Community radio station Alfaz-e-Mewat 107.8 MHz was set up in 2012 in Mewat, Haryana to serve over 180 villages with limited access to mainstream media and challenges like low literacy. The radio station aims to educate communities through various programs addressing issues like education, health, governance and culture. It broadcasts for 12 hours a day using the local dialect to effectively reach its intended audience, particularly women. Some notable education programs include Radio School for out-of-school children, Radio Tutoring for academic learning, and Radio In-School which airs programs in government classrooms followed by teacher-led activities. The community radio station has increased awareness, encouraged participation in local institutions, and empowered

1. Engaging the Excluded
ROLE OF COMMUNITY RADIO IN EDUCATION
10th International Conference on
Finding Innovative Solutions for Poverty Eradication in India
Pooja O. Murada
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

2. Reach Area: Mewat
431 villages, 1.1 million population
with limited access to mainstream media
• Low literacy rate (56.1% , Female Literacy: 37.6%)
• Patriarchic and conservative community
• Water scarcity; 14% villages have access to sweet water, rest is all saline
• Dependence on agriculture and allied activities (78%)
• Poor health indicators:
o Institutional deliveries: 14.8%;
o Maternal Mortality Rate: 275 per 100,000 live births;
o Access to toilet facilities: 16.2%
• Family Size: 7; Girls married before 18 years: 43.2%
• Fading local culture
• Low awareness about government programs
Sources: Census 2011; District Level Household and Facility Survey-III, 2010 ; Sample Registration Survey 2011
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

3. What is Education?
Education in its general sense is a form
of learning in which
the knowledge, values, skills, and habits of a
group of people are transferred from one
generation to the next.
Source: Wikipedia
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

4. Community Radio:
A knowledge sharing platform for the communities
Alfaz-e-Mewat 107.8 MHz is set up by IRRAD
with support from the Ministry of Agriculture
(MoA), GoI under its Agriculture Technology
Management Agency (ATMA) scheme. MoA
supports community radio stations under ATMA
to promote agricultural extension reforms to the
farmer level.
Location: Village Ghaghas at the Aravalli
foothills, district Mewat, Haryana
Community : Majorly Meo Muslims
Launch Date: February 2012
Reach: More than 180 villages
Broadcast Duration: 12 hours
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

5. Community Radio for education
• The area with limited access to the mainstream media
• Easily accessible and cost effective medium
• Promotes community dialogue
• Effective in communities with low literacy level
• Accessible to women
• Use of local dialect
• Gives voice to the marginalized sections of society
• Addresses development issues, which lacks space in other media
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

6. Community Radio: Connects, Educates, Entertains
Rural voices of Mewat
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

7. Community Radio: Connects, Educates, Entertains
Radio School: Reaches out to those who have never
seen inside of a class room ever.
Radio tutoring episodes help children in learning basic
academic concepts in Hindi, English and Science.
Galli Galli Sim Sim: Emphasizes on improving quality
education among primary school children. Between 38 years.
Waqt Hamara Hai: Brings young achievers to share
their stories and motivate other community kids. A
special show for and of the children.
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

8. Radio In-School: 10 government schools narrowcast Galli
Galli Sim Sim in their classrooms, post which the teachers
use the teaching aids and games to further train children.
Important debates: Programs like Guftgu and live
discussions bring to light topics such as girl child
enrolment, state of education in villages and others. These
feature role models and get officials to comment on
concerns raised by people.
Hamse Hai Shasan: A program on good
governance, bridges the information divide about the
entitlements for the village communities and access. It also
shares role of School Management Committees, Village
Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committees.
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

9. Special days celebrations: National Days, Children’s
day, Teachers day. Women’s day, literacy day and many
more
Campaigns and drives: Enrolment drives, water literacy
drives, sanitation drives
Awareness and advocacy: Programs supporting the
government departments to spread information about
various schemes, role of panchayats and duties and
responsibilities of community institutions
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

10. Achievements
• Increased awareness levels: Parents listen to programs together with
their children
• Effective village institutions: Active village councils, education and
health committees
• Cross-sharing of ideas: Teachers from various schools in Mewat are
sharing their experiences with each other
• Content sharing: Broadcasting programs from NIOS on radio
• Community contribution: 20 schools are regularly contributing content
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

11. There is POWER in Empowerment!
Community radio in India
is gathering momentum
with huge potential to
democratize information
and act as effective agents
to promote education and
awareness at the bottom
of the pyramid
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

12. Voices that matter too…
Mubeena, the local cook
and our radio volunteer
Razia, village broadcaster
now the district coordinator, NRHM
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

13. Local women participation for radio
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)

14. THANK YOU
alfazemewat@gmail.com, poojamurada@irrad.org
www.irrad.org
Together, We Empower Rural India
Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD)