We have chosen The Citizens Foundation (
http://www.thecitizensfoundation.org/), a professionally-managed non-profit organization to build and subsequently manage this school.
Participatory Fee Structure & Scholarships. Low family income and high cost of school fee are more often the main constraints to access primary education. TCF’s fee structure is designed on the basis of affordability of the parents. No student is denied schooling due to an inability to pay. In such cases, scholarships are awarded based on the Principal’s (who personally visits the students’ homes and speaks with the parents) assessment of the recipient’s financial condition.
Quality of Education. Although the curriculum followed in TCF schools is the same as that of public schools, TCF has uniquely through its own Curriculum department, supplemented the curriculum taught in TCF schools with more relevant and modern material.
Teacher Training. TCF is possibly one of the very few NGOs that has its own teachers’ training center. All new TCF teachers go through a summer of pre-service training. Teachers are evaluated and monitored throughout the year and also assessed by independent evaluators who drop in anytime during the year. This organisation places such great emphasis on teaching methods, the progress of its teachers and students alike. They maintain a structured system of education with two whole departments (curriculum & training) dedicated to keep a continuous feel on the pulse of the quality of education in their schools and to be constantly devising improvements to it.
A balanced gender ratio With its unique fee structure and an exclusively female teaching staff, TCF has achieved an almost 50% female student population.
