OVERVIEW

Capacity building is one of ASER Centre's core areas of work. The importance of capacity building activities derives from the absence of a culture of measurement and analysis in India, within the government and outside. The practice of using evidence to formulate plans and strategies and to take stock of progress and development is rare. Equally worrisome is the lack of capacities and skills to generate, analyze, present and act on evidence.

ASER Centre established a separate Capacity Building Unit in 2010 in order to address this gap. ASER Centre’s Theory of Change focuses on building the capacity of individuals and organizations to measure at scale, understand, and communicate with evidence-based action.

Key features of all capacity building workshops

All ASER Centre capacity building workshops aim to provide information and skills to individuals and organizations to collect, interpret, understand and communicate data effectively.These workshops give an in-depth understanding of the interplay between inputs, processes and outcomes and demonstrate how seemingly large issues can be tackled if they are broken down into clear, specific and, where possible, quantifiable goals. Concerted action designed towards achieving the goals can then effectively address the problem. A fundamental feature of all capacity building activities is the integration of theory and practice. 

Field visits are a fundamental element of every workshop, in addition to classroom sessions, group work and presentations, quizzes and written assignments. Post-workshop interactions provide information on how participants are applying learnings from measurement and analysis in their own work.