The Sita Devi School is a grassroots project that embodies the essence of the Yogi Ashokananda Foundation and the Ashok Tree Foundation in its ethos. The children are taught the Indian national curriculum and receive additional education services around general hygiene, natural health, nutrition, Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, animal welfare and ecological / environmental awareness.
The Sita Devi School has been built to provide nursery and primary school education for children aged 4-10. 2013 saw the opening of the school in Paliapattu, where 2 teachers and 1 aide educated 30 children aged 4-6. The 2nd school year started in June 2014, with the return of the 30 children and the entrance of 22 new children and one additional teacher.
In addition to teaching the national curriculum, the children are taught yoga and meditation daily to improve their physical & mental abilities as part of the Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Project and the Healthy Mind, Healthy Soul Project. The 2014/15 school year also saw the introduction of Hindi and English languages to the children’s regular studies. We provide the children with a healthy, nutritional hot meal and snacks daily as part of the Healthy Food, Healthy Body project.
A common theme during all levels of learning will be to address the social inequalities towards girls. The additional classes provide a well-rounded education to a new generation in the community with the objective of building strong bodies and minds, and for them to become spiritually and socially aware without regard to social status, caste or religious beliefs.
One of our goals is to be able to provide an educational environment catering for children with more specialist needs. Work has started and is progressing well identifying the most effective ways to include disabled children at the school.
The stigma attached to disability coupled by lack of services and funding is a huge problem in India.We are committed to improving education, care and opportunities for all disadvantaged children. We endeavour to break down barriers and foster an inclusive attitude, seeking to enable all our students to realise their fullest potential.
The School Team are the cornerstone to the success of the education program at the Sita Devi School. The team are made up of the Teachers, the Community Manager, the parents of the students, the teachers’ aide, the students and several volunteers who help ensure the success of various school activities.
The teachers and parents are building an open forum for discussion to ensure the advancement of the children’s education and their development in line with the expectations established. At the heart of it, we want to ensure we maintain their cultural links without compromising the core value of equality. We ensure that the children have an opportunity to be educated and to develop, regardless of their gender, race, religion, caste or economic status and by providing an expanded holistic based curriculum. This approach can be controversial, so we need to ensure that the parents are able to join and support their children on this journey and approach to their education. Keep in mind, we are educating children who live in communities living in extreme poverty, living on less than USD 1.25 per day.
