Mirzapur district is located in Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. STiR started work in Mirzapur in 2017 in a small number of clusters, and we then scaled up our programme in 2018 as part of our system learning partnership. But we faced a challenge in establishing the programme in the district due to a lack of capacity at block level.
STiR worked to build the capacity of the system by recruiting a team of cluster officials to lead the programme at block level, and developing their ability to coach and support their colleagues. We also worked to develop relationships and change mindsets at district level, to challenge deeply-held beliefs about the quality of teachers in the district. As a result, the district leadership has recognised the contribution of officials in improving teacher motivation, and the system is taking greater ownership of our model.
Read more about our approach in Mirzapur in our case study here.