Learning Services

With the objective of learning some of the best practices by Kudumbashree, the State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLM) are taking a lead role in getting their community based organisation leaders, panchayati raj institution representatives and district level officials; equip with a better understanding on the convergence and livelihood models implemented by Kudumbashree. More than 470 participants visited Kerala for various exposure visits from states like Tripura, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Assam and from Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Delhi. These visits are facilitated by Kudumbashree NRO's learning services domain with the idea of imaparting a better understanding on the model of development through womens' collective/federations and also explore the possibilities of its replicability in their respective states. Requests from non-partner states and even NGOs are processed for sharing the knowledge on development projects and programs implemented by Kudumbashree.

Learning visits include two major categories - The Panchayat Apprentice Program (PAP)- flagship program of Kudumbashree NRO and exposure visit which is basically customized based on the requirements of the visiting team.

Panchayat Apprenticeship Programme

The Panchayat Apprenticeship Programme (PAP) is a rigorous learning programme for panchayat elected representatives and functionaries, CBO representatives and field personnel of NRO partner-States to learn the role of panchayati raj institutions in poverty reduction and development. It also covers the role of community organisations and various other institutions in supporting the panchayat in performing  its functions. The programme is designed for 5 days and is intensive in nature comprising of field visits, class room sessions and group presentations. It is a unique service provided by the Learning Services thematic area of Kudumbashree NRO. It gives first-hand learning experience to the participants in understanding the functioning of Gram Panchayats in Kerala, its structure, funding, roles and responsibilities and how various institutions work with them in enabling service delivery to its citizens by means of effective planning and implementation. Such learnings from the field can help in motivating the participants for taking steps in making their panchayats and other institutions responsible and accountable. The participants will be able to observe closely various convergence mechanisms in place between the CBO network, PRI and other transferred institutions and how such collaborative work benefit the locals. 

How is Panchayat Apprenticeship Programme conducted?

The participants stay in the Gram Panchayat they are visiting and it is arranged at the house of local residents. This is done to provide them with a deeper understanding of the life in a village in Kerala. The facilitators of the PAP include elected representatives, leaders of the Kudumbashree network and officials of the  transferred institutions in the gram panchayat, departmental officers of transferred institutions and  Kudumbashree community resource persons. The pedagogy is based primarily on the sharing of the experiences of the faciltiators. By means of interactions with various stakeholders and institutions, the participants gain a better understanding on the systems and functions in place. 

Focus of the Panchayat Apprenticeship Programme

• Process of governance, development planning and implementation - This will include the governance, developmental planning and implementation of the plans of the panchayat.
• Process of community and gram panchayat interface - This includes the interface between the panchayat, CBO and the transferred institutions. It will also cover the areas they work together for mutual benefit.

Methodology followed

The methodology followed for the PAP includes visits to Gram Panchayat office, offices of various transferred institutions and Kudumbashree. During the visits, participants will have a chance to interact with the concerned representatives and officials who share their experiences. PAP also includes field visits to various projects and programmes of the Gram Panchayat and Kudumbashree. There will be briefing and debriefing sessions in morning and evening every day, which forms an integral part of the learning process of the PAP.

Summary of activities in PAP

• Interaction with Gram Panchayat President and Standing Committee Chairpersons
• Interactive sessions with the Panchayat Committee members to understand their functioning and to clear any doubts that may arise
• Interactive sessions with the Officials from the transferred institutions
• Attending/observing meetings of the Panchayat Committee, CDS Executive Committee, NHG etc
• Site visits to understand the work on field
• Discussions of case-studies for better understanding of the projects
• Revision sessions to reinforce the learnings of the participants

Role of the participants

The participants are expected to get a thorough understanding on the PRI, CBO network and various institutions of their panchayats including their mode of functioning before they come to Kerala to attend the PAP. This would help them in comparing the governance processes and also identify the gaps. The participants are also expected to take initiative in getting maximum information and involve in discussions especially during field visits. Additional sessions are kept at the end of each day where they are encouraged to share their experiences and reflections learnt during the day. Apart from this, group exercises, presentations and individual activities are also conducted to make the program more insightful. 

Learnning visits also include exposure visits that are designed based on the requirements of the visiting team. Most of the teams who visit Kudumbashree are either from partner states engaged in the three major domians Convergence, Entrepreneurship and Start UP Village Entrepreneurship Project or from other developmental organisations. Apart from these, leading NGOs in India like PRADAN (Bihar/ Jharkhand), CSR initiatives like Lupin Foundation (Pune, Maharashtra) and Institute for Livelihood Research and Training, Meghalaya have also visited Kudumbashree to experience its interventions in the areas of local self governance, farm and non-farm livelihood models, social development and women empowerment initiatives. 

Visiting arragnements

The thematic area of Learning Services is engaged in hosting all exposure and learning visits to Kudumbashree on the basis of fist come first host principle. The detailed plan which includes the place of visits, program schedule and tentative budget is desginged in consultation with the SRLM and Distrtict Mission team based in Kerala. The visits are arranged purely based on the requirements shared by the visiting organisation. The fourteen District Missions under the Kudumbashree network provide support in hosting the visits.