In an attempt to enable schools to bring about an all-round development of a child, Solar Trust, a not-for-profit organisation, has, in association with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), launched Adolescent Responsive Schools (ARS) - a mobile application.
The app would serve as a channel through with school authorities could communicate the availability or lack of facilities in government schools in the State.
Through ARS, Solar Trust hopes to get consolidated information on the facilities available for adolescent children, specifically focused on high and higher secondary government schools. The five broad domains that the app would cover are - inclusion of all adolescents, effective learning environment for all adolescents, basic minimum standard for safety/protection/health/hygiene, gender sensitivity and participation of students, parents and community in school management.
A total of 5,000 government schools- at least 125 in each district will be surveyed. “The head of the school will have to log into the application and answer a total of 66 questions. The questions have all been formulated following ground discussions with children,” said Shiyam Sundar, Director, Solar Trust, an NGO.
Through the Chief Education Officers in each district, they hope to collect the data by January 15.
With the collected information, and a discussion with all stakeholders in Chennai, the organisers hope to make a representation to the State government by February 2022.
Akila Radhakrishnan, Social Policy Specialist, UNICEF, launched the app through a video-call while teacher-representatives from all districts attended the training programme on how to use it.
