Isha Vidhya:
9 rural schools (8 in TN in districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil & Dharmapuri, 1 in AP in Chittoor Dt.), creating a bright future for 8,000 children
Many of the students are first-generation school-goers
About 61% of the students are supported by full tuition scholarships. The rest pay a subsidised fee
Actively promote the education of female children (46% are girls) by visiting villages & counselling parents of girls to send their children to our schools and by providing proper toilet facilities for girls.
Transforming parental attitudes to education & increasing educational awareness in rural communities while striving to preserve village identities and culture
Highlights
Infrastructure by way of clean and spacious classrooms
Science, maths and computer labs, digital classroom, library, playground and play equipment
Extensive audio, video and computer material augment English-medium education
Education beyond literacy and rudimentary skills by following a holistic approach
o Attention to sports, arts & crafts, environmental awareness, health and yoga
Balanced mid-day meals containing proteins and salt fortified with 7 micro-nutrients
o For most children, this is the only wholesome meal of the day.
Most students learn even basic hygiene only in the school
The student-teacher ratio is 19:1, with special care for slow learners
Total no. of employees – 740 (Isha Vidhya, TN GSSP & AP GSSP)
Government School Support Program in Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh:
With experience in setting up and running schools in rural areas, Isha Vidhya is only too aware of the challenges faced by government schools. These include a high student-teacher ratio, unmotivated teachers, lack of basic facilities, gaps in teacher recruitment & training and a high student drop-out rate.
Isha is, therefore, currently carrying out critical interventions in 32 rural government schools in the districts of Coimbatore, Kanchipuram, Salem and Tirupur of Tamil Nadu, benefiting over 10,000 students. In Andhra Pradesh, a project for direct intervention in 3,000 Govt. schools in Kuppam, Chittoor Dt. is benefiting 120,000 children and 10,500 Govt. teachers.
Initiatives include:
Extensive Teacher Training using Isha Vidhya methods.
Special assistance to slow learners, who constitute 25% of class, through critical Remedial interventions
Improving children’s English language skills through special methodologies
Supporting holistic development through sports, yoga, environmental education, health awareness
Ongoing monitoring & feedback support to teachers