2. Education has a fundamental role to play in
personal and social development of an
individual. It creates opportunities through
different ways, strategies and situations to
learn how to live together.
Learning to Live Together is an intercultural
and interfaith programme for ethics
education designed to contribute to the
realisation of children’s right to a full and
healthy physical, mental, spiritual, moral and
social development.
3. Education designed for learning to live together
nurture children’s ethical values to help them
strengthen their identities and critical thinking,
build constructive relations with others, and work
collectively towards positive change.
It can address a wide range of themes, including
the prevention of violence, racism, discrimination
or exclusion, poverty alleviation, conflict
transformation.
Learning to Live Together process allows
participants to discover and reflect on different
cultures, faith traditions and ways of thinking.
Space is provided for interaction and exchanges,
discussion, and reflection, and this process is
expected to lead to some kind of relevant action.
4. Ashram Schools are residential schools located in
sparsely populated areas to provide functional and
liberal education to tribal boys and girls on the
educational pattern of Gurukuls with free boarding
and lodging facilities.
Ashram school are in general residential and the
inmates are provided with facilities of board and
lodging, moreover, they function within highly
structured and systematic framework.
Ashram school scheme was originally a centrally
sponsored scheme, operated by the states. In spite of
this their structure; functioning and objectives widely
very among the states to such and extent that it is
difficult to find similarities in their working pattern,
or in resource allocation. In some states such as
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa.
5. The concept of Ashram school has been derived
from the traditional Indian Gurkulas and the
Gandhian philosophy of basic education.
In Ashram School the teacher and the taught live
together and have close interaction with the
purpose of helping the student in the
development of complete personality and in
sharpening their capacities.
The educational philosophy of Ashram is based
on spiritualism, discipline and yoga.
It provides close interaction between the teacher
and the taught through the increased individual
attention.
6. The Ashram school, introduced in tribal regions
with residential facility to motivate tribal children
for education and to create an urge among them
to improve their social and moral status.
The main objectives of Ashram school as
envisaged by the various committees and
commissions are:
◦ to impart general formal education,
◦ to encourage tribal traditions like folk songs and dances
◦ to reduce the drop-out rate and
◦ to improve the retention capacity of the school.
7. In self-catering contexts, planning and
preparation which involves buying and cooking
food clearly resonates with promoting healthy
eating habits for health promotion and nutrition.
Insensitive visit offers a unique form of intensive
experience which encourages children and young
people to engage with staff and peers at a deeper
level and build relationships.
Spending time away from the home environment
gives children and young people opportunities to
develop confidence, by living more independently
and making their own decisions
8. Individual and Group Ownership
Staying in new environments provides a
chance to reflect on experiences and
learning.
Residential experiences, careful planning and
preparation, including work undertaken with
children and young people before and after
the residential experience, is key to the
relevance, coherence, breadth and depth of
learning.
9. The experience of project work carried out during the
residential schools build team spirit, cooperation and
collaborative learning.
Scope to critically reflect on experiences and relate
lessons learned to their own contexts.
Scope to learn in a self-driven environment ultimately
leads towards the development of their personal and
collective commitment to bring about positive change
in society.
Learning to Live Together incorporates both
traditional and modern learning methodologies based
on experience, cooperation, problem solving,
discussion, and introspection.
10. As decision-making becomes increasingly non-participatory
and problem solving more reactive, an
increasing number of short-sighted policy decisions are
made that appear to compound existing problems.
Unresolved interpersonal conflicts increase and are not
resolved.
Aggressive behaviours among the leaders and staff
members create unwarranted situations
As the organization becomes more hierarchical there is a
progressive and simultaneous isolation of leaders and a
“dumbing down” of staff.
Sometimes the leaders and staff lose sight of the essential
purpose of their work together and derive less and less
satisfaction and meaning from the work.
Sometimes staff feel increasingly angry, demoralized,
“burned out”, helpless and hopeless about the people they
are working to serve.
11. Lack of Counselors to address specific
problems of adolescents
Lack of sufficient staff in Ashram Schools
Restrictions among the Staff Members
Teachers lack necessary skills to deal
Expose to violence and other forms of
traumatic experience, including neglect –
particularly if these stressors are recurrent
and/or chronic – may respond with a complex
variety of problems.
Insecurity problems for adolescent girls
12. Special teaching strategies and goal-related content
Unique teaching approach will have to take account of the
learning processes required for the development of
cognitive and affective skills and values.
Structured experiential activities are needed to involve
students actively in thinking about and developing their
own values, while skills practice is required for them to
apply what they have learned.
Case studies
Case studies can be used to address some of the goals of
learning to live together. Through case studies students
can develop skills and commitments to peace, human
rights, active citizenship and health preserving behaviours.
13. An Integrated curriculum framework.
An Integrated curriculum framework is needed, in which
the goals can feature as part of a pedagogically-derived
curriculum framework for the skills and values dimensions
of learning to live together. This framework should follow
the principles of a cyclic (spiral) curriculum, in order to
provide reinforcement and deepening of the skills and
understandings acquired and of personal commitments to
behavioural norms.
Provision of special earmarked time,.
Allocation special times is required to inculcate different
specific values. Stimulus activities should be provided to
the students in order to involve them personally in
behavioural exercises or skills practice, and then facilitate
discussion of the skills, values and concepts learned.
14. Special teacher training and support
Teachers need special training and support for this work,
together with structured teaching/learning materials.
Proper orientation is required for the teachers to work in a
focussed way to inculcate these values in a diversified
contexts.
They are required to play the role of facilitators in
relation to what may be ‘sensitive’ topics (e.g.
reconciliation with former enemies, tolerance for other
cultures and ethnicities, gender issues and sexual
behaviour).
Formation of Core Team
Creation of a core team including committed educators,
teachers, experts who have proven skills in experiential
education and in-service teacher training.
