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 9342 rural children, from kindergarten to 12th Standard. Over 62% of the students – most of whom are first-generation learners – are supported by scholarships. The class board results for 12th std have been declared 100% of our students have passed and in 10th std, 99% of our students have passed for the academic year 2021-22 with good scores. This year Class 10 school toppers in all 8 Isha Vidhya schools in Tamilnadu are girls. In the current academic year, 49.1% of scholarship students are girls. This figure has steadily risen over the years because Isha Vidhya’s staff has been persuading parents to educate their daughters. A scholarship, chaperoned transport, the mid-day meal, and Yoga are some of the game-changing reasons for these girls, who have made the best of the chance given to them, being sent to school.28 February is celebrated as the National Science Day to commemorate CV Raman’s discovery of the 'Raman Effect'. To mark this occasion, a celebratory exhibition was held at Isha Vidhya and the theme was 'Integrated Approach in Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future'. At the exhibition, the students’ enthusiasm was evident as they explained their projects – there were 44 projects on display including a moving robot, an ATM, a lava lamp, etc., that they had created with their teachers’ help. Such events help hone students’ hidden talents. More than 250 Isha Vidhya students of classes 10 and 12 visited Isha Yoga Center while another batch of 1000 students joined online for an intimate Satsang with Sadhguru on 1 February 2022. During the session, Sadhguru explained to the students the importance of searching for truth every day and emphasized the value of knowing one’s abilities and making the best use of them. The students asked Sadhguru several questions ranging from cellphone usage to the role of youth in saving soil. Sadhguru encouraged the students to get actively involved and raise their voices to save soil. He also engaged in light-hearted banter and advised them on how to handle their upcoming board examinations.

Through this generous donation one student has benefited.

As the schools were re-opened after COVID-19 Lockdown. Our students were excited to be reunited with their friends and teachers after a long time. The focus was on reinforcing awareness of COVID-19 protocol, strictly adhering to it, and instilling confidence in our students. The teachers began classes with games and fun activities to perk up their return to school. As the students were transformed from online to offline classes, we faced lots of behavioural challenges and academic activities of the students. To overcome the behavioural challenges of the students, our teachers join hands with volunteers and conducted joyful sessions and counselling for the students. To overcome the academic slow learners baseline assessment done and categorized the students based on the assessment done we started special classes for the remedial student who need extra attention, we kept on increasing the test numbers for them. Due to the continuous monitoring of students, teachers got pressurized on handling them, to overcome our volunteers conducted counselling and arranged team-building sessions for staffs. Also as part of having fun our management initiated fun-filled activities for teaching and non-teaching staff by taking them to field trip which refreshes them.

Desika, who studies on a scholarship in Class 6 at Isha Vidhya Coimbatore, has trudged a difficult journey thus far. Her father Mahendran is not supporting her family and her mother Lakshmi works in Isha ashram. Basically, Desika is from a poor background family. She and her sister studies in our school and her mother struggles a lot for her education. Desika aspires to become an IPS Officer her educational dream has been possible through scholarship support. Desika excels at Isha Vidhya – Although she is an average student she is more active and obedient in her class.

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. Board results for 10th and 12th std have been declared and 100% of our students have passed for the academic year 2020-21 with good scores. International Day of Yoga Celebrations - This year, due to the pandemic situation, International Day of Yoga was celebrated remotely on 21st June 2021. Through live online lessons, our students taught Simha Kriya, which increases lung capacity and helps boost the immune system. Besides, special sessions were conducted for their parents.

As a part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations, students of Isha Vidhya schools planted saplings in the school premises.

Educate a poor rural child program, 5 students were benefitted. They are provided scholarships to continue their education.

The schools are closed for most of this period from July to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 Lockdown. Schools reopened for Class 9 - 12 on Sep 1 by Standard Operating Procedures. Thermal screening, hand sanitizing, masks and social distancing are the new normal in the schools. Our students were excited to be reunited with their friends and teachers after long. The focus was on reinforcing awareness of COVID-19 protocol, strictly adhering to it, and instilling confidence in our students. Students of classes 5-7 returned to school on 1 Nov and primary school students resumed on 8 Nov. While following safety guidelines, they were warmly welcomed with sweets and flowers. The teachers began classes with games and fun activities to perk up their return to school. During the online classes, 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 design projects in their virtual classrooms. The lockdown has blurred the distinction between homework and classwork for the students. We had overcome the hurdle posed by the pandemic by sending lessons via WhatsApp groups. Our teachers prepare short audio/videos and notes and post them in groups. They also prepare worksheets for the lessons. Students submit the completed assignments in the same groups. To help slow learners, who need extra attention to catch up with their classmates, the Academic Team sends worksheets on subjects like Tamil, English and Mathematics. To make home learning more engaging and add value to the online sessions, we have devised various approaches – one of which is our Get Mentored sessions. The Get Mentored sessions, conducted by renowned professionals from different walks of life – from an Indian Air Force pilot to an IPS officer, to a writer, and many more –aim to broaden the perspectives of our higher secondary students and provide them with first-hand knowledge about different professions. We have started in-person classes starting 1st February 2022 for the students from class 1 to class 12. Our 10th and 12th std students will appear for board exams on the dates which will be finalized by the Government. Annual exams for students in other grades may be conducted as per Govt notification.

Deepasri and her younger brother study on scholarships at Isha Vidhya Dharmapuri. Her parents are uneducated – her father is a two-wheeler mechanic and her mother is a tailor, but both their incomes put together are insufficient to fund the education of the siblings. This class topper is now in Class 10 and says that her teachers inspire her and have helped build her self-confidence. Deepasri’s teachers are pleased with her performance, especially her English teacher, who sees her as a curious and promising learner who is attentive in class and has no qualms about asking questions to clarify concepts and deepen her understanding. Deepasri is grateful for the opportunities she gets to develop new skills every day through different activities, to maintain good health with Yoga, and also to exhibit her talent in sports. She has won prizes in athletics at the school and district levels and wants to pursue sports in college too. She aspires to study B.Sc. in Nursing – inspired by the nurses she has observed at work in hospitals.

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.Sivesh N., an Isha Vidhya Tuticorin alumnus was from the first Class 10 batch of the school. He had scored a magnificent 98% to become the first school topper. In pursuit of his childhood ambition to become a doctor, this year, in his fourth attempt at the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Sivesh scored well and secured an MBBS seat in ESIC Medical College, Chennai under the IP quota whereby his parents can afford the education.60 Cognizant Outreach volunteers conducted two virtual training courses for 374 Isha Vidhya faculty members across 10 districts in Tamil Nadu, training them on the use of Microsoft Office suite, creating digital content, using social media effectively, and staying safe online.The training included a module on ‘Digital Mastery’ to enable them to use smartphones and computers effectively and the ‘Digital Teaching’ module to empower them with tools and techniques to enhance students' engagement and learning outcomes during virtual teaching sessions. This initiative has positively impacted over 8,000 students.It was a gold haul at the inter-school zonal Silambam zonal competition where 10 Isha Vidhya students won gold medals and certificates. The competition was conducted by the World Silambam Sports Association on 31st January 2021 at Tuticorin. About 200 students from 20 schools participated in this event. Silambam is a weapon-based Indian martial art originating in southern India and is an optional part of the sports curriculum at Isha Vidhya.

The schools are closed for most of this period from Jan to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 Lockdown. Following the guidelines set by the Education Department, our schools reopened for students of Class 10 and 12 on 19th January. Both teachers and students were overjoyed to be back in school after months of virtual classes. The focus was on reinforcing awareness of COVID-19 protocol, strictly adhering to it, and instilling confidence in our students. The schools then closed prematurely on 31st March due to the 2nd wave of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. Before the online classes began, we reached out to volunteers across the country who donated smart devices so that our students could attend virtual classes. This long period of being away from school, however, came with its 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 design projects in their virtual classrooms.The lockdown has blurred the distinction between homework and classwork for the students. We had overcome the hurdle posed by the pandemic by sending lessons via WhatsApp groups. Our teachers prepare short audio/videos and notes and post them in groups. They also prepare worksheets for the lessons. Students submit the completed assignments in the same groups. To help slow learners, who need extra attention to catch up with their classmates, the Academic Team sends worksheets on subjects like Tamil, English and Mathematics. For higher classes, Khan Academy videos are also used. Google Hangout classes are conducted from time to time and mock tests too. Children are engaged for about 2 hours in lower classes and about 2 to 3 hours every day from 9th to 12th. Unfortunately, initially, only about 50% of our students were able to participate in the digital classes as 60% of our students don’t have access to smartphones, Our 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.There has been an improvement in attendance since September 2020 and more than 80% of the students are now attending Zoom / WhatsApp classes.To make home learning more engaging and add value to the online sessions, we devised various approaches – our weekly Get Mentored sessions are one such effort.The interactive Get Mentored sessions, conducted by renowned professionals from different walks of life – an Indian Air Force pilot, a writer, an IPS officer, and an IAS officer, along with many others – are aimed at broadening the perspectives of our students and providing them with first-hand knowledge about different professions.Our children are coping quite well despite the lockdown. However, as per Government directives, lessons will be conducted through Whatsapp & Zoom. The government has allowed schools for classes 9 to 12 and all colleges including polytechnics to function from September 1 on a shift basis.The government said it is also considering reopening schools for kindergarten and classes 1 to 8 after September 15 after consultations and depending on the implementation of the safety norms for the senior classes that are now allowed to reopen.

Impact story from the ground:Devi joined Isha Vidhya Nagercoil in LKG. She lost her father in an accident when she was in Class 5. Her mother, M Chellam, is a school dropout and had no financial support from anyone. But, this didn't shake her mother's resolve to educate her children despite the dire straits they were thrown into – they slept hungry many a time. After a 2-year struggle, her mother landed a job in a fishnet company and earns a meagre Rs. 5,000 a month. While her brother studies in a government school, Devi studies on a scholarship at Isha Vidhya.Devi is now in Class 11 and over the years, she has done well in sports and has won prizes in athletics at the school and district level. She says that her motivating teachers, Yoga and the school atmosphere make her feel good and encourage her to strive to do well.Devi admires the service of the police and is inspired by Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer of the country, and wants to become a police officer like her.

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.