Quality Education Support Trust (QUEST)

#CTE #Edelgive #Hingoli Visit by ICDS supervisor + QUEST coordinators The ICDS supervisors have to make routine visits to the Anganwadis to check if all the records are being maintained properly by the Anganwadi Workers. The CTE QUEST team members are joining them this month to visit the CTE Model Anganwadis to see the progress of ECE work. Some of the supervisors have joined ICDS recently and have heard a lot of good things about the CTE program. They are quite curious to know why... when they visit the AWs, they can see for themselves! Watch this video to see how they conduct a few activities with children and participate enthusiastically in singing action songs!

Visit by Nilesh Nimkar (Director, QUEST) at MGL Vidya Palavee Mangaon Project On January 16, 2025, Nilesh Nimkar (Director, QUEST), along with senior manager Nitin Marade, visited three Anganwadi centers under the MGL Vidya Palavee Project in Mangaon block. They observed classroom activities, conducted practical demonstrations of certain activities with children, and engaged in discussions with Anganwadi workers about ongoing work. Post-visit, Nilesh Nimkar shared his observations with the project team, highlighting areas for improvement and offering actionable suggestions to enhance the intervention's impact. He also provided practical demonstrations of advanced activities tailored for children who have already mastered the current curriculum, ensuring their continued educational growth and engagement. (The MGL Vidya Palavee project is being implemented in 240 Anganwadis in Mangaon block, with the support of Mahanagar Gas Limited) #ECE #ICDS #Anganwadi #RuralEducation #FLN #Palavee #QUESTforQualityEducation

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: शिकताशिकविता On Sunday, 12th January, I had the privilege of reading articles from my book शिकताशिकविता at an event in Pune. It is always a pleasure for me to interact with live audiences, fostering deeper engagement. A team member joined me on stage to bring these articles to life, sparking meaningful conversations with the audience. This immersive format allowed for a more thought-provoking experience. The event drew an enthusiastic crowd of about 50 individuals—a mix of parents, teachers, & lifelong learners. Some attendees traveled all the way from Nashik & Navi Mumbai, which was deeply humbling and a testament to their commitment to education and meaningful dialogue. Highlights from the Readings 📖 87 वर्षाची तरुण शिक्षिका – A heartfelt tribute to Sindhutai Ambike, a teacher dedicated to educating adivasi children while preserving their cultural treasures of songs & poems. 📖 व्यसन आणि शिक्षण – An insightful exploration of the interplay between addiction in the adivasi community & their response to education. 📖 सत्तेची भाषा आणि भाषेची सत्ता – A deep dive into the profound relationship between power & language. 📖 परीक्षा – कशासाठी आणि कोणासाठी? – A critical look at the purpose & impact of examinations. The discussions that followed were vibrant & enriching. Many attendees shared how the article on tribal culture resonated deeply with them, offering fresh perspectives. A particularly engaging topic was the medium of instruction in schools. I emphasized the importance of integrating the home language or mother tongue into preschool & primary education, explaining how it lays a strong foundation for cognitive & emotional development. The energy at the event was incredible. Every detail—from seamless arrangements to engaging dialogues—came together beautifully. Thoughtful questions & stimulating exchanges made this gathering truly rewarding. To everyone who joined us, thank you for making this event special. Your presence & participation transformed this gathering into a meaningful & memorable experience. Here’s to many more such conversations! 🙌 Quality Education Support Trust (QUEST) #QUESTForEducation #EducationForAll

QUEST’s Shikshan Samruddhi Kendras have now started in the Khalapur taluka! With financial support from Alkyl Amines, a new project has started in the Khalapur taluka of the Raigad district, at Zilla Parishad schools in Wadgaon, Jambiwali, and Sarang from August 2024. The project focuses on improving foundational literacy and numeracy for children in grades 1 to 7, with 183 students working on language and mathematics subjects. In these centers, all children from grades 1 to 4 attend the FLN class one hour each day. For students in grades 5 to 7 who are trailing behind their grade level, there are Anupad level based learning classes. The QUEST facilitators at these centers sing songs with children, read interesting stories, and help them learn reading comprehension. They teach how to solve math problems using various materials and explain how to easily find solutions. The walls of these centers are decorated with various texts and math problems, which the children read daily and try to understand. There is a library with interesting books for the children, and on the walls, the children's experiences, stories, drawings, and origami are also displayed. This has made the children very enthusiastic about attending these classes. Even children from classes not included in the program visit the center to see the classes and read the books, eagerly asking, "Can we join this class too?" With the cooperation of school teachers and the enthusiasm of the children, the work here is progressing well.

#Palavee Certificate distribution program at Mangaon The Anganwadi workers in the MGL Vidya Palavee program have completed their 6-stage training. QUEST's Palavee team organized an event to acknowledge their efforts to transform their Anganwadis into vibrant centers of Early Childhood Education. Deputy CEO of Zilla Parishad (Raigad), Ms Nirmala Kuchik graced the occasion and distributed certificates to the Anganwadi workers, supervisors and CDPO. QUEST's joint directors Nitin Vishe & Vinay Tanksale were present at the event along with ECE expert Meena Nimkar. The Anganwadi workers shared their experiences of conducting well planned ECE activities daily. They stated that the systematic training given by Palavee team has been quite beneficial and that the children have shown a lot of progress in terms of school readiness. Mahanagar Gas Limited

🌟 *Theatre for Early Years | A Treat for the Little Ones!* 🌟 🎭 *Goshtarang* is thrilled to present two incredible plays at the prestigious *Pune Natyasattak 2025 Festival*, specially curated for our early audience (ages 2-6)! ✨ *Everyone Plays 🎨* •*Directed by: Sananda Mukhopadhyaya* •Performed 191 times across anganwadis and pre-schools in Maharashtra! *✨ Bamboo 🎋* •*Directed by: Asha* •Touched hearts in 70 shows across Maharashtra! *📅 Date: 19th January 2025* *📍 Venue: The Box 2, Erandwane, Pune* *⏰ Time: 11:30 AM* 🌈 Come witness the magic of Theatre for Early Years—engaging, multisensorial performances that celebrate learning, play, and imagination. *🎟 Produced by QUEST | Goshtarang* 👉 Tag your friends and family with little ones and make it a memorable day! *Book your tickets now* https://lnkd.in/dGCTKcpw

Looking back on the Foundation Day, as we celebrate 18 years of QUEST - Sharing a post by our Founder Director Nilesh Nimkar !

January 1 is the Foundation Day of QUEST! Today we have completed 18 years! We are proud that QUEST has carved a unique and respected position for itself in the Indian social sector. It has been an insightful journey, creating replicable models for Quality Education, facing challenges on the field, convincing the community of the vision and staying true to the dream. Our #QUESTforQualityEducation continues as we make plans for the future to establish QUEST as a hub of meaningful education for children, teachers, parents, researchers and the community at large.

Project is over but the work continues… The Palavee project in Ner (Dist. Yavatmal) was officially concluded more than a year ago. But QUEST has continued the engagement with the Anganwadi Workers in a ‘low touch’ model – one team member is stationed in Ner, who provides onsite support as required and conducts revision training sessions occasionally. The Anganwadi Workers are using the same schedule for ECE which they learnt in the Palavee training – the day begins with free play, followed by circle time and then a few activities on language and mathematics. When the children get tired or bored, the Anganwadi worker conducts a few action songs or games to enthuse them. A sustained continuation of this work has resulted in a noticeable improvement in children’s school readiness. Watch this video to see the various ECE activities and the classroom environment in the Anganwadis in Ner. #Palavee #ECE #ICDS #Anganwadi

Exposure visit of TMRE Fellows to SEARCH, Gadchiroli Last week, our batch of TMRE fellows visited SEARCH organisation with QUEST Manager Shailesh Jadhav. He had oriented us about the work of this organization in the field of community health, how they mobilize youth for creating awareness etc. This had created a sense of excitement among us. On Saturday 21st December, they had arranged a 12km foot-march called 'Shodhyatra' covering 5 villages of Gadchiroli to create awareness against the menace of alcohol and tobacco. Along with the other youth participants, we also marched carrying posters, shouting slogans and took part in the street plays on the issue of harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco. We were amazed to see how the women of Gadchiroli have played a significant role in eradication of alcohol from the district of Gadchiroli. This was a great experience for all of us and we learnt the values like team work, co-ordination, management and yes, finding joy and responsibility in every small action of ours. TMRE fellows stood out with their excellent co-ordination in all the events during the march as well as tasks like designing banners, etc. We are grateful to Shailesh dada for giving us this opportunity. Thanks to the Team of Nirman for including us and giving us all such a warm welcome. - Sharayu & TMRE Fellows (2024-25)