| learningnet-india.org The complete educational resource |
 |
| Home | |
| What's New | |
| Profiles | |
| Activities | |
| Announcements | |
| Publications | |
| Articles | |
| Resources | |
|
|
|
Keywords
Science, Math, Technology, Environmental Sciences, Rural, Residential School, Appropriate technology, College, Language
Geographical Location
Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh
Languages
English, Telugu, Hindi
Philosophy/Beliefs
Haritha is located in Paloncha, a small town about 20 km from Bhadrachalam and Kothagudem in Andhra Pradesh. The institute has a residential school and a junior college.
Haritha recognizes the fact that process of education, while notionally free, involves an opportunity cost on the part of parents and children. Including productive activities as part of education could bring down these costs encouraging a wider spread of education, at the same time enhancing the learning levels of children through real-life scenarios. It identifies aspects in the already existing curriculum that could be better taught with this approach. The institute is actively looking to lowering the costs, developing technologies appropriate for rural reconstruction and promoting an environmental outlook through the curriculum. Through teachers training, and a series of booklets, the outreach of the institute is benefiting another 100 schools in the area.
Work Description
- Activities in the School - Haritha brings out many series of booklets that are used in many schools in Khammam district. The book series called Prakruthi Badilo ('In Nature's School') incorporates environmental awareness concepts into teaching of Telugu, English, math and social studies. The booklet series "Panula thonee Pathaalu" (which means 'lessons from the productive activities' in Telugu), teachers concepts like mass, density, heat transfer are during the course of the children's participation in kitchen activities. Another example is their booklet which teaches statistics concepts (data collection, pie diagrams, bar diagrams) etc, using children's experiences from cultivation of vegetables.
Each Sunday one of children is called upon to research on some of the topics (in math, science or language) and present it before the rest of the children. The Sunday session also discusses any contemporary issues of interest. Aside from this, the institute places an emphasis on some of the Vedic mathematics concepts in teaching Math to the children in the school. The idea is to let the children see the patterns that emerge out of the numbers rather than just learn numbers the usual way.
- Technology for Rural Society - Haritha is engaged in research, and proof-of-concept of several technological initiatives which would be appropriate for a rural society. Many of them are actually currently used on the Haritha campus. Some of the technologies are mentioned below - Most of the campus structures are made using the Bamboo-bow technology. The aim of promoting this technology is to encourage an eco-friendly mode of living and provide employment to rural artisans who traditionally have lot of skills in bamboo applications. The technology has been refined over the years to suit different needs. The bore well that Haritha designed is housed on an elevated tank-like structure. The waste water flows into the tank below. It is stored there till sufficient hydraulic head is built up in the tank. Then the valve at the bottom of the tank is opened and the head is sufficient enough for the water to be transported via a channel to the nearby field for cultivation purposes. The insulated basket designed by Haritha is made up of two bamboo baskets with the space in between being filled by rice husk and then sealed. Inside the basket too, small bags filled with rice husk are placed. This keeps food warm/hot for several hours after it is removed from the stove, but also save energy costs during the cooking itself (if the rice, along with the water, is removed from the water when it is say, 80% done, there is sufficient energy in the water to take the rice to completion of cooking when left in the basket).
Training in rural technology and receiving their booklets.
Contact Information
Haritha Ecological Institute
P.O.Box No.26, Paloncha
Khammam District
Andhra Pradesh 507115
Phone: (08744) 255030 (o), 255 060 (h)
Website links
Article in Revive 2004