Dr Jain is a remarkable man who has committed his life to creating educational experiences for the Dalit (untouchable) caste children who live in the villages near Sarnath. His long term dream is to build from the preschools and primary school he now has to a junior, high school and even university.
Currently he has preschools in six different village sites, mostly taught by a local village woman who may have finished primary school herself. The children come each day for 4 hours and learn letters, numbers, Hindi, colors. When the children graduate from the preschool, the are eligible to go to a primary school he has created. The teachers there are from the villages. (A person can be teacher in this state in India with a 10th grade education and 1 year of teacher preparation - not university based. There are no fees associated for any of the schools. Dr. Jain pays the pr
eschool and primary teachers from donations. Once a student graduates from primary, Dr. Jain tries to find them a sponsor who will pay the 6000 rps (c. $250) per year to sponsor the student in one of the fee based local high schools. His ultimate goal is to have no fees for high school either.His philosophy of education is much more holistic and based in Ghandian principals than most
traditional Indian education, which is still based deeply in the formality and rigidity of the old British system here. Corporal punishment is not unusual in many schools, but is forbidden in his schools. Music and dance, particularly the traditional forms from the village, are also stressed.I feel blessed to have spent time with this man and witnessed his work. He's a good example of how one person can change the lives of many.
M
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