Education builds man, and as builds a man, so builds a nation. While the Indian government has worked hard to provide education in almost every village and district, the least active and recognized educational advancement has been at the elementary and secondary levels in the tribal community.
The tribal children are neither culturally inferior nor cognitively less competent than children of other social groups. Instead, tribal children possess highly developed cognitive abilities and extremely sophisticated psychological dispositions. It is then a matter of grave concern that these children have been alienated from formal education schemes, and have low levels of participation and success in schools due to their nomadic life, lack of funds, familial responsibilities and deep-rooted societal discrimination.
The Pardhi Samaj Adiwasi Ashramshala aims to overcome these obstacles and undertake a new approach to educate tribal children, by integrating efforts of the society, tribal community, and local governments to empower them to realize their potential. The project is aimed at developing Pardhi children educationally, socially, culturally and economically, in order to reduce their vulnerability to systemic discrimination.
The main objective is to impart education to students in the fullest sense, beyond mere academic excellence, to empower every student and enhance his/her personal development - by providing real life scenarios, work projects, community service, event organization, entertainment programs, adventurism, environmental expeditions, and activities that contribute towards building character. It is necessary for a growing child to experience events which reveal his abilities, his true character, his inner worth, the edge of his temper, the fire of his ambitions, the quality of his resistance, the secret truth of his pretences - not only to himself but also to others, and thereby become better.
The project is introducing participatory models of education and collaborative development of tribal communities that would empower them to direct their own needs, and lead to over-all national development. Specifically, the syllabus is designed to keep the children interested in education and at the same time, give them direction, advice, and assistance. It aims to prepare young students for life by having them face it directly and experience it in ways that would demand courage, generosity, imagination, principle and resolution.
Because of differences in the demands of tribal ecology, the cognitive abilities, cultural and psychological characteristics of tribal children show considerable variation from those of other social groups. P.P. Shree Bhaiyyuji Maharaj has made great efforts to develop a sensitive model of education that is rooted in the psychological strengths of tribal children and link it to formal education programs.
Also, great care has been taken to appoint a highly-qualified staff, which is capable of developing effective learning strategies to pace studies to suit children's needs. By 'highly qualified', the Ashramshala not only refers to a teacher's subject matter competence as defined by certification but also in-depth knowledge of local traditions, beliefs and values; in order to be an effective teacher of tribal students. The Trust has also conducted development and training programs to prepare teachers, administrators, and other school personnel to cope with tribal issues and customize their tutoring to the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of tribal children.
Already with the establishment of Pardhi Samaj Adiwasi Ashramshala at Sajanpuri, Khamgaon, an improved and collaborative relationship between the Pardhi Samaj and the school has been formed. The alignment of educational expectations between the school and the tribe has lead to an increased and meaningful parental involvement in the child's education and reduced the tribal student drop-out rate.
By founding a residential school for Pardhi children, P.P. Gurudev has addressed a major concern about students commuting to the school, which is a key factor of tribal student drop-outs, particularly for those who live in isolated and economically disadvantaged areas.
The time frame for results, as outlined by the school, adequately accounts for investment in time and resources required to develop effective culturally based education. This curriculum reflects the rich cultural heritage of our country along with modern education and advancements. Also, the evaluation criteria mandated by the school recognizes high student mobility and drop-out rates that are characteristic of tribal communities. The year-to-year measures of student performance and comparisons of effectiveness of education are designed to allow every child to exhibit his strengths, innate qualities, skills and intellect.
Already, the tribal children's ways of perceiving the world, categorizing objects, interpreting pictures, and strategies of learning and memory are becoming more similar to those with whom they interact. This progress has been made possible only through the Trust and staffs sensitivity to tribal culture and life, recognition of the cognitive strengths of tribal children, and appreciation of their intrinsic qualities. Efforts in these directions have not only been helpful in organizing tribal children's education, but also in promoting social, economic and other aspects of tribal development.
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