E-Paper
SPPU student completes PhD on ZP school working 365 days since 2001
Reason being this is the only school that has been working continuously for 365 days since 2001, and Archana Adsule from Pune is the only student to have written a thesis on it
A nondescript Zilla Parishad school in the Kardelwadi village of Shirur taluka, Pune district, has earned a student of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) her doctorate. Reason being this is the only school that has been working continuously for 365 days since 2001, and Archana Adsule from Pune is the only student to have written a thesis on it.
Adsule was awarded a PhD this month by the SPPU education department for her research titled, ‘Kardelwadi Zilla Parishad School: A Study’ which she completed under the guidance of professor Atul Kulkarni. Elaborating on her study, Adsule said, “Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, it is mandatory for every school to remain open 220 out of 365 days of the year. However, the Kardelwadi Zilla Parishad School is an exception in that it has been working continuously for 365 days without taking a single day off since 2001. The research has been carried out with the aim of bringing to the world information about how this is being done, how the village is enlightened by teaching children, how it is possible to elevate an ordinary school to an international level, and so on.”
“By educating the students about education, an environment was created so that they would not be afraid of education. Efforts were made to give scope to their talents, maintain the quality of education, and increase the involvement of parents. From that, students also became more attached to the school. The villagers also came forward to help and participation in the work increased,” Adsule explained.
The Kardelwadi Zilla Parishad School has Classes 1 to 4 and only two teachers, namely the principal D R Sakat and his wife Bebinanda. While the school garnered global attention, no research had been conducted on it. Adsule’s thesis bridges this gap through an account of the school’s teaching methods, interactions, innovative activities and results achieved. Adsule carries out a comparative study of the school before 2001 (1980 to 2000) and from 2001 to 2020. Going by her research, the school did not even have basic facilities before it became a perennial school in 2001. There wasn’t enough participation from students and their parents. However, once it became a perennial school, the picture began to change. Adsule has drawn various conclusions and given recommendations from the study.
