MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS (With A Difference)

RN PODAR SCHOOL

They aspire to foster the schooling process through a perfect balance of

receptivity and creativity. They focus on self-discovery, discussion and reflection
more than book learning or memory work. They believe that students should
engage in peer learning as that is equally important. They try to keep an
interactive stimulating environment where teaching is pupil centric rather than
teacher dominated.
The school encourages -
 Learning through experience
 Learning how to learn
 Anywhere Anytime learning
 Skill based learning &
 Lifelong learning

School Initiatives
 Drishtikon – It is an endeavor to sensitize the youth to the issues that
affect society today. It is a platform for the students to provide personal
perspectives and insight to these issues. Topics include the lack of ethics,
lust for money, corruption and many more.
 ‘Inception – Ideas Worth Sharing’ – It was initiated in 2012 with the
motive of providing both students and teachers a platform to present
ideas that can be used in classrooms. The presentations of students
focused on topics including the use of social media in learning, the need of
reforms in the Indian Education System, the role of parents in a student's
school life, eco-friendly futuristic architecture and methods to induce
creativity in classrooms
 Yuvana – It was an inter-school annual fest organized by RN Podar which
was held from 2008 to 2010. From conceptualizing the event to
articulating the marketing strategy which includes advertising and online
promotions, all were carried out by the students. The students aimed at
educating the public of Mumbai and exposing them to civic issues through
street plays. It included competitions in Literary, Performing Arts and
Fine arts.

Media
 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-
01/news/31012128_1_young-students-share-notes-ideas
 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-
02/mumbai/31016348_1_british-students-share-notes-social-
networking
SARDAR PATEL VIDYALAYA

It is perhaps the only private school in India that employs Hindi as the medium of
instruction in the primary school. Maths, Science and Social studies are taught in
Hindi till class V. From VIth onwards English becomes the medium of instruction.
The ultimate objective is to produce young citizens who are not only bilingual
but also equi-lingual in Hindi.
From VI-VIII, students are required to choose one from Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati and
Bengali as an additional language. This helps the student acknowledge the
richness of the Indian Culture.
Apart from this language policy, they have initiated several programs which
help in the overall growth of the children. The self-teaching day is one of the
most interesting projects undertaken by our Vidyalaya. One full day during the
year is reserved for the occasion. Besides teaching on the day, the students-
leaders manage the entire school. All the teachers, peons, clerks, sweepers and
even Principal are “off duty” for a day. Students take up their work. The following
are the objectives of this programme.
• To create a sense of responsibility among students;
• To help students understand the organizational structure of their school and
its functions.
• To develop among students an aptitude for teaching as a profession;
• To let the students understand and appreciate the difficulties of a regular
teacher, support or administrative staff.
• To develop confidence in themselves.
• To realize that a position of power has to be held with utmost competence,
responsibility and sensitivity.

Environment education in this Vidyalaya is not confined to glossy books on

nature, or to arm-chair discussions. Children are made to realize the supreme
value of a healthy environment. Bulletin boards presenting well researched
information in order to stimulate reflection, introspection and discussion,
enrichment talks by experts; slide and film shows to enhance awareness,
broaden the knowledge-base and stimulate thinking, followed by discussions
and plans for active involvement are a regular feature of the years’ agenda.

RIVER SIDE SCHOOL

Riverside is an amalgation of an approach to learning that is embedded in
common sense and a vibrant research centre for school education. In other
words, not only must students care about quadratic equations, biological and
chemical processes, and poetry, but also about democracy, child abuse, human
rights and other problems in their community. And over the past 11 years the
school has demonstrated that this approach does not hinder academic
performance, but actually enhances it! When students engage with their
community, demonstrate empathy and feel good about themselves, they also do
well academically.
Through research and rigorous experimentation, the school has developed a
‘Citizenship Curriculum’. The curriculum expects the students to actively
engage with the communities around them since grade 3. It is not an extra-
curricular activity but an integral part of the curriculum. It is no longer just about
being the best at math or science or even the strongest or fastest, it is becoming
increasingly important to recognize our children for attitudes such as empathy,
collaboration, adaptability and skills such as team work, problem solving, digital
literacy and design thinking.

The school is divided into three Key Stages (KS) based on age-based learning
styles and preferences.
KS 1- Aware (Kindergarten - Grade 2) - The focus of this key-stage is to make
children ‘Aware’ of their surroundings – the people, the places, the events and
objects- and allow them to develop frameworks to understand this complexity!
KS 2 - Enable (Grade 3 - Grade 7) - The focus of this key stage is to ‘Enable’ the
children to move between experiences, draw conclusions and make connections.
KS 3 - Empower (Grade 8 - Grade 12) - At this stage, students are considered as
mature learners. The focus is to ‘Empower’ the children to now use their skills
and competencies to solve problems and lead the change they wish to see in the
world.

VIDEO - Kiran bir Sethi (TED TALKS)

NON-MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS

RISHI VALLEY SCHOOL

Rishi Valley School is an Indian boarding school founded by J. Krishnamurthi.

The school is known for the way Krishnamurti's teachings inspire its curricula,
which includes developing an appreciation for the environment, art and music,
and athletics in addition to traditional subjects.
The intention of the school, in other words, is to awaken the intelligence and the
generosity of spirit in students so that they are able to meet an increasingly
complex world without losing their humanity. The cultivation of a global outlook,
a love of nature and a concern for mankind are all part of our educational aims.
More specific goals of the educational philosophy of Rishi Valley School are:

• To educate students so that they are able to explore both the world and
their inner being
• To inculcate a love for nature and respect for all forms of life
• To create an atmosphere of affection, order and freedom without either
fear or license
• Not to condition the students in any particular belief, either religious,
political or social, so that their minds may remain free to ask fundamental
questions, enquire and learn.

Traditions and Culture

F. Gordon Pearce, the principal of Rishi Valley School after the Second World
War, came up with the idea of Asthachal (in English, sunset point), a tradition
which survives today. During Asthachal, children gather together on a cliff and
sit quietly while the sun sets. It is a short but peaceful space of time, which gives
children an opportunity for quiet reflection, observation of nature or watching
their own thoughts.

Initiatives
Integrating itself into its neighbouring villages, the school also runs the Rishi
Valley Institute for Educational Resources (RIVER) program and a rural
school (Rural Education Centre) and a health center (Rural Health Centre).
The school launched a reforestation and conservation drive that transformed
the school campus into a forest area and the once-barren hillside bordering the
campus now has a green cover of young trees. Conservation and enhancement of
the natural environment remains one of the school's core values.
The rural education centre run by the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational
Resources (RIVER), established in the late 1970s, has sought to provide
schooling to the children from nearby areas.
SCHOOLS FOCUSSING ON RURAL EDUCATION

ADHARSHILA

The Adharshila School was established on August 15, 2005 at village Agraa in
the Vijaypur tehsil of district Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh. It provides high quality
school education for children from underprivileged families in the remote and
economically vulnerable Adivasi villages of the Chambal region.

VISION
Adharshila aims to provide high quality, meaningful education to children of
extremely poor families of the area. Adharshila is developing into a learning hub
for this region, by expanding the outreach of its innovative livelihood skill
development work not just to its own students, but to other youth and
adolescents.
Through a sustained focus on high quality, joyful, holistic and meaningful
education, Adharshila will create within a decade a critical mass of dedicated
young individuals who will spearhead rapid social, economic and political
transformation of this region. Most importantly, Adharshila will be an oasis
among this region of scarcity, where each child finds joy in learning, and which
she can look back upon with fondness when she grows up, so that she always has
an incentive to contribute to her homeland, from wherever her life takes her.

EKLAVYA

VISION
Meaningful education for all to build an egalitarian and just society on the path of
sustainable development.
They believe that the education system needs innovations that respond to the
needs of children and redefine the role of teachers.

HISTORY
Eklavya was set up in 1982 as a non-government registered society. From the
onset, it took up the academic responsibilities of the landmark Hoshangabad
Science Teaching Programme (HSTP), then being jointly run by the state
government and two voluntary organizations, Kishore Bharati and Friends Rural
Centre. Alongside, it developed and implemented the innovative Social Science
Teaching Programme and the Primary Education Programme (PRASHIKA) in the
government schools of Madhya Pradesh.

INITIATIVES
Eklavya works with the community in about 100 villages in five districts of
Madhya Pradesh to run learning centres (Shiksha Protsahan Kendras) for first
generation school-goers. These attempt to enhance community involvement in
education and build linkages with the government schools to demand quality
and efficiency.
PITARA is a one-stop-education-store conceived by Eklavya that makes available
a range of carefully selected books and educational materials of select publishers
and organisations from India.