Educate a poor rural child by Isha Education

Isha Vidhya’s 10 rural schools (9 in the districts of Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tuticorin, Nagercoil and Karur in Tamil Nadu and one in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh), Isha Vidhya Schools serve over 8800 rural children, from kindergarten to 12th Standard. Over 61% of the students – most of whom are first-generation learners – are supported by scholarships. The rest pay a subsidized fee. The class 12th board results have been declared and 100% of our students have passed for the academic year 2020-21. 253 out of 290 students have scored above 75%. Our Dharampuri school had its first batch of 12th passouts. The median score for our schools is 513.96(out of 600) which is 85.66%. Keerthana, an alumna class topper who studied at Isha Vidhya Coimbatore on a scholarship, secured admission at the Government Medical College in Coimbatore. She attributes her performance to her encouraging and supportive teachers.

The year began on a golden note for Isha Vidhya with several students winning accolades in national and district level sports events. However, the usual buzz on our campuses fell silent in March as summer vacations were ushered in early by COVID-19 lockdown. The schools may have closed down but our hearts remained with our students. During the pandemic our first priority was to check on each and every student of Isha Vidhya. Isha Vidhya teachers and staff reached out to the students and their families to enquire. They felt reassured and expressed gratitude that Isha cared about them during this time of crisis. This long period of being away from school, however, came with its own challenges. And, to ensure that the children do not get distracted and out of touch with academics, we delivered study books to students’ homes, wherever the parents found it difficult to come to the school to pick them up. Also, the switch to online learning was supported by our teachers and academic team who came up with innovations of their own to launch several online home learning programs. To ensure that the students do not miss the campus bustle and playtime with their friends, fun-filled activities were also started. Students solved puzzles, and designed projects in their virtual classrooms. Realizing that only 60% of our students have access to smartphones, Isha volunteers took it upon themselves to help at least a few students who didn’t have access to one as they were essential for attending Whatsapp and online sessions. ‘Get Mentored’ interactive sessions were organized for students as well as teachers with scientists, economists, entrepreneurs, and experts from other fields. As a part of over 18 ‘Get Mentored’ sessions, the students had a chance to interact with people like: ➔ Ms. Sangeeta Prasad, MD and CEO of Mahindra Lifespace ➔ Ms. Shrimati Damal, CFO of Majid Al Futtaim LLC, UAE ➔ Mrs. Sudha Kanago, Global Head, Business Process Reengineering, Novartis, Switzerland ➔ Paulson, IPS Officer, UP Cadre, 1998 batch And, then it was celebration time for the young achievers. Results of standards 10 and 12 board exams were declared in June and Isha Vidhya students had once again shone by registering a perfect score - 100% pass rate.

Program Update

Kindergarten opening day

The unfamiliar environment of school can be scary for toddlers on their first day of the school. The new academic year for lower KG students started today. Though kids and parents were initially stressed, our schools were ready with brightly decorated classrooms, and distractions like balloons and toys. Cuddalore school teachers warmly welcomed the students traditionally with a Tikka and soon made them feel at home. It was wonderful to see the kids quickly adjusting to the new environment. The parents, on the other hand took longer to let go of the stress. The teachers held an orientation session for the parents to apprise them of their duties and responsibilities along with an insight into isha Vidhya and the methodology followed. The parents left happy, secure in the knowledge that their kids were in secure hands.

Lesson on Soil When we say the word soil, most of us immediately conjure up the image of dirt. But soil is much more than dirt and vital for life on earth. ‘Earth’s Gift’ is a chapter in the social science syllabus of 4th Std and has a section on different types of soil. Dharmapuri school teacher, Mr. Mayakkannan initiated an activity so that students could learn about types of soil in practical terms. He asked the students to bring different types of soil from places around their home. He exhibited various types of soil according to what he had taught in the class and then asked the students identify them. In the next exercise, they went around the school to search for sandy, clay, red and other types of soil. We are sure that they will remember the lessons far longer than those who are only taught in classrooms.

100% Pass Results in Tamil Nadu Board Exams Once again Isha Vidhya students have posted a 100% pass result in the 10th, 11th and 12th Class public Board Exams!

Isha Vidhya teachers and the students put in their best to get a good result in the public exams, but till the result date, everyone waits anxiously for the final scores. Despite the exams being in English - a language that is not often used in the society they live in - and the challenge of being first generation learners in their families, our students scored a high of 93.5% in the 12th Class Board Exams, 90.7% in the 11th Class Board Exams and 96.4% in the 10th Class Board Exams.

Two other remarkable markers are the average score and median score.

Story from the field

Akshaya is studying in our school from kindergarten and currently, she is studying in 7th std. Her father is an auto driver, and her mother is working as a caretaker in our school. With the meagre income, the family is struggling to take care of the family expenses as well as the educational expenses of their children, and thus scholarship subsidy came as a great relief to the family. Akshaya is obedient, attentive and shows a lot of interest in extra-curricular activities. She loves computer classes, understands the concepts well and helps her friends in the classes. She used to ask a lot of questions until her doubts were cleared fully. She participates in sports-related competitions and secured prizes. She likes to draw and some of her sketches are adorable. She also read books and one of the students who is using the school library in an effective way. She aspires to become a Doctor and has the intention to help the needed children in the future to pursue their education.

Program Update

Need based scholarships and fee subsidies are provided to deserving students through this program. A comprehensive allocation process ensures only students truly in need receive scholarships/ fee subsidies. Even nominal fees are too much for some rural families. Recognizing this challenge, Isha Vidhya provides scholarships which cover students' tuition, notebooks and textbooks. Without the scholarship support; these children cannot access or afford the high-quality school education. Sponsors are matched with specific students and receive regular updates including photos, letters and progress reports.

Story from the field

Priyadarshini's father is an Electrician, and his meagre income is not sufficient enough to take care of the family expenses. Priyadarshini's has received a scholarship. She is excellent in academics and scores good marks in all the subjects. Her favourite subject is English. She is very interested in drawing and she shows a lot of interest in developing her skills. Her favourite game is Kho-Kho. She is also part of the school Kho-Kho team.

The center at the Villupuram school celebrated their Annual Day on 12th January 2018. The evening turned colorful with a cultural program where children performed to classical, folk, contemporary, and Western dances.

To help our students to sharpen their athletic ability, an Inter-School Athletic Meet among Isha Vidhya schools was conducted in which the students participated very enthusiastically

As a part of creating awareness among children on environmental issues, student members of the Eco Club at Erode School underwent a short training about environmental degradation, the need for tree cover, reducing pollution through trees, and growing saplings in Eco-friendly plastic bags.