Karnataka - Bangalore   

One-teacher school for poor children

BANGALORE: The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation opened its 759th school in the State this month.

These one-teacher schools, which have been operating in the tribal and deprived areas, do not follow a formal model of education.

They believe that children from such areas do not respond well to formal models. Thus, a non-formal model of education has been custom-designed to meet the needs of children with active involvement of local people in establishing a school, selection of a teacher, and curriculum and schedule.

With 174 schools in Chamarajanagar, 149 schools in Gulbarga, 147 Bellary, 118 in Khanpur, 96 in Bidar and 75 in Mysore, the foundation claims to have been able to reach out to 8,00,000 students by way of free education in 26,000 villages.

Headed by Essel Group and Zee Network Chairman Subhash Chandra, the foundation wants to open schools in 1,00,000 villages by 2011.

The foundation has recognised that often these children speak a dialect far removed from the State or national language.

To kindle interest in education, Ekal Vidyalaya teaches children in the local dialect. The curriculum is tailored to teach children basic literacy and life skills to help them develop self-confidence and succeed in rural occupations or pursue higher education.

The movement has gathered momentum over the years and is involved in providing health care education, development education and empowerment education to deprived sections of society.

Supported by people from India and abroad, the foundation has plans to extend its reach to 4,000 more villages this year. It takes Rs. 16,000 to support a school for a year. For details, log on to www.ekalindia.org.

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