Staff Reporter
Guwahati: To use school buildings in enhancing education by transforming them into a learning resource is an innovative approach adopted by many state education departments, and the Samagra Shiksha Assam (SSA) has not been lagging behind in adopting the Building as a Learning Aid (BaLA) initiative. Many more LP schools will be brought under the ambit of this initiative this year, and the primary target is students from ‘Ka-Shreni’ and the classrooms for such kids.
Announcing this on X, state Education Minister Ranoj Pegu wrote, “The Building as a Learning Aid (BaLA) initiative is designed to enhance children’s learning experience in schools by integrating visual and pictorial tools, making education more engaging and imaginative. This program was created by Vinyas, Centre for Architectural Research & Design, with support from @UNICEF.@Samagra_Assam has given Rs. 25000/- each to 9600 LP Schools having Ka-Shreni for painting the classroom walls to aid learning.”
The fund to be released for the purpose is to be utilised by the respective School Management Committee (SMC)/School Management Development Committee (SMDC) of the concerned school. The SMC/SMDC may convene a special meeting for this purpose, according to guidelines issued by SSA.
It is stipulated in the guidelines that the SMC/SMDC will have to select the design, picture, or matter for painting in the ‘Ka-Shreni’ classroom and surrounding walls, etc. The SMC/SMDC may take ideas from retired teachers, community members, mother groups, local artisans, and others. The SLC will finalise the list of pictures, designs, or items to be painted. The list has to be signed by all the members of the SMC/SMDC.
The guidelines also state that repetition of already available designs or pictures should be avoided and that the colours used in BaLA paintings should not be very bright and flashy. The quality of the BaLA design and painting will have to be ensured by the SMC/SMDC.
The Office of the District Mission Coordinator will take all necessary initiative for the proper utilisation of the fund and implementation of the guidelines during implementation of the activity. The DPO-IE & ECCE and FAO will be the nodal officers for the purpose.
The entire process has to be completed within one month of receipt of the fund at school level, and the utilisation certificate (UC) of the fund is immediately to be submitted to the Block Mission Office of SSA after completion of the work.
To ensure quality of the BaLA provision and proper utilisation of public money, monitoring through District Academic Resource Group (DACG) and Block Academic Resource Group (BACG) members has to be ensured by the District Administration and the District Commissioner of the respective district.
BaLA (Building as Learning Aid) is an innovative approach to improving education by transforming school infrastructure into a learning resource. The key idea is that the school building itself can be an active facilitator in the teaching-learning process.
BaLA focuses on modifying existing building elements to create engaging learning opportunities for children. It advocates for both the development of varied spaces and the integration of teaching-learning aids within these spaces.
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