Muktangan, an initiative of Paragon Charitable Trust, is a pioneering educational programme with an innovative model, working in close partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and a number of NGOs across the country.
Mission: To evolve sustainable, replicable inclusive models of quality child centered teacher education and school programmes in partnership with marginalized communities and to advocate them to the larger system.
Vision: An inclusive, empowered world in which all live in harmony with freedom of expression, respect and integrity.
Founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Mehta to address the limitations in mainstream government schools in India, Muktangan has pioneered the Whole School-Based Approach by developing a model that incorporates all aspects of quality education: the classroom environment, the curriculum and content, the teacher as a facilitator and the student as an active learner.
Muktangan first started one Pre-school in 2003 in the Globe Mills Passage School in MCGM premises which progressed to the Primary section in 2004. Satisfied with the learning outcomes of the children in the Globe Mills Passage School which in 2007 had reached Std IV, the MCGM entrusted their 6 new English medium schools to Muktangan. In the 7 Municipal English-medium schools all located in „G South Ward‟ in Mumbai and spread across the Worli, Prabhadevi and Lower Parel areas, Muktangan offers low-cost, high-quality, inclusive and child-centered education to children from socio-economically marginalised communities and educates women from the same communities to be effective teachers in these schools. Till date, Muktangan has trained and employed around 300 teachers to teach 2100 children across the 7 schools.
Each of these schools add a higher standard every year until they reach Std X, with the first school having reached Std IX this year and the other 6 schools Std V. Through this organic growth, Muktangan benefits an additional 350 children and 50 teachers every year.
Over the years, Muktangan has evolved and grown from its school based model into a full-fledged, integrated teacher education programme embedded in the 7 schools serving as a model of Hub and Spokes.
The Muktangan model of both Teacher Education and Schools has proven effective and relevant and has been appreciated by senior government officials, heads of teacher training colleges, school principals and parents. Government officials at the State and National levels have encouraged us to apply for accreditation of our Teacher Training Programme as an Innovative Educational Programme. Such accreditation would confer upon future batches of teacher trainees the qualified teacher education status as mandated under the Right to Education Act. Universities have recognized the depth, rigour and comprehensiveness of the Teacher Education Programme and are in active exploration for affiliation.
Methodology:
- A fun-oriented, child-centered curriculum with suitably designed classrooms.
- The Inclusion of all children, regardless of special learning needs.
- A lower student-teacher ratio enables individual attention to be given to each child.
- Teachers attend daily reflective, lesson planning meetings to bring the syllabus alive.
Impact:
- High-quality, affordable, child-centred English medium education is currently being provided to more than 2100 children across 7 Municipal (MCGM) Schools in Mumbai, annually adding 350 children with the addition of a higher standard each year until they reach SSC between 2013 and 2017.
- Children develop independent thinking through active experiential learning and inquiry.
- More than 300 local members drawn from communities have been trained & around 300 are employed as teachers in our schools with 50 more being added every year.
- The schools are run with Muktangan‟s unique child-centered pedagogy, with the entire staffing consisting of Muktangan-trained teachers in classrooms and in leadership positions. It is truly “Education for the Community, by the Community”.
- In service workshops for teachers in the schools who have, through their leadership capabilities and training, grown into higher positions as middle level facilitators, senior level faculty heading preschool and primary sections, subject faculty, special educators and librarians.
- Trainer of Trainers Programme trained participants from 20 NGOs across India in the methodology and implementation of our model.
- The Education Model is at the cutting edge of transforming education in India with its relevance recognized by Government, NGOs, educationists, community leaders and parents.
- Educational Partners include Maharashtra Dyslexia Association, Ummeed Child Development and Remedial Centre, Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Nirmala Niketan.
- For Holistic Development of children our partners include CREATE Foundation, Bombay Chamber Orchestra, Stop Gaps, Kalaghoda Arts Festival, and Magic Bus.
- Teachers have become empowered community change agents whilst our parents participate regularly in their children‟s education.
- Enthusiastic, committed teachers and smiling faces of confident children sum up all our schools.
Governance & Transparency:
Muktangan is an initiative of Paragon Charitable Trust which is a registered charitable trust under the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950 and is governed and managed professionally. We are committed to accountability & transparency. The professional board of Trustees has 7members:
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