{"id":1938,"date":"2021-03-09T10:15:22","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T10:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aviuk.local\/?page_id=1938"},"modified":"2021-03-10T19:34:43","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T19:34:43","slug":"auroville-youth-education-research-and-training","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/projects\/auroville-youth-education-research-and-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Auroville Youth Education, Research and Training"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This project aimed to bring education and vocational training to children and youth living in the villages of the Auroville bio-region, who had so far been excluded due to social or economic disadvantage. The project, aimed at children from kindergarten up to school leaving age, targeted each age group according to specific needs. The project objectives were ultimately to improve disadvantaged local people\u2019s access to, and control over, education which is appropriate to their needs, by ensuring that it targeted the poorest in the Auroville bio-region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The project worked in consultation with local community groups, as well as district and state level education authorities, which gave unequivocal support.<\/p>\n

The project was based at 3 existing schools, run by the Auroville Township, which serve many of the Tamil villages in the Auroville bio-region :<\/p>\n

Ilaignarkal School<\/h2>\n

Ilaignarkal School is led by an Aurovilian Tamil woman professor – Meenakshi, who is a trained social worker and a specialist in community development. The school, provides vocational training for 10 -14 year olds and evening school classes for young workers for the villages is run on an interactive basis with its students.<\/p>\n

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For more information on the school follow this link<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The children attending Ilaignarkal school in the evening benefit from the opportunity to continue learning and upgrading their educational and technical skills. Day pupils are prepared for employment through apprenticeships in neighboring production units linked with classes at the centre.<\/p>\n

The aim of this project was to increase the local impact of the school by increasing its intake from its village catchment area and extending its activities within the village communities it serves. To do this the project recruited more teachers and upgraded its facilities.<\/p>\n

The old facilities were sadly inadequate, with no covered classrooms, desks or chairs for the students. Classes are taken outside with no lighting – evening classes had to finish when it got dark! Despite these handicaps the achievements of Ilaignarkal School are remarkable.<\/p>\n

To tackle this problem the project constructed new school buildings, comprising two classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, mini-kitchen and toilets. The building is climatically appropriate to minimise the need for artificial ventilation and lighting, and was built using compressed mud brick technology developed in Auroville. The landscaping was developed to enable as many activities as possible can still be conducted outdoors.<\/p>\n

Isai Ambalam School<\/h2>\n

Isai Ambalam School emphasises the development of educational methods specially suited to children of illiterate parents, and for children who have dropped out of the normal school system. One section focuses on preparing dropout children, from age 9 – 14, for either work or open examinations. There is also a cr\u00e8che and kindergarten for children of working mothers. The programme included research into new educational methods appropriate to these children. One line of research was an early reading method, the \u201cGlen Doman\u201d method based on a joyful and playful atmosphere enabling the pupils to identify more than 2000 words in English and Tamil before the age of four. The other method translated and trialled, was the \u201cSchool-in-a Box\u201d method, developed by the Rishi Valley Satellite School Programme with tribal children (supported by a grant by the British ODA – now DFID). The aim with both these methods was to gradually introduce them into local government schools, thus giving benefit to a wider range of children.<\/p>\n

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Form more information on the school, follow the link<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Here the aim of the project was to develop innovative methods of education suitable to the local situation, while at the same time educating increasing numbers of local drop-outs and pre-school children. The project experimented with a variety of teaching techniques for slow learners, and continuously trained and encouraged increasing numbers of teachers to use innovative teaching methods enhancing the integrated development of the children.<\/p>\n

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The project\u2019s aims were:<\/h5>\n