Gyan Shala aims to provide high quality school education to poor children in India at a highly cost-effective price. It currently educates over 30,000 students across several states in India through programs in government schools and slum areas. Gyan Shala achieves better learning outcomes than government schools while keeping costs less than 1/4th through innovations like extensive teacher training, high-quality learning materials, and standardized classroom processes focused on student learning. Independent studies have validated Gyan Shala's success in improving educational quality on a large scale at low cost.

1. GYAN SHALA (School of learning)
India www.gyanshala.org
• Ensure high quality school education
• Bringing poor children on par with those studying in best schools
• Highly cost effective

2. Trigger and Initiation
• Envy-surprise that Bangladesh had pulled ahead of
India in poor girl’s education, and China was far
ahead in school education, both even with lower
spending.
• Failure of a (i) well designed, (ii) well funded, & (iii)
well implemented APPEP in raising learning levels.
• Universal enrolment was on the horizon even in ’95
• Problem area was “quality on scale” & “cost”
• Presence of very good ‘boutique solutions’, or ‘large
scale supplementary education programs.
• Gyan Shala- Quality on Scale, Accountability of
Outcome, Appropriate low cost, Futuristic Curriculum

3. Current Profile of Activities and Programs
• Around 12,000 out-of-school children in 450 slum classes
in Ahmedabad, covering grades 1-7.
• Around 7000 children in 68 Govt./ municipal schools in
quality improvement pilots.
• Program replication in Patna and Nalanda dist. in Bihar,
Having around 11000 children in grades 1-3.
• Replication started in Kolkata.
• A new 3 yrs. program for adolescent girls.
• Proposal to start bi-lingual low cost high schools for lower
income groups.
• Research based policy advocacy and client education to
promote socially accountable public-private partnership in
the school education for poor
•Our total program cost, including room rental, and all learning
material is < Rs. 2800/ (elementary) and < Rs. 3600/- (middle)

4. Representative
Representative
Gyan Shala students tend to perform better than government school students, even though its
cost is less than 1/4th. Also, students taught by Gyan Shala trained teachers in AMC schools
perform better than the other students at AMC schools. Compatible with SSA framework.
Gyan Shala shows a way out
Learning Outcomes- Gyan Shala Students
vs. Public Schools (MIT study)
393939
5253
50
0
20
40
60
80
100
Language Maths Overall
Control Schools
Treatment Schools
Learning Outcomes – Gyan Shala trained AMC Schools
vs. Other AMC Schools – Grade II (Study by Independent
researcher from Baroda & Education Initiatives)
Source: GS Annual Report, Linden Complement of Substitute? Effect of Technology on Student Achievement(2008), Gyan Shala documents and internal reports Secondary
Research, Monitor Analysis
% Marks
Scored
% Marks
Scored
87%
63%
40%
31%
50%
38%
0%
50%
100%
Language Mathematics
GS Class III
Public, Gr. III
Public, Gr. IV

5. 2009-10 Assessment by EI

6. 2009-10 Assessment by EI

7. CfBT Assessment, 2010

8. CfBT Assessment, 2010

9. CfBT Assessment, 2010

10. CfBT Assessment, 2010

11. Determinants of Learning outcome
• Learning Outcomes = F (learning capability,
teaching effectiveness, curriculum plan and
material, pedagogy and class atmosphere).
• Learning Capability = F (natural talent,
parental support-push, child’s motivation)
• Teaching effectiveness= F (pre-service
education, ongoing training, academic
support, supervision, curriculum material)
• Gyan Shala focus:
– Ongoing teacher training-support.
– Budget allocation for all determinants of LO.

12. Major design Innovations
• A large reliance on ‘children’s capacity to learn’ then on
‘teaching effectiveness’, backed up by investment in high
quality detailed curriculum and learning materials.
• Replace highly skilled Principal-Teacher combination with a
front end of modest skill two level teacher team and back-end
of very high caliber design-training-management team, which
assures quick scaling up and sustainable high quality at large
scale with mostly modest skill teachers/staff.
• Design of class processes to maximize children’s and
teachers’ time on learning tasks, and learning through
interaction.
• Recruitment strategy that selects not the established experts
but those on learning phase, so an internal learning culture is
established.
• Suitable decentralization of power, linked to accountability.
• Standardization to minimize management complexity.

13. Key Program Norms
• Conform to State and National Curriculum norms, informed
by international emerging trends.
•State Text book are used, along with other books and
learning aids.
• 3-4 hour of high-intensity academic work followed by
other activities each day, so girl children can attend the
classes even with home pressure.
• Classes are held close to children’s home so they do not
have to cross street to reach school, which eliminates a
major schooling barrier in urban areas.
• Total learning hours in a year would be more than in other
full day Government-municipal or private schools.
• Children are mainstreamed in other recognized schools on
completion of three years Gyan Shala module

14. Some other features of Gyan Shala
• Good Class Facilities- Furniture, lighting, & ventilation
• Lots of learning material: (30% of program cost)
• Daily worksheets for each subject, 660/yr./class
• Learning aids and activities for group work
• In-class library, wall display and toys
• Assignments and exercises on all subjects daily within the
class, so no need of homework.
• Daily group learning activities and repetition of concepts for
reinforcement
• Each child gets individual help from the teacher daily, so no
need of any tuition support
• Use of Newspaper daily in Grade 3 as additional text

15. Teaching in a functional Environment

16. Group Work by children in Class
Teachers in training

17. Plenty of contextually suited Learning Material

18. A Model for Bringing Change in Govt. Policy
1. Demonstrate a replicable model to provide high quality,
low cost, primary education for poor children
2. Conform to state curriculum but aim for international
benchmarks of quality
3. Independent verification of program performance
4. Offer to replicate the package in government schools to
build support and affect larger numbers.
5. Make an irrefutable case for the low cost high quality
school system solution which is accountable
6. Seek policy change for allocation of no more than 5%
of government budget for accountable public-private
partnership, and larger budget for learning material. #

19. Quality Assurance Mechanisms
• Abundance of books, learning material/ aids & worksheets.
• State of the art design of class processes-transactions.
• Ongoing contextually rooted design improvements, direct contact
between designers-cum-managers and class rooms.
• Child centered pedagogy and positive class environment.
• Continuous teacher training; annual, bi-annual, monthly, weekly and
daily components. Daily teacher guides.
• Extensive support and supervision for teachers, for error correction
and backup support. New teachers development.
• Internal staff development cycle & management discipline.
• Institutional accountability through formal measurement of learning
attainments & total unit cost targets and linking budget to performance.
• Conform to National Curriculum Framework.
• Neutralize socio-economic constraints on class attendance. #

20. Why Scalable- Replicable
• Reliance of such manpower for all hierarchical levels,
that is easily available on a mass scale.
• Internal systems for staff and processes development.
• Standard model of self contained total system with limited
external contingencies and dependence, for ~450 classes.
• Carefully charted growth/ evolution path.
• A suitable mix of standardization with annual redesign/
review of the total package.
• Keeping the same team for design and management.
• Reliance on systems tested in large organizations.
• System of accountability to dominant outsiders/ funders. #

21. Why Institutional Sustainability
• Scalable (through replication) on a mass scale.
• Competitive/ socially acceptable low level of total cost.
• Assured measurable quality, as per Indian national
curriculum and widely accepted social norms.
• Fits into the existing system enabling the mainstreaming
of the children after completion of Gyan Shala module.
• Funding on the basis of measured results/regulatory
norms
• Works well even with first generation learners.
• Suitable for addressing the emerging demographic
challenge of fast expanding urban (slum) population.
• Corresponds to the world class school/class processes.
• Inbuilt mechanism of quality assurance and human
resource development.