The complete educational resource
Home
What's New
Profiles
Activities
Announcements
Publications
Articles
Resources
Google

WWW
Learning Network
Learning Network Group Profiles
Ananya

Keywords
Residential, School, Urban, Underpriviledged, Alternative, Education

Geographical Location
Bangalore, Karnataka

Languages
Kannada, English

Work Description
Ananya is a residential school on the grounds of Devi farm outside Bangalore and a home to 45 children. Ananya, which means unique, caters to the needs of children who are not admitted into other schools either for social, economic or academic reasons. The children come and stay at Ananya's farm during the weekdays and go back to their city lives over the weekend and during the summer break. One couple and one abandoned woman stay at Ananya full time and cater to all the needs of the children. They, along with three other teachers who attend on a daily basis, work towards enriching the lives of children at Ananya.

Ananya Shikshana Kendra (ASK) is a school where the children are encouraged to question and find answers with the teachers as guides. Emphasis is on self-learning through a creative approach. Classrooms are open and have an adaptable curriculum, which respond to the individual needs of the children. The children are grouped according to their ability rather than age. The focus of education is on emotional, physical, social development along with academic development. The children appear for the school leaving certificate exams as and when they feel ready and receive appropriate vocational training via Ananya's outreach with Maya and other organizations and individuals.

Ananya Centre for Teachers (ACT) is a medium where teachers and individuals working with slum/street children meet and exchange ideas. Ananya organizes workshops and trains the participants in various aspects of teaching to make them more innovative and creative and also design teaching-learning aids that are appropriate for the children utilizing them. They regularly invite different resource persons who provide input for personal and professional growth. Parent-teacher meetings are held thrice a year. The meeting enables Ananya to identify issues of concern to the families. The meeting bridges the gap between the school and the home environment.

Ananya learning centers are bright, airy, and child friendly, have individual desks that children can arrange according to their needs. It contains self-study and self-assessing materials that are arranged by levels of difficulty and are easily accessible. Classes are not necessarily held within the four walls of a classroom, the grounds of Shibumi are their open natural laboratory.

Future plans at Devi Farm include building hostels for children, sheds for vocational training i.e. pottery, carpentry, screen-printing etc. Ananya wants to cultivate organic farming to grow our own food grains, fruits and vegetables, rain water harvesting and use solar energy wherever possible and preserve the bio diversity and prevent the felling of trees in and around the farm. Ananya is keen on networking with other organizations to share ideas and resources.

Contact Information
Ananya Trust
Shashi Rao
233, 6th Main
4th block Jayanagar
Bangalore 560011
Phone: 2844-1691/ 2663 9414

Website Links:
www.ananyatrust.org

For more information about The Learning Network, contact info at learningnet-india dot org