Field Visits in Surat, Gujarat: Understanding the Barriers to Successful UTC Implementation

While this Fellowship has been an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth, it is not at all what I expected. No expectation was more incongruent with reality than arriving at the office on my first day, eager to work on AIF’s innovative new Urban Transition Center (UTC) program, only to learn that the project’s funding had fallen through and we would no longer be implementing UTCs in Delhi. I expected to develop these centers from the ground up, spending significant time inside classrooms, working with teachers in a capacity-building role, and refining curriculums and pedagogy. Instead, the project has taken a significant step back and is no longer an organizational priority. As a result, my revised role is to work towards ensuring funding in coming cycles by redesigning the project proposal and budget, and conducting a needs assessment research study. Although the opportunity to conduct this research was initially exciting, I soon began to feel frustrated that my work was not at all what I signed up for. Despite the tumultuous role, I remain excited about the project and the opportunity to adapt to the many unexpected circumstances it offers.

One such unexpected opportunity was a field visit to Surat, Gujarat, which I completed in December. While funding for the UTCs in Delhi fell through, different funding avenues for UTCs in Surat meant that their team was still starting implementation. My supervisors and I prioritized visiting Surat because their pilot program would lay the framework for future UTCs in Delhi. There is also a large AIF LAMP (Learning and Migration Program) presence in Gujarat, specifically in Dang, a rural region a few hours east of Surat. Such a large presence, in fact, that the Dang project has a BIF Fellow of their own, Carlos Diaz. Although the Dang project works only with rural communities, UTCs will utilize similar enough educational pedagogy to make a visit worthwhile. Considering all these factors, it made sense to visit the UTC team in Surat and the AIF projects in Dang (and Carlos) during one trip, two birds with one stone!

Following my trip, I compiled a summarizing report which I sent to my supervisors and other team members. The report outlines my field visit in its entirety, discussing meetings with stakeholders, community events in Dang, and much more. While also serving as a record for my blog’s loyal followers, the report’s main objective is to build organizational knowledge of the challenges facing UTC implementation and provide a framework for navigating them in the future.  Below is an amended version of that letter with notes for additional context.

Gujarat Field Report

To all involved,

My visit to Gujarat could not have been more successful! The trip was both logistically seamless and intellectually enlightening and informative.  I learned a ton at each step of the way and was cared for by the incredible staff in Surat and Subir. Many thanks to the entire team that made this possible. Sindoori and Bhavana for organizing on the front end, Shaqib for facilitating in Surat and beyond, Ibrahim and Vivek for guidance in Bardoli and Subir, and Mahipat from the Subir office. Everyone I met this week was incredibly kind and welcoming. I can not say enough positively in this regard. 

Note: Sindoori and Bhavana are the project supervisors who organized my trip. Shaqib is the AIF project lead for both the Surat and Dang projects. Ibrahim and Vivek are AIF employees based in Surat but are very involved in Dang. Subir is the name of the specific village in Dang where the AIF office is located, and Mahipat is the lead at the Subir office. 

UTC related visits in Surat with Shaqib

Note: When I visited Surat the UTCs were not yet operational. The team was actively looking for teachers and facilitators, and physical spaces to hold the UTCs.  

The first portion of my trip was spent meeting with numerous stakeholders in Surat to discuss potential locations for the UTCs. Shaqib planned these visits based on their networks, influence, and knowledge of surrounding slum areas. The project intends to open two centers within the city but faces significant challenges before they can begin project implementation. The two most pressing barriers are finding locations for the UTC and finding teachers/facilitators to run the centers. 

Finding locations is difficult because the space must be large enough to comfortably fit  25+ children, a few teachers, and TLMs (teaching learning materials), but also must be within proximity to the target beneficiaries (slum-dwelling migrant children). If the center isn’t located within the slum or directly next to it, high participation will not be possible. Slums are densely populated dwellings, so finding vacancies has presented itself as the most pressing issue facing the UTC project in Surat. 

Finding facilitators is difficult because of the position’s requirements. Qualified candidates must have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in education or social work. They must also be comfortable with the volatile nature of new educational initiatives, which often have unstable funding structures. The team has tried reaching applicants through LinkedIn, newspaper advertisements, government employment exchange departments, education colleges, and social work departments. None of these options have been successful yet. Hiring educators without a confirmed location and start date is an additional difficulty.  

Meetings in Surat

Our first stop was at an Anganwadi center, with an empty first floor. This space is big enough and close enough to the slum to be a practical option, but it is government-owned and operated. This means that Shaqib and the Surat team will need to file a formal application through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which can take many weeks to process. This space is not an option to ignore, but it is not a sure thing either.

Note: Anganwadi centers are a central public health and educational initiative part of the federal government’s ICDS scheme. Anganwadi centers provide many services including: early childhood (below 6 years) education and socialization, mid-day meals for student participants, menstrual education for adolescent girls, prenatal care, immunizations, health check-ups, referral programs, and more.

Our second stop was with Samir, a local slum leader representing the community’s needs.  Samir grew up in this area and lives in a house just around the corner from the Anganwadi center. His familiarity with the slum geographically and interpersonally is an essential network, but unfortunately, Samir had no perfect options. He suggested a suitable vacant space owned by a family that had all moved to the US and might be interested in renting. This space should not be ignored, but many logistical barriers exist to gaining access. Samir assured us that he would contact the family and push them to rent the space for the UTCs, but this would take some time, and it is far from certain to work out. Samir also graciously offered the roof of his house, but the space was not covered and would not be suitable. 

Our next meeting was with the Urban Community Development (UCD) office. The head of this UCD was on leave but had mentioned a potential location for UTCs to Shaqib in a previous meeting. The issue with this space was that a different NGO was planning to use it for a similar project. More pushing will be done to ensure the space is definitely off the table, but it is unlikely. During this visit, the employees also connected us with the head of UCDs in Surat, RC Patel, who could be important in connecting the team with additional spaces and potential UTC employees. 

We then met with Himanshu, a government-appointed corporator working in an office just a few minutes’ walk from a slum. Himanshu shared a few potential spaces and called a slum leader to give a tour of one place that he believed could work. The space was small and needed considerable work to become suitable for a UTC, but it will do. The rent for this space will be 5000 INR. Himanshu thought a few other spaces could work, but community members had already inhabited them. Regardless, the team will follow up with both spaces.

Lastly, we stopped at the ICDS office to inquire about the application/permit process for the location above the Anganwadi center. Shaqib picked up a form he would fill out later, and we left. The meeting was informative but very short. 

Note: A Corporator is a municipal government position in many Indian cities responsible for providing sanitation services, housing, education, collecting taxes, and administering state government grants. 

Takeaways 

• Although everyone we met in Surat was interested in helping the project, most had few concrete options. It was not due to a lack of interest among stakeholders but rather a lack of vacancies and physical space.  
  • Finding space requires a robust network of stakeholders, and even then, it is not always successful. It is important to be assertive and persistent to ensure people with power remain interested in helping. 
  • This process will almost certainly be met by bureaucratic barriers. It’s essential to predict time in project proposals and account for it in center set-up sections. 
  • This process requires making consolations on the target population.
    • The first task is to find a suitable space; the students who can access this space will become the target population.
    • To target migrant children specifically, UTCs will need to look for spaces only in migrant communities. Although this can be the first course of action, pivoting to a broader scope due to a lack of vacancies is possible and should be expected. 
• Finding quality candidates to facilitate the centers is difficult. The team interviewed a few candidates, but none were suitable. Many applications have come in recently, so there is hope that hiring will be seamless. 
• There is a large gap between the written proposal and the state of operations on the ground in Surat. In many ways, the proposal is far too ambitious.
  • The initial proposal aims to reach 500 children, which is quite challenging. Considering the capacity of four or five centers working with 25+ children each, the target may need to be adjusted for a more achievable impact.
    • Only one space has been confirmed, and the team plans to open two centers this year. 
  • The proposal states that UTCs should be near diamond manufacturing centers, but students would not be able to access the centers if they were anywhere near manufacturing sites. UTCs must be within close proximity to slums so students can attend.  
• Stakeholders in this process vary in levels of influence and quality of networks. Working with as many as possible is the most effective way to achieve goals. 
  • Due to their large community influence, municipal contractors (Himanshu) are essential stakeholders. Compared to UCDs and ICDSs, which are far more bureaucratic, contractors can leverage their position more effectively.
  • Slum community leaders are important to contact. Although not the most helpful in Surat, it’s likely they’ll have connections in other places. 

Note: Diamonds Do Good is the name of the partner organization partially funding the Surat UTCs. 90% of the world’s diamonds are processed and polished in Surat, Gujarat.   

Shakar Shala Visit  

Note: Shakar Shalas are an AIF program in Bardoli, a region approximately 30 minutes outside Surat. They have been described as “ancient UTCs” in that they provide a framework for the current UTC model. Shakar Shalas work with seasonal migrant children who have experienced learning gaps due to their parents’ seasonal labor in the sugarcane fields of Bardoli. These migrant families reside in semi-permanent housing in small villages near the fields for six months before returning to their home villages. If it weren’t for the Shakar Shalas, the children of these families would be out of school throughout the migration cycle. 

On the way to Subir, we stopped at a Shakar Shala in Bardoli. The UTC concept mimics the Shakar Shala model, so seeing how these centers operate was crucial. Unlike UTCs, Shakar Shala’s don’t face such difficulties finding spaces because they take place in villages with ample room and exist in small, non-permanent classrooms built from basic materials. Some lessons learned from the visit: 

• The teacher for this center was a resident of a nearby area and was paid around 8000 INR/month. Far less than what is offered to UTC facilities in Surat. 
• When the model was first introduced, it was an AIF-sponsored and funded program, and participation was low due to families and children not prioritizing education. Convenient center placement was essential for increasing participation within an uninterested population. 
  • All students are first-generation learners. 
  • By placing the center within the community, parents had fewer reasons not to support the program. 
  • Providing meals and snacks for students increases interest and likelihood of participation. 
• Shakar Shalas started with only a handful of centers in Bardoli and has expanded to a dozen, all of which are now fully community-funded; AIF provides only the TLMs. This expansion and stability are things UTCs can learn from. 
• Although UTCs and Shakar Shalas are conceptually very similar, they face very different practical barriers in implementation.

Visit in Subir

Once arriving in Subir, I met with the AIF team and Carlos Diaz to discuss the extent of the Dang project. I learned about the LRC/LEP initiatives, the Library centers, the high school teacher programs, the ECE programs, and the higher education scholarships. Learning about their work was exciting and inspiring. The curriculum used in these programs is essential for UTCs, which will use similar TLMs and teaching pedagogies. 

Note:

• LEPs (Learning Enhancement Programs) and LRCs (Learning Resource Centers) are learning centers for students in grades 3-5 and grades 6-8 respectively. LEPs occur before school in the mornings, and LRCs occur in the afternoons. Most of these centers take place in village-provided semi-permanent buildings, while others operate out of government schools. 
• Library Centers are similar to LEPs and LRCs but focus primarily on language learning and reading. 
• High school teacher programs work to train high school teachers. 
• ECE programs work with government-funded and operated Anganwadi centers to provide TLMs, teacher training, and other resources.
• Higher education scholarships identify gifted students to provide small scholarships for higher education. 

Throughout my time in Subir, I visited many of the programs, including multiple LRCs and LEPs, a Library center, and an Anganwadi center. At the first LRC, I met the AIF employee running the center and was able to interact with many of the students. They were excited to welcome me into their class, and I led a few fun games for the group. This LRC was held in a vacant classroom in a government school. I learned how these programs are implemented within schools and how this relationship might be helpful for UTCs in the future. This was a different structural model than the other LRCs, LEPs, and Library centers I visited, which were in community-provided spaces. 

During my visit, I participated in two events. The first was a large meeting (about 150 people) with the School Management Committee (SMC) and government officials to discuss barriers to education and build interest and buy-in for AIF programs. SMCs are voluntary representative bodies that influence educational policy and programming, similar to a Parent-Teacher Association. Mainly composed of farmers, parents, and grandparents. Collectively, SMCs are vital stakeholders for AIF programming in Dang because increasing motivation and buy-in amongst SMC members will greatly improve students ability to learn. This event aimed to build relationships with the community and establish a presence within the region. Trust and relationship-building were themes throughout the trip and a clear priority for the team in Subir. 

The second event was a TLM distribution event at an Anganwadi center. Anganwadi centers are government programs, but AIF is associated with 36 Anganwadi centers in Dang by providing TLMs and teacher training sessions. At this event, we distributed brand-new hands-on learning materials such as hand puppets, anatomy puzzles, and more. AIF invited Anganwadi workers, mothers, and their children to attend the event and accept the TLMs. They also invited the head officer from the Subir ICDS office, who came and endorsed the distribution.

Mahipat, the Project Coordinator in Subir, has prioritized building relationships with the Subir police and the Subir ICDS through gift-giving and frequent visits. Over my three days in Subir, I visited both offices twice, once to introduce myself and then again to inform them of my departure—and deliver thank-you notes. The respect Mahipat shows these government bodies is clearly highly valued and has been reciprocated through friendliness and collaboration. By building these relationships, AIF’s work gains credibility and great governmental support.

• This may have been the most significant takeaway from this portion of the trip. Relationship building is an integral strategy in Dang and will be an essential piece of UTC implementation when entering communities for implementation. 

Many thanks again to all who made this trip possible!