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The high altitude regions of the Indian Himalayas are highly deprived in terms of the basic services of education and information, their remoteness, poor connectivity and sparsity of population, marginalising them in the development processes. In spite of the global developments therefore, the indigenous communities of this region continue to be illiterate, malnourished, and underemployed, leaving them poorly equipped to participate in the democratic processes as well. Physical isolation and related conditions of inaccessibility severely limit the access to education in the target area. The existing educational infrastructure is also woefully short of expectations and the curriculum is felt to be irrelevant to people’s lives. Education and information are key enablers of development for the high altitude Himalayan region. Peripheral and deprived areas like these have frequently developed ‘from within’, through local community and administration action, and education and information are essential prerequisites and catalysts for such development.
The Pragya project on Education & Information Services in the High Altitude Himalayas is aimed at creating an effective system for information dissemination and continuing education in the high Himalayas as well as, improving the formal education system with geographically & culturally relevant curricula and alternative & supplementary education. It includes:
Mountain women work almost twice as much as the men on activities that require more time & energy, but are not as rewarding financially. They are involved in agricultural & road labour, cattle rearing, NTFP collection and water management; women also typically use traditional methods of performing these tasks which implies even greater physical labour and time, while alternative methods exist of which they are unaware or that they are unable to access/use. Their lack of literacy, professional skills and competence, as well as the lack of access to information on employment opportunities and training facilities, constrains the ability of mountain women to take up any other kinds of jobs. Even if they are to set up enterprises, mountain women are rarely able to grow these to generate more than supplementary income, because of the lack of capability, and credit and extension services. Decision making power too rests with the men except in the household matters .
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Supplementary Education
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- rural libraries and other education enabling facilities
- supplementary education and alternative education for geographically & culturally relevant curricula
- education supports and motivators like scholarships and education supplies
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Information & Continuing Education
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- resource centres for remote area research and information
- continuing education for life improvement and technology infusion
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Vocational Training
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- training for developing occupational skills
- infusing new technologies and methods
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The project is being implemented in several valleys of the high altitude Himalayan belt in India, viz, Nubra, Changthang and Central Leh in the Ladakh region, Lahaul, Spiti and Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh, Chamoli and Uttarkashi in Uttaranchal and North Sikkim and Tawang in NE India.
Supplementary Education
Rural Libraries ~ The children residing in the remote villages of the high altitude Himalayas require near-at-hand educational facilities. Towards this, Pragya is establishing a network of Rural Libraries in the district of Lahaul & Spiti. One such facility has been set up with a view to generating interest in reading books and thus in education and development among people in remote areas. The libraries will provide educational material and development resources for enhancing the general knowledge and exposure of the people, especially local youth, living in remote areas. They would include text books for the less privileged students and guide books and reference material for students in general towards improving their performance in formal education.
Language Literacy ~ As a first step towards providing culturally relevant curricula, Pragya is operating several village level classes for Bhoti language, the traditional language of the region. The teachers of these classes have been provided training on effective teaching methodologies.
Information & Continuing Education
Development Resource Centre ~ A DRC has been set up in Keylong in Lahaul - a comprehensive  documentation-cum-reference centre for all kinds of information pertaining to the region of Lahaul and Spiti. A library housing various reading material - books, study reports and official records, on the region’s history & culture and development issues & technologies, this facility is aimed to be a single point for information about the region, for researchers, tourists and general public. It helps educate the local people on different aspects of their own region and also encourage grassroots research and appropriate development oriented activities by organizing discussions & seminars and periodical theme-based campaigns & exhibitions. The Rural Library and the DRC are trying to provide exposure and information to the local populace which has remained insulated and also which remains cut off from the rest of the world for nearly six months in a year.
Local Learning Events ~ As mentioned above, the DRC also has an interactive face as a venue for seminars, discussions, exhibitions and the like, to increase the awareness levels of the people. Since its inauguration, a much appreciated seminar on water management in cold desert regions has been conducted in the DRC and a second on collaborative enterprise in remote areas is being organised as well. Apart from educating the local community, these learning events also catalyse community responsibility for development and catalyse appropriate action.
Vocational Training
Upgradation of Traditional Skills ~ Enterprises of these remote are typically not  adequately competitive in the marketplace, being lower in terms of quality & finish, as a result of poorer technologies/methods in use; inadequacies in market understanding & marketing skills also lead to poorer performance in product design and promotion. From time to time, the project therefore conducts programmes aimed at upgrading the traditional skills of the target communities, infusing frsh understanding and new skills. Thus programmes have been conducted on improved cultivation practices, water management technologies, weaving and other traditional crafts. Market exposure and inputs on product design and quality have also been provided.
Infusion of New Skills/Technologies ~ The project is also helping to develop new age skills and advanced skills, viz, drip & sprinkle irrigation, renewable energy applications, advanced teaching methodologies, museum management, enterprise management, and others. Such infusion of technology enhances productivity on existing occupations and also helps create avenues for new livelihood streams, thus facilitating occupational diversity. It also helps reduce the enormous technology gap between remote areas and the rest of the country.
Up Ahead . . .
The project aims to establish supplementary education & vocational training centres in different pockets of the region. The curricula of the courses in the centres would focus on the gaps in the existing curricula of the schools. In these effective teaching methods like audio and visual aids will also be used to enhance the grasping capacities of the students. These centres would also carry out adult literacy sessions and provide vocational and professional skill inputs.
More rural libraries would be established in different parts of the target area and education motivators like scholarships and provision of school supplies would also be instituted.
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