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acquired at VA. In 2006, VA received a Youth-to-Youth award from the World Bank for establishing alumni network. More than 300 alumni were contacted and their profiles were posted on www.renindia.in website. VA also started skills up-gradation programme for its alumni. In 2008, National Institute Of Open School constituted committee to review syllabus of DBRT. As per the recommendations of the committee the DBRT syllabus was revised and work of writing DBRT books in English is in progress. VA helped many orgnizations like Loksadhana at Chikhalgaon, Vivekanand Kendra (nasik), Astitva Pratishthan (Veer, Dist. Pune), Symantak (Dist. Singhudurg) to start DBRT programme. VA provides instructor training and technical support to these organizations. Introduction to Basic Technology (IBT) In 1987, VA started 'Rural Technology (RT)' programme in 3 schools around Pabal. Students from these schools were coming to VA one day per week, for training. After 3 years of pilot study, Maharashtra State of secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (SSC) appointed a committee to evaluate the programme. Realizing the usefulness of the programme, even to the urban schools, committee recommended to remove the word 'Rural' and named the programme as 'Introduction to Basic Technology (IBT)' and recognized it as orevocational program (V-1). Initially, the programme was supported by DST and CAPART. In 1995, MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) supported the program in 15 schools under its centrally sponsored vocational scheme. Later the scheme was transferred to state government and the funding for the programme was stopped. At that point, complete system of IBT implementation had not yet evolved. The financial constraints meant that, there was a possibility that the program may stop before the results were « Rural Development Through Education System 267
