SRIVIDYASRAM

What is SRIVIDYASRAM?

SRIVIDYASRAM is a modern English Medium School in a tiny village. It is situated in Vadakurangaduthurai, on the left bank of the River Cauvery. It is 21 Kms southwest of Kumbakonam and 11 Kms northeast of Thiruvaiyaru, (the small town where Saint Thyagaraja lived and composed his immortal musical compositions). It is in the Papanasam Taluk of Thanjavur District.

What is special about the School?

Social service is the only motivation. It is a highly subsidized school without an eye on profit. The children studying there do so either free or on subsidy or scholarships. The school does not get any assistance from the Government the parents, predominantly agricultural laborers are too poor to pay fees covering the total expenditure of the school. That is why the school needs your kind help. SRIVIDYASRAM began only after a pucca building, with four class rooms, was built. Several Government officials and other agencies that conducted inspections after the tragic fire in a school in Kumabkonam in July 2004, had only words of praise for the foresight and attention with which the school has been built. It is a model school that others can emulate. There is no other Nursery and Primary school like SRIVIDYASRAM in the entire district.

Is it just a case of brick and mortar?

No! The school employs modern methods of teaching. It lavishly uses visuals (Video discs, posters, activity cards, computers, toys etc) so that the children quickly absorb and retain what is taught.

It is based on the Frobel or Montessori system of education. The teachers received their initial training in the Montessori Methodology. The teaching skills of the teachers are being constantly upgraded through in-service orientation courses and other training programs. A large number of books are available for the children and the teachers to further enhance their knowledge. A Computer Laboratory, with ten computers, caters to 30 students at a time.

Why start a school, that too at Vadakurangaduthurai?

Vadakurangaduthurai has remined an island, unaffected by the allround progress that other villages have made in the last 45 years. It is predominantly agricultural in activity and, in the absence of a good school, the children become dropouts without education, without work. They remain unaffected by the knowledge explosion that is taking place all over the country.

Government and aided schools are poorly staffed despite being well paid. There is no passion or commitment to bring up the children as disciplined, knowledgeable, confident future citizens, with a nationalist outlook.

Quality education that is available to the rich and metropolitan based children is not available to these lesser children of God. Why should it be so? Can a non-government organization (NGO) try to give quality, modern, value based education at a fraction of a cost that the well to do children in metropolitan cities pay?

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