1. STEPPING STONES: ENHANCING THE
QUALITY OF PRIMARY EDUCATION
DEEPAK B
RAHUL SHARMA S
ASHWIN KUMAR N
SAUMYA SHEKHAR
ABHAS TANDON
YOUTH FOR YOUNG
PROGRAM (YFYP)
Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore

2. NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLING FOR THE PRIMARY EDUCATION HAS
WITNESSED STEADY GROWTH BUT THE QUALITY OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IS A
MATTER OF GREAT CONCERN
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2010 2011 2012
Std. V Children could
not read a Std. II level
text
Std. III Children who
cannot read a Std. I
level text
Std. V Children who
could not solve simple
two-digit subtraction
• The decline in the reading level is mainly in the states such as Haryana
,Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Kerala ,which happens to be most
literate states in the country.
• Though pupil to teacher ratio is about 42 still the quality of education has not
shown any signs of improvement.
Source: Annual Survey Education Report,2012

3. ILL PARAMETERS AFFECTING QUALITY OF PRIMARY EDUCATION
A. Quality Of Teachers:
As per Forbes India Report , over 99% of the 7.95Lakh Teachers who appeared for the latest
central teacher eligibility test – a benchmark for teacher eligibility, failed to clear the test.
B. No. Of Teachers:
The average no. of teachers per government school is 3.7,the no. of teachers who are untrained
professionally is close to 22%. This fact is very significant because 80% of all schools are public
schools[1].
C. Average age of Teachers:
The students receiving primary education are in the age group of 6-14 years but the average age
of primary school teacher is 41.9 years[2].These teachers lack modern skill sets for easier
teaching and find it difficult to adapt themselves to modern methods of teaching.
D. Infrastructure:
According to data received from about 1.20 million schools spread across 609 districts of 35
states and union territories about 30% of schools in the country are still without pucca buildings
and about 14% schools have no drinking water facility[1].
Healthy environment is essential for the child to concentrate in studies and maintain proper
health.
E. Method of Teaching:
There is an urgent need to improve children’s knowledge of concepts rather than rote learning.
For that to happen teaching systems at the primary level must be overhauled.
[1] As per Report of One World South Asia
[2] As per National Center for Educational Statistics Report

4. So what do you propose?
The central theme of our proposal is “YOUTH TEACHING THE YOUNG” !!
• The idea is to hire graduated unemployed youth to teach the primary school
children.
• The youth teachers will be selected after testing the following skills:
• Aptitude Skills which includes quantitative ability, logical reasoning etc.
• English Proficiency which tests both written and spoken English.
• Technical Skills which includes the field in which the youth has graduated.
• Soft Skills test.

5. WHY YOUTH???
India has the largest youth population in the world comprising of 239.77
million in 2011 with 20.1% of population of India.
• Youth are better equipped with latest industrial trends and requirements.
• Youth can teach in a more innovative and practical ways since they come in
with fresh minds.
• Youth are more energetic than aged teachers.
• Youth can be more interactive and more connective with children since the
age gap is less.
• Youth are more passionate and being in their company will boost aged
teachers.

6. IMPLEMENTATION MODEL
Country
• National Headquarters monitors all the zonal offices of the Youth
Employment Center(YEC).
• The National Headquarters holds the primary responsibility for conducting
and assessing the Skill Set test.
Zone
• The 5 Zonal headquarters comprises of North,East,South,West & Central
Zones.
• They are responsible for monitoring the activities of the different state YECs.
State
• Each State would have a YEC at its state capital.
• The primary function of the state YEC is to monitor all the existing district
Education Offices for proper conducting of the written test.
District
• Each district in India already has District Education Office which controls
the educational activities in the district.
• The existing office would be in charge for conducting the “YOUTH FOR
YOUNG” program.

7. YOUTH TEACHERS WILL BE SELECTED THROUGH
ONLINE & OFFLINE CHANNELS
Recruitment Allotment Management
• The youth can register in
the particular district
education center.
• The youth in the age of
21-30 years who are
graduates are eligible to
apply.
• Registration window will
be open for a duration of
about 2 months.
• The test will be
conducted in various
govt. schools & Colleges.
• The youth who are short-
listed after written test
will be tested for soft
skills through interviews.
• The selected youth will be
asked for location
preferences and most
probably will be allotted in
home districts.
• The youth teacher will be
allotted in one of the three
categories-Category1 – Std. I
to V,Category2 – Std. VI to
VIII,Category3-Std. IX & X.
• The allotment will be based
on performance in the
written test and interview.
• All the teachers will be given
training for a specific period
after which they will be
posted.
• The District Education
office (DEO) then
administers the selected
teachers.
• The salary and other
benefits provided by the
Central Education Board
will be directed through
DEO.
• The State and Zone YECs
will be monitoring the
DEOs in periodic intervals
on the performance of
teachers.
• The whole system is co-
ordinated by the National
YEC.

8. WE WILL HAVE AN ORGANIZATION OF
AROUND 300 HIGHLY EFFICIENT OFFICERS.
NATIONAL YEC
1 chief Controller +
5 Zonal Monitors +
15 Zonal Assists
ZONAL YEC
5 Zonal YEC Officers +
25 Sub-Zonal Heads +
50 Zonal workers
STATE YEC
35 State YEC Officers +
175 State YEC Monitors
DISTRICT YEC
Taken care by already existing
District Education Office
• Responsible for monitoring entire system.
• Primary Job of setting papers and fair evaluation.
• All the Zonal YEC officers directly report to the National
YEC.
• Preliminary organization in implementing the
instructions of the national YEC.
• Responsible for monitoring all the states in that
particular zone.
• State YECs are responsible for collecting all data
records from the District YEC.
• They also monitor and guide district YECs.
• The Graduated unemployed Youth can register at the
respective District office.
• The conduction of test in various govt. schools, colleges
and other centers will be taken by District YEC.
• Note: We have not included the count of district YEC
since the existing system is already in place.

9. THE FUNDING REQUIRED FROM THE GOVERNMENT FOR THIS
PROGRAM WILL BE AROUND 12 CR. ANNUALLY.
Administration Cost:
• Chief Controller (1* 8L ) = 8 Lakhs p.a.
• Zonal Monitor (5 *7L) =35 Lakhs p.a.
• Zonal Assists (15*3L) =45 Lakhs p.a.
• Zonal YEC Officers (5*6L) =30 Lakhs p.a.
• Sub-Zonal Heads (25*5L) =125 Lakhs p.a.
• Zonal workers (50*1.8L) =90 Lakhs p.a.
• State YEC Officers (35* 5L) =175 Lakhs p.a.
• State YEC Monitors (175*3.6L) =630 Lakhs p.a.
Total Cost of Administration = 11.38 Cr p.a.
Transportation Cost =12 Lakhs p.a.
Technology Cost =18 Lakhs p.a.
Establishment Cost =3.5 Cr p.a.(Only for first Year)

10. BIGGER PROBLEM THAT WE ARE SOLVING
 Around 7Lakh students graduate every year in India of which 75% of
technical graduates and 85% general graduates are unemployable(*).
 This is due to lack of basic skill sets which must be imparted
to them during their primary education.
 So this program imparts basic skill sets in primary education
and thus increasing their employability.
 Youth who are unemployed tend to involve in unlawful activities so by
employing the youth , these activities can be curbed to an extent.
 Youth are known as the backbone of the nation by strengthening the
youth, we are strengthening the nation.
 Enhancing the quality of primary education leads to better
employability which will contribute immensely to the country’s GDP.
(*)As per National Employability Report ,National survey Report , Media Reports , UGC Report.

11. CHALLENGES :
• Upper middle class Unemployed graduates may not be interested
to take up the role of a teacher.
• Government and corporates may not see the viability of funding
this project.
• Finding the youth with the right skill set will be the biggest
challenge.
If a child can read
this , YES we have
done it !!
Our Conclusion lies in the picture below !

12. REFERENCES
• National Center for Educational Statistics Report
• Youth Employment and Unemployment , Indira Gandhi Institute of
Development Research(IGIDR)
• One World South Asia Report
• Annual Survey Education Report , 2012
• UN stats , Millennium Development Goals Indicators
• Forbes Magazine
• Primary Education in India : Delivery and Outcome – A District level
analysis based on DISE Data
• National Employability report.