Asha for Education

Project Brief: The Elementary Education Programme is being funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India (GOI), under the ministry's scheme of financial support to innovative and experimental programmes.
Project Type: Alternative Education (description)
Primary Focus: girls (description)

Secondary Focus: children of dalits/tribals

Area: Urban
Supporting Chapter Contact: Seattle

Status: current / ongoing
Project Steward: Katie Harrison
Project Partner(s): Riti Dhankar
Other Contacts: Neha Kapoor
Project Address: , Todi Ramjanipura,Kho Nagoriyan Road,Jagatpura,
Rajasthan  302017
Tel: 011 91 141 2750230
Stewarding Chapter: Seattle

Elementary Education Programme:

Elementary Education programme can be seen as a system of three schools educating about 500 children; all the children belong to less privileged section society and the schools are situated in rural area just out side Jaipur. Most of the children who are in these schools would have been out side the fold of education but for these schools. Almost all children come either from minority (about 70% Muslim Children) or from schedule cast social background. Education in Digantar schools is completely free for children. No fee is charged and all needed teaching-learning material, books and the school provides stationary.

The schools have been very successful academically and are liked a lot by the community. The curriculum, pedagogy and school organisation followed in these schools is based on the principles of learning with understanding, learning to learn and freedom of pace of learning. Consequently, the learning groups consist of children at different levels of learning rather than as homogeneous classes.

Teacher child relationship is democratic and of mutual caring. Teachers have a very good rapport with the community and community has accepted as well as become quite fond of the new pedagogy used in these schools.

The schools provide education up to primary level (5 years of schooling) but from this academic session (1998-99); one group of 20 children is at the upper primary level as well. This has been started to extend to upper primary level the pedagogy and general approach to education being used at the primary level.

This programme can be called the fountainhead of all ideas and understanding, which Digantar uses in providing resource support to other organisations. Almost all ideas which we use in our approach to teaching-learning methodology, curriculum and material development and teacher education programmes have evolved and being evolved through teaching children in these schools. Therefore, this programme is very important to Digantar. If this programme collapses Digantar as an organization can not remain healthy.

Jul 2025 Project Quantification 25-26 -- updated
Jul 2025 Project Quantification 25-26
Jul 2025 Digantar Budget Proposal 25-26
Mar 2025 In-person Site Visit Report
Apr 2024 Project Quantification 24-25 -- updated
Apr 2024 Project Quantification_24-25
Apr 2024 Digantar Budget 24-25.pdf
Apr 2024 Virtual Site Visit
Apr 2024 Digantar Budget 24-25
Aug 2023 Project Quantification (V1.2)_2324.pdf
Aug 2023 Project Quantification_23-24.pdf
May 2023 Digantar Budget 23-24.pdf
Sep 2022 Digantar Budget Proposal 2022
Sep 2022 Digantar 2022 Funding Proposal
Aug 2022 Digantar Site Visit
Apr 2021 Updated Virtual Site Visit
Apr 2021 Digantar 2021 Funding Proposal
Apr 2021 Digantar Virtual Site Visit
Nov 2020 Digantar Annual Funding Update
Dec 2019 Site Visit Report 2019 with Contact Info
Dec 2019 Site Visit By Swati
Oct 2019 Digantar Annual Funding Proposal Updated III
Oct 2019 Digantar Annual Funding Proposal Updated II
Oct 2018 DIgantar Annual Funding estimates 2018-2019
Dec 2017 Site Visit By Anuja 2017
May 2017 DIgantar Annual Funding
Dec 2016 Digantar Site Visit Report By Prashant Dec 2016
Apr 2016 Final Proposal 2016
Dec 2015 Site Visit by Swati
Nov 2015 New Proposal 2015 Appendix
Nov 2015 New Proposal 2015
Dec 2005 Fact sheet
Dec 2005 Save Bandhyali School
Dec 2005 JDA preference
Dec 2005 Letter from Asha-Seattle
Dec 2005 PIL (High Court)
Dec 2005 Hindustan Times news clip (JPG)
Nov 2005 Digantar Site Visit(11/28/2005):Ashish Consul
Dec 2002 Site Visit
Dec 2001 Budget
Dec 2001 Photos
Dec 2001 Site Visit Report
Nov 2001 Site Visit Report
Mar 2000 Annual Survey Report
Dec 1998 Site Visit Report
Dec 1998 Discussions
Dec 1998 Perspective on Education