Divyadeepa Charitable Trust runs an experimental school called "Kaliyuva Mane" in Kenchalagudu village, Karnataka that provides free education and residential facilities for rural and underprivileged children. The school was started in 2005 and has grown from 14 students to 105 students. It takes a unique approach to education that avoids exams, allows children to progress at their own pace, and classifies children into dynamic groups based on their skills. Despite its success in educating children and recognition from prominent individuals, the organization has failed to receive official government recognition for its work.

1. Diyvadeepa Charitable Trust
In 2007, Sunil,17, joined “Kaliyuva Mane”, as he regained his lost
interest in studies, 7 years after he had dropped out of school from class
4th. He started to learn from alphabets and numbers and in 2010,
completed 10thstandard in English medium. In 2013, he passed ITI.
Like Sunil, many other “OUT OF SYSTEM” children today are a part of an
experimental school setup in 2005 at Kenchalagudu village on the outskirts
of Mysore, Karnataka, started by Divyadeepa NGO; “Kaliyuva Mane”- a
school that provides free education along with residential facilities. Rightly
so as “kaliyuva” means learning and “mane” means home. The school caters
to rural “Out of system” students- school dropouts, slow learners and the
underprivileged children. It also supports post-metric education of deserving
children.
Its grass root level work was started in August 1992 through free
supporting classes. The NGO has continued to take up its research at the

2. grass root level in this field with the help of its experimental school and
has evolved a completely new education system. Some of the key features
of this system are:
o Frequent informal tests check the child’s grasping power, and thereby
their curriculum designed accordingly. Exams do not instill fear in child.
o Child gets time to settle in and he can choose not to attend the
classes immediately.
o It is neither a Kannada medium nor an English medium school in a
conventional sense.
o Children are classified into dynamic groups based on their grasping
level and knowledge. It is easier for the teacher to teach a homogeneous
group.
o Child gets to explore nature; no child feels tensed in this school.
o Teacher-student ratios vary, can be 1:1 to 1:10. Teacher is like
family, like brother or sister to the child.
The school has reached out to more and more children with passing years,
growing from 14-odd students in 2005-06 to 105 in 2013-14.The school has
not only provided children with their Right To Education (RTE) in spirit but
also provides them with food and accommodation, treating the needy
children with love, care and empathy.
The NGO is currently supported by a pool of large number of volunteers
from all fields including engineering & medical institutes as well as business
schools. Senior volunteers have also joined hands with NGO as it thrives to

3. transform the lives of the children and bring about more transparency in
running the organization.
The efforts of the organization has had attracted people like former
president Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam and Infosys founder Mr. NR Narayan Murthy
to the NGO’s work , as they acknowledged its efforts to empower “The
Forgotten India”. Also Divyadeepa’s “Education of the rural OUT OF SYSTEM
children” idea won the 2nd prize in the grand finale of Mahindra &
Mahindra SPARK THE RISE program for innovative ideas in development of
nation.
Despite the efforts of this NGO of giving the education to the needy
children in most innovative and righteous of ways ensuring their education
with a better livelihood without any pressures and giving them their RTE,
the NGO till date has failed to get recognition from the government!
Though it has failed to get government recognition, it certainly has all
the recognition from people, children, families and eminent personalities
and organizations.
Founded and inspired by the ideals of Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekanand,
Divyadeepa a NGO driven by compassion, patriotism and spirituality ,
continues to transform its unique education system, &its experimental
school “Kaliyuva Mane”; based on the philosophy” SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN”
rather than ‘children for school’”!!