‘Payir’ Project on Times Now – Amazing Indians

One of the projects supported by Asha for Education – University of Florida, Payir Trust has been featured on Times now as a part of their show – “Amazing Indians”. Please watch it here:
http://www.timesnow.tv/Senthil-Gopalan-A-selfless-global-Indian/videoshow/4444752.cms

Payir believes in the fundamental right of education to every child. The project focuses on two programs:

  • Non-formal education center: The project models the learning center along the lines of the gurukulams of India. Payir believes that the eventual ownership and implementation of ideas of holistic community development should come from and be owned by the community having its own set of leaders/experts. The learning center is an effort in line to nurture such leaders by working with a small set of children from their formative years.
  • Intervention program : The primary effort of this program is to improve the performance of the existing schools in and around ThenurThis program aims to introduce a number of systemic changes needed to increase the percentage of attendance at government school around Thenur.
    • By making school more engaging and activity oriented for students
    • Creating the right environment in terms of infrastructure, social education to parents and community at large on shift on attitude towards inclusive and holistic education.
    • This program provides existing teachers with additional training on activity based teaching and other non-formal methods.
    • The program also will also provide these schools with support staff, which can help the existing teachers and facilitate in creating community library and reading centers.
    • The project will also provide temporary accommodation to children of migratory workers which will not hamper their education.
Organization Description
Payir was founded in 2004 January by Senthilkumar Gopalan an engineer who had worked in India and US in various industries ranging from Thermal Power Plants to Information Technology.
Vision
Payir envisages the transformation of Indian villages into a socially stimulating, self reliant, growth oriented community rooted in the principles of Truth – a society where people practice and interact with the highest moral values

Key Objectives
  1. Make primary health care, first level curative care, referral care and palliative care available to all villagers at affordable cost.
  2. Facilitate access to secondary and tertiary health care with close networking
  3. Provide holistic, creative and value based education to rural children through non-formal methods
  4. Be a learning and a resource center for skill building of village youths on traditional trades and rural crafts
  5. Initiate and facilitate in creation of community based rural industries.
  6. Promote alternate and best practices on agricultural and live-stock development and management
  7. Facilitate in Panchayat development including infrastructure, sanitation and civic systems
  8. Promote the growth of a truth and peace oriented village community through the concepts of Sarvodaya