At present TARA Akshar+ runs a total of 175 centers in eastern U.P. with the stated aim of making 22,000 more women literate. To run these 175 centers a field team of close to 250 personnel is required which includes instructors, quality controllers, master trainers, block coordinators and field coordinators. To train such a large team, it requires thorough planning, training and execution, especially with laptops being primary tools in delivering literacy.

During the planning phase, target areas are identified down to the village level. This procedure involves identification of target populations in terms of districts/blocks/villages. Once the target population is ascertained, the next step involves looking for instructors from close by areas, preferably from the same community thus making their interaction with the women easy and comfortable which is very important for daily instructions. For that we contact our partners, the local Indigenous Community Support Organisations (ICSO) who help us in the initial screening of the trainers while the final selection is done by TARA Akshar+ team so as to choose the most able and qualified instructors according to our stringent standards.

Training of Instructors: Once the instructors have been selected they are put through an intensive instructor training programme which familiarises them with the latest teaching techniques of TARA Akshar+ and TARA Ganit. The program further includes lessons on life skills and personality development, communication skills, teaching skills, mobilisation activities and handling of equipment and trouble shooting. Training venues are identified in the area of the target population. The place must be spacious with separate living areas for men and women , adequate toilet facilities, electricity and water supply, food arrangement and learning the environment.

Conduct of training: The training of the shortlisted candidates starts with a briefing on laptop usage. The centers are run in places with limited technological visibility, but with the laptops forming the backbone of the teaching process it is extremely important for instructors to be fluent in their usage. The training goes on for a total of 15 days. At the end of the training, a written exam and a teaching practice exam are conducted and only those who pass the examination are selected. At the same time the best instructors are selected from the group to become ‘master trainers’ and ‘quality controllers’. The instructors are monitored by master trainers who are their technical mentors and quality controllers do spot checks on the quality of instructor training.