one-year program but has been extended for another year till March 2014.

Early Childhood Education

*:Observation-Cum-Lab Centres to Demonstrate Effective Early Childhood Education (ECE): Since 2008, CLR has been developing anganwadi centres in Mulshi Block, Pune as model observation blocks for other Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and NGO functionaries involved in ECE.

*:Building Capacities within NGOs-Corporates-Government for Early Childhood Education: CLR is providing technical inputs to Kalike Samruddhi Upakram (KSU) and Community Development Foundation (CDF) in Yadgir, Karnataka and the CSR initiative of Forbes Marshall, Pune that assist anganwadis in providing school readiness support to early- school going age children.

*:Fulfilling the Young Child's Right to Development by Strengthening the Pre-School (ECE) Component in ICDS Anganwadis: Since 2009, CLR has initiated an action research project in Melghat, Amravati District that enables anganwadis across Dharni block to provide Quality ECE to the pre-dominantly tribal population of the area with the goal to demonstrate a replicable decentralized strategy, through capacity building at all levels of ICDS, for strengthening the ECE component in ICDS projects in Maharashtra and other regions of the country.

Teaching Of English As A Second Language

*: An English Resource Centre for Pune Municipal Corporation Schools: An overwhelming number of young people graduating from mainstream regional-medium schools lack functional English skills. In order to improve Standards of English in government schools, CLR has set up English Resource Centres [ERC] in marathi medium schools across the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) which aims at improving English speaking, listening and writing skills of students and English - communication and teaching skills of teachers in these schools.

*: A 3-Year Interactive Radio Course for Teaching Spoken English in Pune District Elementary Schools: Initiated in 2010-2011, an interactive 3-year biligual radio course “Aamhi Ingraji Shikto / We Learn English” was implemented in primary Zilla Parishad schools across Pune District that has led to substantial lisetening and speaking skills of these students.

*: Yuva English: Funded by Tech Mahindra Foundation, Yuva English is an interactive bilingual course designed to impart Knowledge of basic speaking, reading and understanding English to learners of age group 16-30.

*: Development of Graded Reading Series in English for Students in Regional Medium Schools: With very little appropriate reading material available for students learning ESL, CLR has developed a set of 12 fiction and non-fiction books that are graded in three levels and can be enjoyed by students of both Regional Medium schools or English medium schools.

External links

• Official Website
• Academic Issues and Challenges in Teaching English in Mainstream Regional Medium Schools", The Learning Curve, Issue XIII, October 2009, Azim Premji Foundation.
• "2020 Vision : Improving Secondary Education is Not Just a Game", The Indian Express, July 31, 2009.
• "Marks Mask Incompetence : Our High School Students have Low Levels of Learning", The Times of India, July 22, 2008.
• "Say No to Rote Learning : India's Best Schools are Mediocre by World Standards", The Times of India, December 17, 2007.
• "The Teaching of Reading in Our Primary Schools: Some Critical Issues", ASER Discussion Series - Volume 2, July 2007.
• "Teach me English", The Times of India, October 7, 2006.
• "When the Teacher does not Know" The Times of India, September 30, 2006.
• "Teach First : Ensure Instruction in Schools before Innovation", The Times of India, October 27, 2004.
• "The English Juggernaut: Regional Medium Schools in Crisis", The Times of India, April 30, 2004.
• "Learning Without Teaching", The Hindu, January 3, 2001.
• "English Lessons : Bridgehead to Greater Opportunities", The Times of India, January 13, 2000.
• "Illiteracy By Schooling: Neglecting Children’s Learning Skills", The Times of India, November 11, 1999.