Our Education Program Objectives

Manav Sadhna:

Educational Project Report

Manav Sadhna

Educational Project Report

2013-2014

Our Education Program Objectives:

• Promote the development of children through value-based education
• Strengthen the academic foundation of the children and improve their reading and writing skills
• Bring out the potential and individual talents of the children so that they may grow up to be productive and happy members of their communities
• Give remedial education in reading and writing to children who have not been a regular part of the formal education system and to bring them to a level at which they may be enrolled in formal schools
• Supply children with nutrition and teach them good health hygiene practices and values
• Teach children the value of service

Community Approach

All the projects are carried out based on what the community needs and all integrated with each other. We believe in a home-to-home approach in which teachers visit the homes of those in the community and connect each family member with a project that may be beneficial to them. This connection with the community is important to us so that the needs of the community can be pinpointed and those in the community can be better served.

Value Based Education

Manav Sadhna believes that value based education is just as important as academic education and the values that children learn at a young age will be beneficial to them throughout life. Through our holistic approach, we hope the children will gain a sense of regularity, personal hygiene, self discipline, leadership skills and self confidence. Through value based education, children are taught to keep themselves clean and organized and be respectful of others. The children are asked to keep their shoes in a line and keep their hands to themselves in order to build up their self discipline and learn responsibility.

Prayer and Opening Activities

Manav Sadhna believes prayer is food for mind and soul and therefore each activity should begin with a prayer. Every morning and afternoon the children all come together for an all-religion prayer. The main purpose of this activity is so that as children develop their spiritual development is nurtured as well. They then do various activities together that help strengthen their self discipline and confidence. The children are encouraged to share their potential with their peers while gaining self-confidence and discipline. Every morning and afternoon, one standard is given the responsibility on leading the opening activities for that day. These activities include reading the newspaper, telling riddles and signing children’s songs. Furthermore, one child each day is chosen to prepare a speech on a historical or political figure. All of this is arranged in advance by the class leaders, which improves their organizational skills. By giving the responsibility to the children and having them stand in front of all their peers, they learn values such as self-discipline, self-reliance, leadership and confidence.

Health and Hygiene

Keeping with our primary goals, we aim to foster hygiene and sanitation awareness as well. Children are shown how to keep their nails and hair neat and clean. They are asked to bathe every day. Presentations on when and why to brush their teeth and wash their hands are also a part of the curriculum. These lessons are done through different activities including stories, games, songs and demonstrations.

Once a year, the children are all given a regular dental, dermatological, and ophthalmic check-up at the community centre. If any of the children need to be evaluated further, they are then taken to specialist through Manav Sadhna.

Hemoglobin Camp

The Vidyadham students in Grades five and six participated in a hemoglobin check-up camp. Here, they were educated about blood groups and also tested for anemia. The teachers were able to identify students that may have a hemoglobin deficiency and follow up accordingly.

Leadership and Sustainability:

The main focus for value based education this year has been leadership. We have chosen two leaders from each class to encourage this quality. They have many roles including arranging activities during the prayer, disciplining the class and distributing the snacks in an efficient manner. Having developed a school council of sorts, we conduct a weekly meeting with all the leaders to give their constructive criticism and delegate tasks.

Yesha, one of our youngest student leaders, has carried out leadership activities this year with great prowess. She keeps a weekly diary, in which she records progress and brainstorms improvements. Yesha is responsible for deriving solutions for day to day problems, managing the prayer and giving talks on cooperation and time management.

Academic Education:

Our two academic education projects also utilize the theme of supportive education. With twenty-five to thirty students per class, we encourage small class sizes to ensure individual attention. In BalSanskar Kendra we have seven classes for standards 1 through 7 and another special class for students who need extra help with reading and writing. Our teachers focus on the subjects of Gujarati, math, basic English and environmental studies through a unique teaching method using interactive lesson plans, group activities, games, songs and discussions.

In the afternoon classes of standards 5 through 10 are in session for the children attending Vidyadham.Children are taught classes in math, science, English and social studies. Special sessions in song and dance, library usage and personal hygiene are also important parts of the curriculum. These classes are taught by educated teachers appointed by Manav Sadhna and with the help of various volunteers.

Evaluation Test:

At the beginning of every year when the children begin a new school year, they are given an evaluation exam of English, Guajarati and math by the teachers at the centre. This evaluation exam allows the teachers to see where each student is compared to their peers and where they should be. Based on the evaluation scores, children are split into groups and given special attention for areas in which they may be falling behind.

Lesson Plans

Our teachers use lessons plans as a base for what to teach in class each day. From sorting out what to teach, and how to approach teaching it in a creative manner, the lesson plans aid in developing an environment that is better for the students to learn. When creating lesson plans, our teachers consider what topics to teach, the objectives of the topics, how to introduce the topics and how to teach and apply the topics. This is so that the teacher-student relationships become stronger, the strengths and weaknesses of each student are better understood and to ensure the teachers know what they will teach to the class.

Observation and Feedback

Twice a month, class observations are done to witness the relationships between the students and teachers. Teachers are evaluated on how they interact with the students, the methods they use to teach them and what they teach them. Comments and feedback are then provided so that the teachers can create a better learning environment and receive support and encouragement.

Nutritional Support

Because of the unequivocal connection between nutrition and education, the children are all given a cup of warm milk and small nutritious snack each day. The children first come together for a small prayer, “SatheRamiye, SatheJamiye, SatheKariyeSaaraKaam,” and after eating they return home content and one step closer to reaching their unrecognized potential.

Extracurricular Activities

For the last two years we have introduced several extracurricular activities to break the monotony of day to day education. This includes art and crafts, sports such as volleyball and football, library use, cultural activities, computer class, and adolescent changes class.

The objective of these extracurricular activities is to unleash the inner potential of the children, which might not otherwise be exposed at home or at school. The idea is to use activities and games to bring out their creative side.

Art and Crafts

Once a week, the children are given an art and craft activity. The children enjoy these activities as it strengthens their creative ability and thinking processes. Examples of activities include origami, drawing, painting and card making.

We also organize a monthly festive theme for arts and crafts. Themes in the past have included Rakshabandhan, Janmashtmi, Navratri Celebration, Diwali, Christmas, Uttarayan, Annual function, etc.

Sports Day

Once a week, the children have a sports day. Through sports, the children are able to learn values such as sportsmanship, team spirit, physical/mental fitness, decision-making skills and self-discipline. They also receive the health benefits of exercising and engaging in sports. The students play a variety of sports including volleyball, badminton,chess,kho-kho, kabaddi and frisbee. Physical exercises are also done to show the children how to stay fit and healthy.

Library

In the past few months, we have developed a school library. Prior to the library’s inauguration, we taught creative writing and illustrating within our classes. Now, we conduct interactive and fun activities in the new library according to a monthly theme. By taking books out on loan, students are able to increase their knowledge, language and conversational skills.

During January we transformed the Library into an underwater world. The students learned about marine animals and the oceans and continents. They also created a coral reef on the wall, complete with ‘growing’ coral and crabs, anemones and treasure chests… the final touch was some colorful reef fish. They bravely put their heads into a great white shark’s mouth, and wrote some wonderful pieces, both fact and fiction, about their favorite marine animals… the winners of a writing competition will be enjoying a trip to see Under the Sea in 3D.

Our underwater theme looked at how our actions on the land impact life in the oceans, and what we can do to reduce the environmental damage caused by plastic waste. We will also discover just how big a blue whale really is, and enjoy Disney’s Finding Nemo at Saturday Special!

This month we have begun a six week theme based around the Amazon Rainforest with classes focusing on geography in the first week. The students are looking at latitude and longitude and why rain forests grow where they do. The younger classes are really enjoying a version of Simon Says where the equator is your waist; your head is the North Pole and so on! Next week, we will be looking at photosynthesis and why rain forests are the lungs of the world. We also made a giant anaconda out of cloth, which is a marvel for the kids and community.

We achieved our target of 200+ library cardholders ahead of schedule, and are welcoming members of the local community into the library as well as our students.

Cultural Activities

In order to preserve our cultural heritage, we focus our teaching on Ahmedabad, Gujarat as well as India as a whole. The children do projects on historical sites and national, religious and social festivals.

Twice a week, we teach dancing to the children in order to break the monotony of day to day school activities. Additionally, they develop their confidence during annual functions and festivals.

Our country, India, is known as the country of festivals and celebrations. Therefore, we celebrate all festivals, irrespective of religion or caste. By performing in front of large audiences, the students become more self-assured.

Computer Education

In today’s world, basic computer education is vital. In order to receive a basic computer education, the children are taken to the computer centre once a week where they learn basic programs likePaint, WordPad and Notepad.

Adolescent Class

Because of tradition, women’s sexual and gender issues are still taboo today in many parts of the world, India included. Manav Sadhna has begun adolescent classes every Friday to bring about a change in the way many people approach these topics. Openly discussing gender issues and body changes is not common in the communities that Manav Sadhna works with, so many adolescents have no knowledge of what is happening when these changes arrive. The 8th and 9th standard girls that come to these classes are able to gain knowledge about how their body changes so that they are not confused when these changes occur.

There is also discrimination between genders in many of these communities. Through these adolescent classes, we hope to bring about the thought that everyone is equal whether female or male. These classes are being conducted by Manav Sadhna as well as the support of the Rudra Women’s Empowerment Centre.

Mentorship Program:

There are various families at the RampirTekra who cannot afford education for their children. For students associated with our project for around 4-5 years, who are extremely bright in studies but come from a very low-income background, the Centre has felicitated a Mentorship Adoption program wherein people not only grant money for the child’s education, but also personally mentor the child throughout for his or her bright future.

Parents Engaging Program

Twice a year, Manav Sadhna calls a parents meeting for all the children in all the education projects. Teachers and Staff personally visit the home of each child and invite the parents to the meeting. This meeting is so that the parents may get a better idea of what their child is engaging in when they are enrolled in the programs. Parents are also told of anything they may need to be aware about in regards to their child. Parents are also told the importance of education, especially the education of girls, and why to keep their children in school as long as possible. The personal growth of each child is also discussed with the parents. Parents are also encouraged to attend any community events that are held such as festival celebrations and awareness programs.

Different types of celebration days:

“Cleanliness Day”: 26th December

In honor of Ishwarbhai Patel, founder of Manav Sadhna, the children ofVidyadham and BalSanskar spend the day of his death anniversary cleaning different centers as a tribute to his sanitation ideology. This includes the cleaning of roofs, classes and playgrounds.

Christmas Celebrations

All the Indian festivals are celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm at the Community Centre. Celebrations for Christmas this year were held on 24th December which happens to be the opening day of the Community Centre. All the teachers and volunteers of the centre worked actively to make the program a success. An exhibition on the life story of Jesus Christ was put up to enhance knowledge of the students. Volunteer Vrunali, who is an avid dancer, choreographed five dances for the children and one for the teachers. The celebrations began with a prayer, followed by dances by young BalSankar girls and boys. The students prepared speeches regarding Christmas and its celebrations. The elder students of the Vidyadham also put up a great show by dancing to the beats in hip-hop style followed by dance number by Vandana, a teacher at the Community Centre. The celebrations were concluded by distribution of snacks and gifts by employees of the company, Motif. The program turned out to be a great success. Not only did the teachers, students and volunteers participate, but also more than 500 children and 300-400 people from the community came to enjoy the event.

Republic Day

In 1950, India ratified its own constitution and became a republic. In order to celebrate this, Manav Sadhna hosts a flag hoisting at the community centre. The chief guest this year was Rebecca Dickson, a volunteer from Australia. Following the flag hoisting, which was carried out by the Boy Scouts, the students of the community centre sang various patriotic songs and gave speeches.

The Joy of Giving Week

During this week, which was from the 2nd to 8th of October, students and teachers were encouraged to do random acts of kindness to experience the joy of giving to others. Every student was given twenty rupees and were instructed to give them to someone they see who really needs it and would be grateful for it. On the 8th of October, the students had a Circle of Sharing, in which they shared their experience and stories of giving the money, as well as their week of doing acts of kindness.

“Crazy Day”

On December31st, we celebrated “Crazy Day” with Vidyadham and BalSanskar children. On this occasion, we hoped to encourage the students to wear something out of the ordinary - this included mismatched clothes and shoes, crazy hairstyles and vivid colors. Following this, each class participated in a fashion show where they were able to showcase their appearances on a ramp. The day ended with a blast as all the kids joined the teachers on the dance floor. Following a successful year in 2013, we look forward to welcome the New Year with just as much zeal.

New Year Celebration: Group Day

On the first day of the New Year, we organized a “Group Day” in Vidyadham and BalSanskar, wherein the students were asked to form interclass groups and then dress in a similar fashion. This aided greatly in improving interaction between students and developing friendships. They then flaunted their identical attire with a dance performance.