Document created by my friend Srinivasan Seshadri who is helping raise funds for a small school for tribal children in Tamil Nadu in India

1. Vidya Vanam

2. Contents
• Education in TN
– The Problems & solution
• Vidya Vanam
– Objectives
– People Behind Vidya Vanam
• Why Annaikatty?
• Vidya Vanam – what’s different
– Methodology
– Curriculum
– Faculty
• Infrastructure
• Requirements

3. Status of Education in TN Schools
• The state has been able to address the question of access
almost completely – except in certain tribal pockets and child-
labour intensive areas
– Access isn’t a major problem
• While enrolment has increased, the dropout rate is the
worrying factor

4. Enrolment Vs Dropout
• One of the common reasons for dropout cited is the “ignorance of parents
who don’t understand the importance of education and instead send their
children to work”. But this perception is wrong
• A number of studies have shown that parents, even from even the poorest
families, attach great importance to the education of their children
• In 2000-01, the drop out rate in Primary school (Classes I-V) was 41%.
– Classes I –VIII , the number increases to 53%*
– Drop out at an age too young for child labour
• More than 50% of the Dalit children dropout by class V, majority by class III
* source: selected educational statistics 2001

5. Why do children dropout?
• Children go to school with enthusiasm to learn
• Several Studies have shown that ‘lack of learning’ and ‘boredom in
schools’ are the most important cause for children dropping out of
schools
• They also find that attending school reminds them of their constant
failure to learn and saps their confidence. In the famous Learning
Without Burden Report [1], Prof. Yash Pal says, “The most cruel burden
we place on our children is the burden of non-comprehension in our
schools. A significant fraction of children who drop out may be those who
refuse to compromise with non-comprehension.”
source: (1) Learning without Burden, National Advisory Committee Report to Govt of India,
1993

6. Quality of Education
• ASER survey results show that while the national averages for children who
can read sentences and do subtraction are 66% and 65% respectively, the
averages for Tamilnadu are 47% and 53% respectively
• The Government’s reading evaluation done in March 2006 also shows that
only 52% children in 5th Std can read.
• Reading evaluation study done in October 2006 in 5 districts with teachers
that showed about 54% children could read sentences and only about 35%
could read a simple paragraph in Tamil

7. Reasons for lack of quality
Ineffective Methodology
•
– Teachers read from books
– Children not encouraged to think independently or creatively
– Tested on memory and marks
Lack of Learning Resources (Rural)
•
– Schools and teachers have no access to libraries, reading
materials, activity kits
– Balwadis have no learning aids or even simple toys.
– Serious lack of educational resources accessible to poor
children
– few that are available are quite costly
Unclear definition of quality for teachers
•
– teachers are quite confused about what is expected from
them
– Quality is seen as high ‘pass %’
In some schools, there are no teachers/classes don’t even happen
•

8. Reasons for lack of quality
• System’s Delivery Capability
– Even when governments have the will, they often do not have the internal
capacity to actually change the quality
– Even if the officials push for a ‘good change’, the system isn’t equipped to
handle it
– Its not only the children, even some teachers don’t understand concepts
• Low community involvement
– Poor children have no access to a learning environment
at home
– Parents and community members are not even clear on
what children are expected to know and what schools
must deliver

9. Dalit children
• Dalit children quit mainly because they face
discrimination
– School may not be ‘socially accessible’
– Sit and eat separately
– By teachers and other students
• Tribal children
– Used to lot of freedom and find classrooms restrictive
– Have their own language/dialect and find it difficult to
understand the regional language/dialect
– Want teachers who don’t treat them as inferior
– Women have a better standing in tribal society than other
communities
• Parents not educated
– Not the best learning environment at home

10. How to improve quality?
• Ensure Children learn and enjoy learning
• Encourage creative and independent thinking
• Provide access to free/low cost learning material, activity kits,
libraries
• Motivate the teachers
• Define and measure quality – for teachers and students
• Ensure our methodology works with the existing system
A systematic approach to address all aspects

11. Introduction
To
Vidya Vanam

12. Vidya Vanam
• Elementary school for tribal and underprivileged children
• Started in July 2007
• Situated in Annaikatty, which is situated at the foothills of the Niligri
range, 25 kilometers from Coimbatore
• Currently up to 2nd standard with 97 children
• An initiative of Bhuvana Foundation
• The school is accredited by the National Open School Programme under
The Ministry of Education and Literacy and The Ministry of Human
Resources and Development

13. Vidya Vanam
Objectives
• To provide a comprehensive holistic and affordable education
to children
• To provide an environment of self learning and activity based
learning as a central element of education
• To integrate into the curriculum an understanding of the
strengths and aptitudes of individual students
• To respect and understand the cultural traditions and roots of
the community and environment
• To foster tolerance of other cultures and preservation of
folklore, folk art and culture

14. People Behind Vidya Vanam
Mrs. Prema Rangachary
The principal advisor, Permanent trustee of Bhuvana Foundation and the key person
•
at Vidya Vanam - has extensive background and experience in education of children
and adults.
Has played a key role in the development of the Balwadi program in and around
•
Annaikatty.
She has been trained in Oxford, UK, to teach English as a second language.
•
Taught in Ethiraj College, Chennai
•
She has conducted numerous workshops to management in the corporate world,
•
and devised novel tools to teach children from various cultural and economic
backgrounds.
Continues to train teachers, challenging conventional methods of imparting
•
knowledge.
Has personally trained the teachers who are now at Vidya Vanam
•

15. Bhuvana Foundation
Other Permanent Trustees
Dr. S. Sriram
• currently Professor of Experimental Neurology at Vanderbilt
Medical Center, Nashville TN.
• A physician scientist and teacher to the graduate school and
the author of over 100 manuscripts in the field of
neuroscience
• Has chosen to focus on the education needs of underserved
areas in India and in his home state of Tamilnadu.
• His interests in education have arisen in part from his family’s
long standing legacy in recognizing the role of education as a
critical means to end poverty

16. Bhuvana Foundation
Other Permanent Trustees
Mrs.Shanthi Ranganathan
• As the director of the TTK Charitable Trust and hospital since
its inception in 1979
• Has been a pioneer in developing and implementing treatment
programs that deal with the societal problems of alcoholism
and drug addiction.
• In addition, she oversees the governing body of the
Government School in Manjakudi, Tamilnadu.
• Has been the recipient of numerous awards the most
prestigious of those include the Padma Shree and the Vienna
Civil Society Award, which was presented to her by the then
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for her outstanding work in
fighting drug abuse.

17. Bhuvana Foundation
Other Trustees
Mrs.Bhooma Parthasarathy
• Director and a Trustee of the Thirumalai Charity Trust, which works
towards quot;Bring the Rural poor Together in Building Their own Futurequot;.
• She has been primarily responsible for setting up and managing an
integrated rural programme of the Trust, since 1983.
• Since 1994, she has been involved in educational service and she set up the
three Vedavalli Vidyalaya schools in Ranipet and Walajapet (Two under the
CBSE and one under the state syllabus).
• She is the correspondent of the schools and a Trustee of The Akshaya Vidya
Trust that manages them.
• And others who have worked in the field of education and/or
rural development …

18. Bhuvana Foundation
Objectives
• Children Education
To establish Balwadis (early school program) in the tribal villages
–
To provide comprehensive education for the children of tribal families in rural areas
–
To organize after school programs for children to minimize school dropouts
–
To teach the importance and value of health, hygiene and nutrition
–
To support and facilitate schools run by the government by providing basic amenities or
–
equipments necessary for the school
• Preventive Health
– Ensure the immunization of all children of primary school age
– To conduct periodic health camps during which preventive measures pertaining to hygiene,
health and nutrition will be emphasized
– To screen for the presence of nutritional deficiencies, infectious ailments and metabolic
abnormalities and plan for their follow up care
– To ensure adequate services are provided for pregnant mothers and the new born
– To develop cooperative tie-ups with regional health care facilities so that detection of serious
health care needs in the population can be addressed promptly
• Health Education
– To develop a health awareness program that is responsive to the indigenous needs of the
community
– To train individuals within the community who will serve as health educators
– To evaluate the impact of these services through surveys and assess the success of
immunization programs, health education tools on the health and well being of the
community

19. Why Annaikatty ?
• Mrs. Rangachary has been working with
balwadis or play schools in the tribal villages in
and around Annaikatty and therefore familiar
with the area and requirements.
• Most families work in the brick kilns as coolies
• some graze sheep and goats others collect
forest produce like goose berries and honey.
• Their income will be on an average Rs.1500
per month.

20. Annaikatty
Children
• Before Vidya Vanam was launched, we had a meeting with 40
head men of the villages from a 10km radius from Annaikatty.
• They felt that the government school was not giving them
any head start in life as less than 50% of them are able to
complete 10th .So they go back to their homes and have to
start allover again
• The children who live in the vicinity of the Annaikatty town
have access to the government schools, but those further
away do not go to school.
• These children who are not educated tend to live in their
villages and go for wage labour.

21. Annaikatty
• The parents felt that they need better education and
they see the importance of learning English to go for
higher learning. They seem to see it as a passport to
better life.
• Parents though not schooled are aware of the
opportunities that good education brings.
• Woman in tribal societies are more ‘equal’ than other
societies and so the girl child is also likely to continue
their education

22. Student Body
• Current status – 97 children
– the students are in primary – up to 2nd standard
• 09-10 : 140

23. Curriculum and Methodology
• Curriculum will be provided in English and Tamil. The medium of
instruction is English. Hindi is offered as an additional language.
• The focus is to integrate child-centered activity-based learning
with a curriculum that ensures verbal, written, computing skills
and individual thinking.
• The curriculum also includes Art and Craft, Pottery, Weaving,
Dance, Drama and Music.

24. Curriculum and Methodology
• The curriculum integrates teacher directed and child directed
activities. Children will learn from work cards and sheets
• A multi-age group classroom of 20 students, work in groups of 2
to 6 students.
– Such grouping is based on interest, needs, learning style, problem solving, skill
instruction and reinforcement.
• In addition, the school recognizes and nourishes the tribal
culture and background of the students by integrating their
songs, stories and legends into their learning

25. Curriculum and Methodology
• While the curriculum strives to ensure the literacy of children
during their early years of childhood, the teachers and
advisors ensure that there is a balance in striving towards
academic, social and cultural excellence.
• The children and prepared to be most importantly self
learners with appreciation of the world around them.

26. Stages of development
Foundation stage (3-5 years)
• The kindergarten classes are exciting places where children are
introduced to a variety of activities, such as painting, games, story
telling and songs.
• These activities are aimed at developing personal, social and
emotional well-being; positive attitudes towards learning; social skills;
attention and persistence; language and communication; literacy and
numeric skills
• Physical co-ordination; creativity; and a knowledge and understanding
of the world.
• The educational progresses of the students are closely monitored and
their profiles are discussed with their parents during parent
teacher meetings.

27. Stages of development
Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)
• Key Stage 1 aims to provide pupils with a solid
foundation in the major areas of English, Tamil,
mathematics and science, while, at the same time,
developing pupils` knowledge and skills through
integrated learning.
• Emphasis is placed on English and Tamil, both written
and oral, so that the children learn to read fluently and
with understanding.
• The pupil at the end of Key Stage 1, is ready to take the
National open exam for grade 3

28. Stages of development
Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11)
• The Key Stage 2 curriculum covers the full range of subjects,
expanding on the knowledge gained in Key Stage 1.
• We recognise the importance of preparing our children well
for middle school by instilling good study habits and
developing them as independent learners.
• Children are encouraged to make increasing use of resources
to study independently.
• At the end of key stage 2, the students take the 5th grade
exam offered by the National Open School.

29. Reading & Writing
• The children take home a book once a week – to develop the
habit of reading at home.
• At first these are picture books, but the amount of text they
include will gradually increase as the children move through
the school.
• The books are in either English or Tamil. The children learn to
read through a combined approach, using phonics, look and
say and contextual clues.
• We teach a simple, clear handwriting script.
• A structured phonics program (English) is used throughout KS1
to enhance reading, writing and spelling skills.

30. Speaking and Listening
• If children cannot speak properly and express
themselves clearly, they will not be able to
write fluently
• This is a very important part of the National
Curriculum, and we devise a range of
activities to ensure the children develop an
aptitude in speaking and listening skills

31. Science and Mathematics
Mathematics
• In the early stages of school, children are provided with a rich variety of
hands-on experiences, which provide building blocks for mathematical
understanding.
• This includes plenty of mental math, as well as formal recording and
investigative and problem-solving work.
• The Abacus scheme is used alongside a range of supplementary materials
Science
• Environmental sciences - starting with what is around them
– Animals, mountains, rain, metal etc.
• We want children to be curious about things they observe, and explore the
world about them with all their senses
• importance and value of health, hygiene and nutrition

32. Faculty and Material
• Teaching experience and have also undergone training in
Montessori methods, using Activity Based Learning (ABL)
material and the Glenn Doman methods of teaching
• Vidya Vanam places great emphasis on training the teachers
with regular training programmes
• Faculty who understand the rural way of life
• Special aide who is committed to tribal development,
assisting in material development and a bridge with the
parents
• Study material prepared by academicians who have 30 years’
experience and involved in rural life and education

33. Besides studies..
• 1 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. activities consists of music
dance, craft, drama outdoor play, pottery.
• Taught by Mr.Thapa, Masters in Fine
Arts program,, Santhiniketan
• Painting workshops
– Nok Wanvisa, a native of Thailand and currently doing
her final year in Art at the Art Institute in
Santhiniketan, spent 3 days at Vidya Vanam.
– Taught them to make shadow puppets. She also
explored with the teachers the possibility of using all
the natural materials available around for art.
– Children used mud for painting, and did printing with
banana stems, leaves and flowers.

34. Measuring Performance
• Evaluation is continuous process
• The rigid classroom structure is done away with, in a mixed
age group ability classroom the children move at their own
pace
• The card system has built in evaluation cards which gives the
teacher an idea as to whether the student has understood
the concept
• Examination process is not at the end of each year but when
the child is ready for it
• The national open school gives us the autonomy and the
flexibility to send children up at the 3rd 5th and 8th levels

35. Measuring Performance
• Though the materials are similar to other methods (cards
worksheets etc.) the material is handled by trained teachers
and the student teacher ratio is < than 1:20 and therefore the
system becomes more efficient
• We hope to be able to have a group of children who have
developed their thinking skills and confident to express their
ideas .and communicate with ease in English

36. Other facilities
• Food
– Breakfast, lunch and evening snack
• Transport
– Children are picked up in van from a 15 km radius

37. Parent Teacher Communication
• The school communicates with parents
regularly
• Parents are welcome to speak to staff or the
head teacher at any time

38. Classes and Infrastructure
current
• 3 Phase construction
• Phase one, which is complete, consists of an administrative block,
kitchen and dining room, assembly hall, toilet block, security room,
storage room, two rooms that will serve as class rooms for the
current student population and two faculty quarters
• In addition, a safe and secure play area with outdoor equipment, an
open-air auditorium, library with computer assisted learning
tools, music room and an art and craft rooms are planned for the
current academic year

39. Classes and Infrastructure
• Student body increased to 97 for the academic
year 2008- 2009.
• To accommodate the increase in the number
of students, a four classroom block has been
built
• In addition, a dormitory block that will provide
lodging for permanent and visiting faculty is
planned.

40. Classes and Infrastructure
• Phase 3 will serve to fulfill a student body of
140 students.
• The third phase consists of an additional four
class room block that will be completed by the
end of the rainy season of 2009

41. Future Plan 2010
• Beginning 2010, Vidya Vanam board plans to develop a middle school
program that will be transition students from the elementary school to
classes 6 through 10
• All the children who pass through class V may not want to go for higher
education.
– So we intend to start a vocational stream to give
the students an option to earn soon after 10th or
12th
• This phase will include the building of vocational schools that will dovetail
with the educational curriculum and provide practical experience for
students completing 10th grade

42. Budget Status (Rs. Lakhs)
for the school
This is only for the school and does not
cover other initiatives of Bhuvana Foundation such as health care etc.

43. Sponsorship
• Donations are accepted to cover costs for
children education, mid-day meal and snack
• Estimated cost per child is as follows:
– Education costs (teacher salaries, books and school
supplies) Rs. 4000 per annum
– Food and transportation costs Rs. 3500 per annum
– Total costs to educate a child for a year (approximately)
Rs. 7500

45. Break up of Budget
Annual expense for running the school