Dr. Urvashi Sahni■ Founding President & CEO Study hall Educational Foundation. Asoka Fellow

Non-Resident Fellow The Brookings Institution, USA

Study Hall Educational Foundation began its journey in January 1986 in my garage with 6 children with the aim of providing ‘quality’ education

to all sections of society. Our goal was to redefine ‘quality’ in a broad and comprehen-sive manner, to include social, emotional and political learning. We defined the goal ofeducation to be that of enabling students to explore the important question – “Who am I and how am I related to the Universe and others in it”. Education must go beyond nar-row academic learning to include a deeper understanding of the self, contextualised in personal, social and political worlds. The goal of education after all is not just to know,but to learn to live. (Boleslavsky)

Altogether the SHEF family, with its dedicatedmembers of over 300 men and women, reaches outto over 45,000 students. What is more significantthan the numbers is the range of our outreach which covers urban rich and poor boys and girls, rural boys and girls and especially abled students. SHEF works closely with the state governmentsof UP and Rajasthan. We are also part of severalstate level, national and international consulta-tive bodies and networks working for educationalreform and universalisation of quality education,where we lend our expertise, experience and uniqueperspective.

Our goal and mission is to increase our reach asfar, wide and deep as possible to students, teacher’s parents and policy makers and to share our visionand definition of education with them, to influencethem thereby helping to shape the future of our

city, state and country. To this end, we have beenworking thoughtfully, diligently, committedly, car-ingly and persistently for the past 30 years. 2015marks the 10th year anniversary of 3 of our ven-tures – Vidyasthali, Digital Study Hall and DOSTI.

Vidyasthali, our school for rural children inKanar, Malihabad, was founded in 2005, withthe aim of providing a high quality education ataffordable cost to rural children and I report withsome pride that over the past 10 years we have created a model that demonstrateshow that is possible. Childrenfrom 55 villages in a 30 kmradius attend our school,taught by a dedicated staff of 20 teachers, 80% of who travel toand from Lucknow every day. Our goal is to enable the boysand girls who come to our school to thinkdeeply, critically andimaginatively abouttheir rural context, sothat they begin to see pos-sibilities and opportunities for development right there in their own villages and look proactively for solutions

DOSTI – our section for children with specialneeds and abilities also began in 2005 with the goalof providing an educational and enabling spacefor children who were born differently abled, sothat they might achieve their potential and leadfunctional lives. Study Hall is perhaps one of thefew schools in the state that has integrated programfor such special children. Our dedicated Staff of16 teachers is now helping 100 children. Parentsdeeply appreciated the program and consider them-selves fortunate to have found a safe and caringeducational environment for their children.

SHEF pioneered the use of technology in educa-tion in the state of UP. In 2000 we partnered withSugata Mitra’s Hole in the Wall project and togetherwe installed the first computer in a rural primaryschool, using solar panels for power. This showed usthe possibilities that technology affords to leap frogsome of the difficult challenges faced by the public

educationsystem,

especially i n r u r a l

areas. This ledto the founding of

Digital Study Hall in2005.

Digital Study Hall, isour main outreach arm,through which we share ourbest practices with schools and communities with much fewer resources thanus. We use very simple, easy to access, use andmaintain, video and mobile technology to enable our outreach. Our program is different from othertechnology based programs, in that it puts technol-ogy firmly in its place, viewing its role as beingprimarily that of an enabler and not as a replacerof teachers. The program is BY teachers FOR teach-ers. Our program, simple though hugely impactfulhas received world wide acclaim and appreciation,several international awards and recognition byorganisations like UNICEF, the Asoka Foundation,The World Innovation Summit of Education andThe Brookings Institution. We are reaching out

to Government schools across the state of UP, in Maharashtra and have recently begun to workwith the Government of Rajasthan as well. We have created over 2200 videos on subjects rang-ing from in Hindi, English, Maths, Science; Social

Studies to Gender based Criticaldialogues and plays, for stu-

dents from class 1-12. Ourcontent is open source

and is available free ofcost on our YouTubech a n n e l D i g i t a lStudyHall to any-one anywhere in theworld. We currently have 1,087 subscrib-

ers and 451,848 views.Though much has

been accomplished, thejourney has just begun and

there is a long way to travel. Evenafter 30 years, I think of SHEF as a start up,

probably because we are always startingsomething new. As soon as we recognisea need, we rise to meet it. We started theStudyhall Centre for Learning in 2014,for children who are lost in the mainstream but flower under dedicated care

and attention with the freedom to developtheir special abilities. It is thriving and growing every day, serv-

ing several grateful parents and children.Recognising the need for high quality teacher

training programs, SHEF rose to the occasion andbegan the Study Hall Nursery Teacher Trainingprogram in 2015.

And finally, we are moving into higher educationand will soon be starting the Study Hall College, because we realise the need for high quality collegeeducation in our city and state. The possibilitiesare immense and the opportunities for growthenormous! I am confident that SHEF, a uniqueuniverse of care, will continue to grow as it hasdone in the past 3 decades, thoughtfully, caringly and imaginatively.

■ usahni@studyhallfoundation.org Member Chief Minister’s Advisory Council Govt. of Rajasthan

Digital Study Hall, Vidyasthali and DOSTINIOS - AT STUDY HALL: ANOPPORTUNITY FOR ALL

Dr. Pratima Srivastava■ Director, Study Hall NIOS Centre & Principal, Study Hall Centre for Learning

Study Hall became an accredited institu-tion (AI) of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) on 11 December, 2014. AI Centre Code is 210644. At Study Hall

we believe that - ‘ All Children are unique, pow-erful, important persons, worthy of our respect. They have a right to enjoy their childhood, which is an important phase of their lives and deserves to be understood respectfully rather than treated simply as a preparation for adult-hood.’ We believe that all children have enor-mous potential waiting to be tapped by caring, imaginative adults and institutions and Studyhall as an institution has tried to reach out to children of diverse abilities and capabilities.

The National Institute of Open Schooling(NIOS) formerly National Open School is theBoard of Education for Distance education,under the Union Government of India. It wasestablished by the Ministry of Human ResourceDevelopment of Government of India in 1989to provide education to remote areas under themotive to increase literacy and aimed forward for flexible learning. Its curriculum is at par withthe CBSE, but made simpler and more accessible. It also has a wide and flexible choice of subjectsalong with a very low stakes, low stress, in ourview very sane, assessment format, allowing stu-dents to take examinations in as many subjectsat a time as they feel confident of. They are alsoallowed several chances to improve their grades, without a ‘fail’ mark on their final transcript. It is recognised by all colleges and universities inIndia and abroad.

NIOS at our school is guided by the same ethicof care as the rest of our foundation. It has cer-tain special features like online and offline regis-tration, supportive guidance provided for properdocumentation, registration, choice of subjects, solved and unsolved question papers, and regu-lar tutoring through contact classes, along withspecial guidance for preparation of practicalfiles and Tutor Marked Assignments. Study HallNIOS centre is well equipped with lab facilities. Ex-Secondary/Senior Secondary students of thevarious regular Boards of School Education who have passed in at least one subject, but have notqualified in the course, can also get admission inthe respective course at NIOS and avail facility ofTransfer of Credit in 2 subjects.

In a short span of nine months of its accredita-tion, the NIOS center at Study Hall has successful-ly registered around 200 students in arts, scienceand commerce streams in secondary and seniorsecondary courses.

An honest attempt is being made to reach out toas many students as possible specially drop outsfrom the school system and facilitate the comple-tion of a high school education. We have recently begun an outreach program in rural areas aswell with a focus on girls and women who havebeen prevented from completing their educationbecause of early marriage. We hope to increaseour intervention in rural areas progressively.

Utpal Misra■ Director, Study hall Centre for Learning

In keeping with our tradition of extend-ing our outreach to ALL children andpioneering change in a static educa-tion environment, the Study Hall

Education Foundation has introduced anew innovative and dynamic stream oflearning through their new co-education-al Center for Learning.

Guided by Howard Gardner ’s Theory ofMultiple Intelligences, the Center caters toindividual students with differentlearning needs.

Each year numerous studentsfail their examinations, and dropout of school because their dif-ferent learning needs go unno-ticed in large classes. These stu-dents find it difficult to cope withand fit into the regular pattern ofteaching and assessment and are sidelined and termed as ‘slow learn-

ers’, ‘dreamers’, indisciplined etc. Center for Learning strives to bridge this gap by adoptinginnovative teaching techniques, small classesand a team of caring, skilled and dedicatedteachers.

Unlike regular “coaching Businesses” for “failed children’ that have mushroomed allover, Center for Learning is a regular schoolmaintaining regular hours with a strict mini-mum attendance of 80 percent. It has a caring,nurturing approach with the goal of helpingour students gain their lost self esteem andfind their untapped potential.

We foster happy and confident children inclasses with a teacher-student ratio of 1:6, help-ing them to develop a sound sense of self worthand a healthy respect for their individuality. We create a friendly, secure, caring, comfort-ing, yet stimulating and collaborative learningenvironment in our classrooms. We encour-age our students to develop freely, at theirown pace and move towards optimizing theirpotential, without the fear and humiliation of

unfair comparisons with other childrenwhose learning mode is more suited

to mainstream education. Our goalis to give them a school which isa happy place, where they are rescued from feelings of aliena-tion, boredom, hurt, humiliation,

beingbullied, academic stress orperformance stress. We have found

that once our students begin to feelsecure, happy and unafraid of learn-

ing, they develop the capacity to aspire andare eager to learn and grow.

Our effort has borne fruit in the short timesince we began our work. Students have movedfrom achieving less than 33% marks to getting80% and 90% in academic subjects.

Several of our students have found the spaceand place to pursue their special talents andhave represented India in sports, put up out-standing art exhibitions, dramatic and dancepresentations. After graduation almost all ourstudents have found placement in colleges andare pursuing courses in medicine, engineer-

ing, media and fashion technology to namea few from high quality institutes like NIFT, SRM, National PG College, Manipal University, Lucknow University and the Pearl Instituteof Fashion.

The reputation of our Centre has spreadrapidly and Principals of several prestigiousschools in the city like La Martiniere Girls are sending needy children to us. We hope to growour outreach each year and are working ondeveloping an online platform as well, so that we may reach out to boys and girls from othercities as well.

Study Hall Centre for Learning A school with an open sky

Priya Kakkar■ Director Studyhall Nursery Teacher Training

Program“If a country is to be corruptionfree and become a nation ofbeautiful minds, I strongly feelthere are three key societalmembers who can make a differ-ence. They are the father, themother and the teacher “. A.P.JAdbul Kalam Precious words from a great leader! So meaningful and at the same time imposing a huge

responsibility on teachers! Yes, considered to be thebackbone of the society a teacher plays a key role inthe life of a child. A builder of the future generations,she instils the love of learning and contributes in thedevelopment of a child’s mind, body and soul. TheStudy Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) is always striving hard to strengthen society by creatingresources .What better resource for a healthy socie-ty can there be than able, caring and compassionate teachers! SHEF extended itself in the field of educa-tion once more and started The Nursery TeacherTraining Programme in The Prep School at Vishal

Khand , Gomti Nagar ,Lucknow in July 2015. Guided by the conviction that teachers learn to teachby teaching, our program puts student teachers inthe classroom from the first day. Our program fol-lows the apprenticeship model. Teachers spendatleast 3 hours everyday in a classroom, mentored by a master teacher. Our course strikes a balance between theory and practice. Learning is furtherenriched as the trainees acquire teaching skills by being with children and watching experienced teach-ers at work. During the nine month training pro-gramme in the school the trainee teachers are given

ample opportunity to observe and understand theyoung learners along with theory classes . Regularseminars and workshops are conducted by seniorexperienced teachers of Study Hall and by eminentexperts in the educational field . Practice teaching inStudyhall, The Prep School and Prerna schoolstowards the end of the training further empowersthe teachers . With this unique apprenticeshipapproach the teachers trained in The Prep School willcertainly be the kind of teachers the children and thechanging education scenario of the 21st centuryneeds.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Study Hall Educational Foundation through its work, vision and dedication has committed to adopt 13 of the 17 Sustainable Develop-ment Goals (SDGs) identified by the UNITED NATIONS at the UN Summit in September, 2015 in New York City, USA. Key areas where Study Hall Educational Founda-tion is making an impact and adding to

Global Development through its work in India and across the globe are

–Quality Education, Gender Equality, Good Health and

Well being, Partnerships for the goals, Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, No poverty, Zero Hunger, and Reduce inequali-ties.

Nursery Teachers Training: Study Hall Educational Foundation

Expanding our universe of care still further, Study Hall Educational Foundation is extendingits arms upwards into higher education thisyear. We hope to inaugurate “The Study HallCollege”, a high quality undergraduate degreecollege, affiliated to Lucknow University in theacademic session 2016-2017. The constructionof the building is underway, supported andfunded generously by the late Shri SatpalMalhotra, beloved father of Dr.Urvashi Sahniand past Chairman of the Malhotra WeikfieldFoundation. We hope to extend the same spir-it of caring and a dedication to high standardsof academic excellence, creativity and innova-tion. Like the rest of our foundation, theStudyhall College will be an inclusive place forstudents of all abilities, from all socio-econom-ic backgrounds, from rural and urban regions,fostering collaboration, creativity, entrepre-neurship and innovation. A college with a crea-tive and entrepreneurial climate, where aca-demics prepare students not just for future careers, but also for social responsibility anddemocracy. Here emphasis will be on criticalthinking with a social and political perspective,experiential learning and developing a problemsolving and a solution oriented approach. Thesyllabus will be an integrated curriculumfocused on thematic units and will be designedto meet each individual’s personal goals.Industry oriented courses like Bachelor in

Journalism and Mass Communication, Bachelorin Performing Arts, BBA, B.com ( Hons) havebeen chosen for the students keeping creativity and placement in mind. An extensive band-width of subjects for the Bachelor of Arts pro-gram like education, psychology, economics andsociology are also envisaged. The college willhave state of the art infrastructural facilitieswith 40+ learning centers, off-line & on-linelibrary facility, very advanced technology facili-ties, an auditorium with more than 1500 seat-ing capacity, cafeteria and a playground withbasketball, volleyball, badminton, lawn tennisand cricket (net practice).

Semester based assessment process, researchenvironment and off-line/on-line lectures fromvisiting professors of top universities like Berkeley, Ontario Institute of School Education,Cornell University, and ensures quality not onlyin the teaching learning process but also in theholistic development of the students.Study Hall Educational Foundation with its 30+years of experience and learnings in innovative methods of teaching and learning, hopes to graduate a future generation of young men andwomen from the Study Hall College, all of whowe are confident will be caring, responsible, cit-izens who will develop creative and imaginative solutions to the problems that beset India andthe world and will work towards a better world.

THE STUDY HALL COLLEGE: EXPANDING OUR UNIVERSE OF CARE

S AT U R DAY, F E B R UA RY 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS

Special initiative

02SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2016

Mrs.Surabhi Kapoor■ Founding Principal, Dosti

DOSTI, Study Hall’s Inclusive School for spe-cially-abled people started its journey in April 2005

with 10 children and today, 2015, over one hundred children, are taken care of in its Early Intervention, Home-based programs and regular school programs.

DOSTI practices in campus as wellas Home Based programs identify chil-dren in the initial stages of schooling andinclude them in an Early InterventionProgram designed to help (those who can) catch up with their developmentalmilestones. These regular school goingspecial needs children are trained totake their place among the rest of thestudents in mainstream education andco-curricular activities, as per theirindividual potential and skills, thus get-ting the necessary support for becom-ing happy, well adjusted, contributingmembers of society.

This practice is called Inclusive educa-tion and Study Hall’s DOSTI wing, thefirst such holistic educational initiativein Uttar Pradesh, began its decade longwork of specializing in working withspecial needs children + care givers + teachers, providing all a platform for interacting with and helping each other, while striving together to integrate everychild into mainstream schools in 2005.

All staff working with the children at DOSTI is qualified to teach and man-age special needs children and coun-sel parents. What started with 2 staff members and 10 children has now grown into a community of 16 professionalRehabilitation professionals and 10 Para-professionals + 100 children!

All students are provided with a holis-tic education proportional to their overallphysical, emotional and mental abili-ties making them useful and productivemembers of society.

DOSTI and parents, who worked tire-lessly together, reflect on their achieve-ments: Nine children have been inte-grated in the mainstream.

All children with varying degrees ofdisabilities have been educated to a cer-tain level and have been trained in socialskills and behavior to exhibit appropriatesocial behavior and practice ways to liveindependently.

Six students have passed their class12 NIOS board examinations.

DOSTI participants have won sixgold, seven silver and 10 Bronze medalsin national events since 2005.

Drama based education is also a part of the students’ curriculum coupledwith singing and music in English andHindi besides dancing. DOSTI organ-izes different cultural meets in-houseand encourages children to participatein all such activities happening in thecity for which they qualify. DOSTI hadits first Independent Annual Concert in2006, which was a kaleidoscope of dancesong and drama in both languages Hindiand English followed with full fledgedconcerts annually. Dance, drama andsinging is an ongoing process whetherit be in a concert, or Balmanch or YuvaManch for students to showcase their

drama and cultural skills.DOSTI participants won One Gold,

One Silver and one Bronze medal at theInternational Special Olympics in 2013.

Eight DOSTI students successfully received vocational training accordingto their abilities.

One of these eight students, Madhurima is currently pursuing herVisharad in music after passing her class12 NIOS board exam. She recently per-formed in a concert along with SonamKalra, the internationally renowned SufiGospel Project singer and earned acco-lades for her effort. Another student ispresently pursuing her B.A. from KanpurUniversity, while another is helping hisfather run the family restaurant.

A three-member team comprising a chaperone, a special child and a Study Hall student represented India in 2009as a part of a Global Youth Messengerprogram in Boise, Idaho, U.S.A as part of a campaign against the use of the ‘R’word (Retarded) when referring to chil-dren with special abilities.

Students from DOSTI, Study Hallschool won awards at the Innerscapecompetition held at an international level in the year 2012 and 2013, organized bythe City Montessori School, Lucknow.

Sahil Singh from DOSTI received anall rounder student award from the UPGovt. on World Disability Day and wasalso felicitated by the LMA associationwith the Young Achiever’s Award 2014in a public ceremony to celebrate hisendeavors.

The UP State Government felici-tated DOSTI on World Disabled Day 3rd December, 2015 with an award for “Exemplary Work in the Field ofDisability.”

Parents are very happy with theschool’s cohesive education policy andall round development of their child ina happy and vibrant atmosphere. Theyhave always responded with glowingaccolades whenever asked for feedback,which DOSTI relies on hugely to continu-ously improve ways to help children withspecial needs.

As the Founding Principal of Dosti,Mrs. Surabhi Kapoor, sums up theschool’s USP as, “The school is also bridg-ing the gap between the regular and espe-cially abled students by strengthening a bonding among them, hence creating a society which will be more empathetictowards youth with special abilities.”

Dosti – An Unstoppable Journey of Courage, Hope & Joy

AN AWARD FOR DOSTI 2015Dosti Section of Study Hall School,was announced as the best school forspecially-abled students on WorldDisability Day 2015 in Lucknow.Sahab Singh Saini, cabinet minister for backward class welfare and handi-capped development, felicitated Mrs.Surabhi Kapoor, founder principalof DOSTI for her selfless contributiontowards the welfare of children withspecial needs. “Dosti school plays animportant role in bridging the gapbetween the regular and specially –abled students as it has strengthenedthe bonding among them.I feel proudto to be part of this.”

Mrs.Surabhi Kapoor, Founder Principal DOSTI

studentspeak Dosti School student’s parents speak

Special initiative

■ Dosti - Learning through playing.

■ Dosti - Watch us Calculating.

■ Sports day

■ Puzzle World.

■ Fun at Dosti. ■ Ceramic Craft.■ Yoga champion : see my medal.

03SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2016 Special initiative

A SCHOOL IN THE VILLAGEA

s the name represent Vidyasthalikanar High School is the temple ofknowledge and wisdom, where chil-dren are getting quality education.

Access classes are arranged after schoolinghours for the enhancing the power of spokenEnglish among the students. Besides thissome of our students participate in YES pro-gram and got one year scholarship to study inAmerica. Also there is facility of scholarshipfor girls who belong to financially poor back-ground. We also work on social issues like domestic violence, casteism, poor ratio ofwomen education and many other burningissues through really, street play etc. it is apeerless moment to see them speaking Englishconfidently, performing on the stage winningmedals in sports at school or district level.

In vidyasthali through round the yearactivities we are developing the personality ofstudents. In vidyasthali we provide a cool andcongenial environment for students to study and develop all around. Because internet ispowerful medium now a days, so we are focus-ing on computer education on primary and jun-ior level. We, the teacher focusing on upgradingourselves by taking workshops on differentissues and subjects , so that we could pass thelatest information to our students.

I, Ruhi Badruddin, a Senior English Teacherat Vidyasthali Kanar High School would love to share my valuable experience. I chose this pro-fession following some of the teachers who hadbeen my inspiration during my studies. Theynot only taught me the curriculum but alsoenlightened my future endeavors. Due to theirkind help and support, I never felt unguidedin their presence and absence also. Here atVidyasthali I wanted to do the same for the vil-lage children who seem to have great desire tolearn and speak English Language. I know you can’t change every single child’s life but to meevery child is unique individual. They are notjust academic objects so I spent my precioushours per day to really make a difference intheir lives. My focus is not only teaching themthe language but also mentoring them in everypossible manner.

I am proud to be a part of Study HallEducational Foundation which help me in real-izing my dream. As a computer teacher I havefaced a great challenging experience regularlyin computer education at the school. It is veryappreciating to Dr. Urvashi Sahani who start vidyasthali in remote area premises in oppositecircumstances where light and connivancefacility is not available. School providingquality education with computer among thestudents. School providing internet facility toenhance the mental level and its employmentgenerating program, which will be very benefi-cial to the students in future. Also students are showing a great interest in learning computers.

VIDYASTHALI SCHOOL, STUDY HALL EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

As a parent, I feel that having such a school as Vidyasthali in village like atmosphere is a big thing. No other school around Malihabad is running

coeducation. There is good combination of aca-demics and other activities like sports, music, plays, singing etc. It is good to see our child is winning medals, prizes. There is healthy atmosphere in school. Teachers look busy every time. Students are learning good moral values. Teachers are developing sense of responsibility in them.The institute has provided many facilities such as bus, van for conveyance, there is science lab,computer lab, and library etc. there is proper arrangement for drinking water and sanita-tion.Teachers are good and responsible and giving personal care to our children. Our chil-dren are always eager to come to school. They always praise their teachers. There is also arrangement for remedial class for low achievement students. We are seeing total personality development in our children.Access program is also beneficial for our chil-dren. We feel proud when they speak in English, and talk in English. Name of parent?

The school offers all the facilities like quality education, sports activities andother extracurricular activities for thechildren of rural areas. I even got theopportunity to go to England for oneweek for a drama work shop.Shreya Singh

Our teachers always encourage all thestudents to participate in all the schoolactivities which motivate us to do better in school.Manisha Gupta

I feel proud to be a student ofVidyasthali Kanar High School. It hasgiven me enough exposure in the sports.The school gives an opportunity to thestudents to visit many other parts ofthe world. My parents are also proud ofme. I love Vidyasthali.Shubham Singh

The school provides me with opportuni-ties to participate in drama workshops,Access program etc. I have also got anopportunity to visit London under aninternational exchange program fromthe school.Kritika maurya

Vidyasthali Kanar High school pays prop-er attention towards the education ofgirls. The school provides free education

to students from underprivileged back-grounds. I have received a scholarshipfrom the school for my studies.Anu Singh

Teachers of this school are very specialto me.The school has made me a confi-dentstudent in the last two years.Pragya Dwivedi

This school is full of opportunities andmotivates the children specially girlsfrom rural areas to complete their stud-ies.Rajvinder Singh

I love the greenery around my school. Ithelps us to concentrate on our studies.Vidyasthali Kanar high school provideswonderful opportunities for girls.Mohd. Faiz

I consider myself lucky to be able to study in Vidyasthali. I have a lot offriends in school. Everyone supports andencourages me to take part in all extra-curricular activities.Sameer Dixit

This school encourages all its studentsto participate in all the extra curricularactivities.Alok Kumar Gautam

Deepak Tripathi■ Principal, Vidyashtali.

Itook over as Principal of thisschool 3 years ago, with some ner-vousness but a lot of enthusiasm.I am very grateful for the guid-

ance provided by our President, Dr. Urvashi Sahni and my predecessor, Dr. Pratima Srivastava, who led thisschool very competently almost

since its inception in 2005 and islargely responsible for bringing it upto where it is now. Supported my very dedicated and capable team of20 teachers, I have been doing my best to make Vidyasthali the bestschool in this region..My dream is toestablish Vidyasthali as an institutewhere students not only excel aca-demically but also think critically about the problems of their villages.Vidyasthali is not just a school; it is avision of our Foundation to providequality education to girls and boysfrom villages so that they can make their own villages better.

Students of Visyasthali are alwayseager to accept challenges. They are will-ing to take initiatives in all fields. Here students learn not only in class roombut also beyond the class room, on theplaying field, when they learn classicalmusic, when they learn dancing, whenthey paint their imagination, when theperform plays on the school stage or

Nukkad Nataks in their villages.Vidyasthali provides the best atmos-

phere for students, teachers and for par-ents.. Students come by school bus, cycle,

private vans and also by public trans-port. My students are highly motivated.I have seen eagerness in their eyes whenthey come to school.. And our teachers

are helping in channeling their stu-dents eagerness in positive directions. Here students are learning work col-laboratively with their classmates andrespectfully with their teachers andother elders..

One day every week we organize a class for critical dialogues. In theseclasses, facilitated by their teachersstudents raise a social problem andtogether they think about it critically in their discussions. They explore theproblem and analyse the causes and tryto find practical short term and longterm solutions.

In Vidyasthali we provide a happy,stress free atmosphere, so that teach-ers and students never feel excessivepressure. Teachers feel free to experi-ment, to take the intiative and imple-ment new ideas for the betterment oftheir students. Teacher use you tubevideos, projectors, internet and other modern technologies for upgrading theirown knowledge as well as that of their

students.Here we are trying to produce citizens

who not only have bookish knowledge but also have social responsibilities. This year we have completed 10 yearsof our school. Many of our teachers havebeen with us since its establishment in2005. They join me in expressing theirpride and joy. They feel proud to be a part of Vidyasthali and say they haveenjoyed the ten year journey with theschool.

As a teacher and principal I feel veryfortunate. I think I have been lucky to get one of the best institutions to work withI feel very supported by the managementand never feel any hesitation in apply-ing new ideas because the managementhas given me their trust and completeautonomy. In turn, I hope I am givingmy teachers the same support.

My staff joins me in felicitatingVidyasthali and in hoping and prayingfor a very great future for our lovelyschool.

Dr. Pratima Srivastav■ Director, Vidyasthali

Vidyasthali Kanar High school is a co-educational, dual medium school situated in Malihabad, 32 kilometers away from Lucknow,

established in 2005 by Study Hall Educational Foundation, with the goal ofproviding affordable but high quality edu-cation to rural children. It started with 84 children from 55 villages in a 25 km radius. In 2011, the Kewal Ramani foundation joined our effort and has been generously supporting it financially. The school runs pre-school to class 12 classes and is affiliat-ed to the UP State board. A dedicated staff of 20 teachers provides quality education to over 433 students in science, arts and the commerce stream. The school has an inclusive approach and has a diverse stu-dent body in terms of class and caste. The mission of the school is to provide a car-ing, nurturing learning environment to students, to maintain high academic stan-dards, develop critical thinking, and an innovative, entrepreneurial, solution ori-ented approach. Our aim is to help stu-dents to aspire for strong professional careers and to equip them for these, but

more significantly to enable them and inspire them to contribute meaningfully to the development of their own villages as well. The school has a strong reputation in the region and we are now working at full capacity. With the kind support of the Kewal Ramani Foundation, we are expand-ing our building in order to increase our outreach to a larger group of students. Our larger goal is to make Vidyasthali a hub ofrural development, for education and other entrepreneurial experiments in rural areas. We are actively working to develop partnerships with other organizations towards this end.

Vidyasthali is equipped with high qual-ity facilities, and well trained teachers, mostof who travel from Lucknow ever day. Thecurriculum is activity based and interac-tive, enriched with sports, drama, dance andmusic. The teachers ensure that individualattention is given to each child a in a nurtur-ing, caring environment. Academic learningis rooted practically in real life rural contextsas students are encouraged to think critically and creatively about the social and physicalproblems of their regions with the aim of find-ing effective solutions. The school is equippedwith computers, projectors and the internet.Multimedia is effectively used in teaching allthe subjects. Students are also encouraged toprepare multi-media presentations on theirown. All attempts are made to provide studentswith much needed exposure by way of travel to urban cities in India and participation ininternational exchange programs. One ofour students, Renu Yadav, qualified for a yearlong scholarship to a high school in the UnitedStates of America, where she acquitted herselfwith honours! Several international studentshave visited the school in internship programs. Interaction with them adds to their exposure and develops in them a cosmopolitan under-standing of the world.

During the board exams the school resem-bles Tagore’s Shantiniketan. Students are

kept in residence so that they can be preparedintensively by their teachers who also reside with them. Amajority of our studentsare first generationlearners with verylittle academicsupport at home. The communityparticipates gen-erously by keep-ing the studentsand teachers ingood supply offood. Teachersare committedto helping theirstudents perform competitively withstudents who have thesupport of educated par-ents who not only value edu-cation more but can afford expensivecoaching classes. Understanding the financialconstraints of rural populations, we have keptour fees very affordable, subsidizing them byalmost 60%. An average monthly fee of Rs.450 is charged with scholarships for students, particularly girls who are unable to afford even

that.Our students have graduated with good

results and are pursuing college degreesin the arts, sciences, law, engineer-

ing, medicine and computer stud-ies. Along with their studies,

students take up one socialproblem from their regioneach year.

They have worked atimproving a local gov-ernment primary school, raising awareness againstChild Marriage for girls, against gender based vio-

lence and campaigned for girls education in their vil-

lages. They have formed a stu-dents group called Pravartak,

which engages in activities aimedat social change in their communities.

We believe that ‘quality education’ must enable students to become agents of trans-formation in their personal lives as well as intheir social worlds and we have been workingat this for a decade now. We hope our alumniwill join us in our endeavour, carry the workforward and make Vidyasthali a hub of excel-lence in the region.

VIDYASTHALI : PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION IN RURAL AREA

T E AC H E R S S P E A K

THE SCHOOL IS EQUIPPED WITH COMPUTERS, PROJECTORS ANDTHE INTERNET. MULTIMEDIA IS EFFECTIVELY USED IN TEACHING ALLTHE SUBJECTS. STUDENTS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO PREPAREMULTI-MEDIA PRESENTATIONS ON THEIR OWN. ALL ATTEMPTS AREMADE TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH MUCH NEEDED EXPOSURE BY WAY OF TRAVEL TO URBAN CITIES IN INDIA AND PARTICIPATION ININTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

An averagemonthly fee of

Rs. 450 is chargedwith scholarships for

students, particularly girlswho are unable to afford even that.

CELEBRATION TIME

■ Vidyasthali Kanar High School students celebrating 10 years of excellence

■ Vidyasthali Class ACtivity Learning through creativity

■ Student achievers

■ Learning through singing - Inter house singingcompetitons

■ Music Lessons in school ■ Self Defence Training at Vidyasthali■ Sports Day - Sumati House during march past ■ Sports Day

PA R E N T ’ S S P E A K

ON COMPLETION OF 10 SUCCESSFUL YEARS

Students speak

04SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2016Special initiative

Anand Chitravanshi■ Project Director Digital Study Hall

Founded in 2005 by Urvashi Sahni and Randy Wang, Digital Study Hall (DSH)

touches the lives of over 40,000 students, teachers and teacher educators across the state of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Maharashtra. DSH has designed and developed an innovative community based video production and shar-ing system which has improved the quality of

both, the teaching and learn-ing processes. DSH films liveclasses conducted by the best grassroots teachers and distribute these lessons to partner schools called “spoke schools” connected to DSH in a hub - spoke fash-ion. While these videos help teachers improve the quality of their lessons the teachers also train themselves in the process. It is the only tech-nology based education pro-gram that is BY the teachers and FOR the teachers.

DSH has developed over 2000videos so far covering the statemandated curriculum, criti-cal dialogues based on criti-cal feminist pedagogy, specialeducation, digital stories andteacher-training videos. DSHcontent is not only used as a tool for enabling teachers toimpart quality education but also as a tool to motivate andempower, furthering the agen-da of gender equity and socialawareness, DSH has recorded

“Critical Dialogues” on topicslike domestic violence, sexualabuse, child marriage and theproblems faced by young girlsand women in India. DSH con-tent is available free-of-cost onYouTube and also distributedon memory cards, flash drives and DVDs. The video provides

a framework, a lesson plan anda test plan. While the mediatorsmay not be highly skilled in a particular domain, they canstill easily provide the crucialinteractive element and usethe domain knowledge of themodel teacher in the video.

DSH not only maintains reg-

ular communication with spoke schools but engages them ineducational activities usinga mobile phone-based VoiceForum. Voice forum allows theteachers to seek advice, receivefeedback, share experiences, conduct virtual student andteacher activities.

In order to reach out to the out-of-school children, SHEFhas established Non-formalEducation Centers (NECs)and currently educating over400 children in 10 such centersin Lucknow and Kolkata. DSHtracks the student’s’ progressand attendance on regular basiswith the help of a data collec-tion and information system.

Shibani Sahni■ Director Strategy, Marketing & Partnerships Study Hall

Educational Foundation

Our digital journey of dis-covery continues – with 10 years of experience tucked under our belt, we’re look-

ing forward to a lifetime more ofconstructive creation! Digital Study Hall (DSH), the technology wing ofStudy Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) is the main outreach arm ofSHEF, through which we create, dis-seminate, share our best practices with schools that have a paucity ofhuman and material resources. DSH disseminates educational content to government and private primary and upper primary schools and Government residential schools for girls from very poor families, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV), across Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Our vision is to take this nationwide, through sustainable and scalable forms of technology, which are able to tackle various challenges like, lack of connectivity, electricity, infrastructure, accessibility and skilled teachers. Our content bene-fits students, and also builds teacher capacity. Apart from the academic curriculum in Math, Science, Hindi, English, Geography and EVS, we have developed digital content for girls empowerment in the form ofCritical Dialogues. Our Theory ofChange: At SHEF we have expanded the definition of school education to include the development of a social and political consciousness as part ofthe official curriculum, and critical pedagogy is an integral part of our teaching methodology. We want stu-dents to learn true ‘democratic citi-zenship’ as part of their official cur-

riculum. Our theory is, that an edu-cation model that is purely technical, i.e, literacy, numeracy, science and social sciences, without being contex-tualized in the lives of children, in their communities, and in the social issues that they face - does not bring about social change or empower-ment. To be truly empowered, it is extreme-ly important for us and our students to critically discuss these issues and understand the role that they play in development – “of the self ” and ofthe community. In our classrooms at SHEF we ensure the integration ofcritical dialogue around such social issues, into our official curriculum. This is how we change and impact society. The Aarohini Program is one of our major offerings at DSH. Aarohini is a Girls Education and Empowerment program, which trains teachers to successfully con-duct Critical Dialogues with their students on issues that impact their lives severely like – child marriage, gender based violence, discrimina-

tion, Patriarchy, Dowry, sexual vio-lence amongst others. The programtrains teachers to become advocates of girls rights themselves and to empower girls to become self advo-cates, helping them to develop a con-sciousness of their rights and the ability to take constructive actions to overcome personal and societal chal-lenges.

Our DSH – Aarohini program wasperceived and created at our PrernaSchool - A school for girls from verydisadvantaged groups. We have cap-tured our critical dialogues in theform of short videos and in the past4 years, have taken our program to10000 students in a 100 KGBVs inthe most backward districts of UP.We are currently expanding the pro-gram to 84000 girls in 840 KGBVs inUP and Rajasthan. Our digital andeducational efforts at Study HallEducational Foundation are growingstronger through local and interna-tional partnerships with multilater-als, social ventures and not-for-profitorganisations.

Aarohini: Empowering Teachers

Digital Study Hall: Making children tech savvy■ Bodh Siksha Samiti, Rajasthan scaling good teaching practices in collaboration with Study Hall Educational Foundation (right) One of Our Nonformal Education Center under

a tree in a village named Dundia Khera, Lucknow.

■ Teachers to critically think & understand gender issues. An essential ingredi-ant to successfully conduct dialogies with girls ingrediant to successfully conduct dialogies with girls

■ (Left to right) A teacher from a government school in Malihabad mediating video lesson, Empowered Teachers in a dialogue with girls from Maharjganj, Uttar Pradesh and Patelpuram slum children at the Nonfornal Education Center

■ Going beyond digital literacy to actuallylearning through computers - Makinglearning more joyful!

■ The video provides a framework, a lesson plan and a test plan.

DSH CONTENT IS AVAILABLE FREE-OF-COST ON YOUTUBE AND ALSO DISTRIBUTED ON MEMORY CARDS, FLASH DRIVES AND DVDS.