Baichara Vidyalaya

Project Brief: Bhaichara vidayalaya is a primary/middle school started on a land donated by a local farmer. It aims to provide education to poorer section of the community that consists mainly of artisans and farmers.
Project Type: Formal Schools (description)
Primary Focus: to go to formal school (description)

Secondary Focus: other

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact: Redlands
Status: completed - things went wrong
Project Steward: Brijesh Shrivastav
Project Partner(s):
Other Contacts:
Project Address: , ,,,
UTTAR PRADESH 
Tel:
Stewarding Chapter: Redlands
Aug 2002RedlandsUSD 1250
Dec 2001RedlandsUSD 1025

Total = $2275

Project is located on the land of a common farmer, about four to five kilometers from Sarnath. There is no permanent structure. Classes are held under a tin shade supported by bamboo and iron rods. Kids sit on a plastic tent laid on the floor. The Vidyalaya obtains about Rs. 2000 in income from fees. Expenses include teacher salaries (Rs. 2000/month) and rent for the land (Rs. 300/month). Each Books, newspaper, stationary, events and the structure for the school are other necessary expenses on which minimal funds are spent.
Emphasis of the school is to stress in Language, Mathematics and Science subjects. Hands on skills (ex. cottage industry) is also be taught to students so they can be find jobs.
Currently there doesn't appear to be any program to self sustain the school but it may change over the period.
Goal of the school is to provide primary education to the children of poor community who cannot afford the other private school in the area. School also encourages students to enroll in the higher classes in nearby government school after 8th standard. For that they have some sort of arrangement with local govenment school to sit in the board exams.
A large section of our society consisting of "Adivasi" (tribals),
"Kisan" (farmers), "Karigar" (artisans) and "Stri" (women) are deprived of education in the current system of schooling. Yet, they fulfill the basic needs of our society using their knowledge and skill. Such education is known as Lok Vidya, that education which belongs to and is used by the local people - tribals, farmers, artisans, etc.
The idea of Bhaichara Vidyalaya emerged during the Lok Vidya
Maha-Adhiveshan (conference) organized by the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan, Varanasi, in Oct - Nov 1998 to expand its work. Values of truth, justice and cooperation can be inculcated in society only if "Lok Vidya" is incorporated in education. For this purpose, the organizers of the Lok Vidya conference, Patriotic People's Oriented Science and Technology (PPST) Foundation's branch in Varanasi called 'Vikalp' organized a debate following the conference. One of the results was the initiation of the Bhaichara Vidyalaya in July '98.