Sunday, January 01, 2006

Ananya : A New Beginning


ANANYA was started in March 1998, by a group of individuals concerned about the dearth of schools that provide relevant and meaningful education for the underprivileged children in and around Bangalore city. Even though the Indian constitution guarantees free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14, there are no schools that the poor can choose from. Either the schools are very good, but expensive and therefore beyond the reach of the underprivileged, or they are free but have poor physical facilities and offer a standard curriculum which is dull and boring. Most children, who drop out of school, do so because the schools do not cater to their special needs. Education in such critical context has no meaning or relevance to these children. It does not provide them with the required skills to overcome the social traumas or the emotional and physical hardships they face everyday.

Our long term objectives are:

To provide educational opportunities to underprivileged children so that they can realise their dream of getting a school leaving certificate and contributing to the development and growth of the society in general and their families in particular.

The main purposes of the Trust are:

* To run a unique school ASK (Ananya Shikshana Kendra) that makes learning fun, relevant and meaningful for underprivileged children who are excluded from mainstream schools.

* To provide a platform ACT (Ananya Centre for Teachers) where people working with such children can meet to share experiences and ideas and create innovative teaching methods.