Back to the blogging

It has been a shamefully long time since I last updated my blog. Having now spent three and a half months out in India, working as an IDEX fellow, I now realise that thinking I could write a weekly work update on top of the million and one other things I have going on was somewhat unrealistic. That said, things are finally starting to settle out here and I feel it is most certainly time to let you all know what on earth I’ve been up to. Better late than never right?

Front of the school

To recap from way back when, my central job as an IDEX fellow involves working for a low-fee taking school as a strategy and business consultant.  At my school, Alliance International, I am trying to organise and develop all those aspects which make for the successful running of any educational establishment: academics, finances, management policy, discipline strategies and even infrastructure analysis.  One might think that for someone with a background in moral philosophy (as opposed to education, business or management) who has undergone a mere two weeks of training this is a rather daunting task, and truthfully it is. But to help support this consultancy role, all IDEX fellows have access to a huge network of service providers and experts in different fields relating to education to whom we can reach out for help and training.  In addition to this, amongst the group of fellows itself, we have a vast array of different skill sets and backgrounds and have formed working groups based on our particular abilities and the key focus for policy in our schools. The idea is that sharing knowledge and skill sets will make for the best outcomes.

Myself with Pre-primary on "Star Day"

Currently at Alliance International I have a number of different projects on the go.  August was spent creating a detailed case study report of the school to find out which areas were particularly strong or weak. September was then spent constructing a business plan with a timeline for specific projects.  Now that we are well into October, those projects are slowly coming into existence. My key area focuses are spoken English, careers guidance for older children, teacher training (particularly with regards to discipline strategies), inculcation of moral behavior, a special needs awareness program and application for building grants and student scholarships.

Working in India is both hugely rewarding and ridiculously frustrating and can be an emotional experience.  The last few months have been especially tough with the addition of finishing a master’s dissertation thesis on top of all other work (hence minimal blogging).  Things can be hard when I spend an afternoon explaining to my school owner that my job does not involve teaching and then being told the next morning that I’ve got five classes to take that day. Or when I try to go to school but local political activists, the Telangana, hold strikes for a month and close down the bus services so I can’t get there. But when I see twenty 9^th standard students happily chatting to locals about the dangers of using plastic bags, or when I drag my school owner (who regularly beats children) to a culture of peace training session and he ends the day by saying “I thought this would be a waste of time but I realise now how important peaceful disclipline really in in school” the job is definitely made worthwhile. This fellowship is all about taking small steps in the right direction whilst looking at ways that every project implemented in each school can be replicated in others and sustainably maintained.

School banner highlighting some of the
unique features of Alliance. Including the new
teacher from London...

The next few blog entries will outline some of the programs I am currently working on as well as the challenges I’ve faced and the mad ups and downs of living and working in India.

Applications are now open for the 2012-13 cohort. Anyone interested and wanting to find out more, feel free to contact me via email, facebook or on here. www.idexfellows.com