Project : Srividyasram Nursery & Primary School

1. Project : Srividyasram Nursery & Primary School Charity: Sri Ramani Ranganayaki Trust (India) and “Society for Voluntary Aid to India” (SVATI, USA)

2. Outline • Location • Objectives • Current Status • (some pictures) • expenses • Future Plans • School Visit- All are welcome to visit and spend a few days there!!

3. School

4. School (on the banks of Kaveri River!)

5. Project Goals • Primary: Giving modern, value-based, quality education at no, or negligible, cost to the poor children of the village. • Associated activities: Assist local villages • Conducted an eye camp that screened 300 villagers and operated 75 for cataract. • Helped provide modern toilets to about 32 villagers. • Been providing regular daily work to about 20 families for the last four years, because of our construction program. The workers' children are given free education in the school. • Old age home beside the school.

6. History & Statistics • School started from June 2002. • Currently classes from Pre-KG to Grade-V. • Adding the higher classes one by one in June every year. • Current strength is 309 children • 181 boys and 127 girls studying in 11 sections of 7 grades. • Teachers=~15, minimum qualification= graduate, Other staff=7. • Average distance traveled=1 - 3 kms. • The school runs two buses. • Children are brought from 15 villages in and around.

7. Socio-Economic Background • Literacy rate is 60% in the local community • Children in the age group 3 to 8. • Parents are mostly agricultural laborers. • Parent not employed throughout the year and get work only when the agricultural operations are on. • Their monthly income is around Rs 1000. Many of them are illiterate.

8. Other Services to children •  Free Biscuits in the morning and midday meal at lunch time. • New clothes at the time of Diwali. • Have a medical practitioner who checks the children on arrival at the school and administers medicine when called for ( fever, cold, bruises etc.). • We take the children out on excursions every year - free of cost.

9. Infrastructure • Invested over Rs. 50 lakhs (~$125,000+) to: • build 20 class rooms • a computer room that will accommodate 20 computers • an audio-visual room • a library (under construction) • a modern kitchen and a dining hall and a stage. • a big play ground and bars, swings, slides for the children to play with. • Only English Medium School of a standard that is not available within a radius of 15 kms.- But why? • Frobel system and Montessori system adopted.

12. Expenses • Teachers salary= Rs. 900-3000 (~$20-70) • Paid staff= Rs. 600-1200 (~$15-30) • Out of 309 students, 80 are educated free, and the remaining pay a nominal tuition Rs 600 (pre-KG) to Rs. 1300 (class III) per year. • Expense per child is Rs 6200 per year.

13. Expansion Plans • Bought land to build the High School that would commence in June, 2008. • Additional class rooms, labs, teachers, equipment/furniture etc. • Need funds, capital and operational expenses, to keep the current crop of children in school right through Grade-10. • else, will have no where to go and will drop out!

14. Funding for Near Term Plans • Class rooms, each costing  Rs 150,000 or $ 3500. • For High School Building • Jan-2006 foundation stone laid. • Rs.1,000,000 per year for 3 years (For 3 years-each 2006-07;2007-08;2008-09 ) • Or any amount will help! • Asha donated $5000 for the 2006 academic year.

15. Current Source of Funds • We have a list of over 180 individual donors who, support "sponsor a child's education" program. • They have been donating every year to provide education to the children. • We also have the support of the "Society for Voluntary Aid To India ", (SVATI, for short), 1425, South Farmview Drive, Dover, DE 19904, USA and Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation, 491, South Oyster Bay Road, lainview, NY-11803-3316. • SVATI channelize’s funds from well wishers in USA. With the funds collected, we have been putting up structures and educating children.

16. Summary • An experiment that is working! • Go see it for yourself! • school will host you and your family, boarding and lodging. • Participate and contribute to this effort • Spread the word: need residential teachers for this school. • accommodation and training will be provided

17. BACK-UP

18. Distinction • On the 6th September, 2005, SRIVIDYASRAM received the “recognition” of the Education Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu . • Inspection by several agencies of the Government. • District Elementary Education Officer declared that SRIVIDYASRAM was the best school in the district, conforming to all the guidelines of the Government.

19. School Management • (i)V.Swaminathan, a senior Government of India Officer who belonged to the Indian Audit & Accounts Service and held several prestigious positions in India and abroad at various levels like small, medium and large scale industries, banking, finance, accounts, audit, quasi judicial appointments, corporate and government governance; Tel: India 44-2491 2281; e-mail renugaswaminathan@vsnl.net. • (ii)S.Natarajan , a Mathematics Professor for 18 years, holding a Ph.D in Applied Mathematics from the University of Virginia, who was a Member of the Technical Staff of MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA, USA; Tel: India 44-2474 7092; e-mail raja_nat@yahoo.com. • (iii)S.Panchapakesan, a Professor of Mathematics, holding a Ph.D in Mathematical Statistics from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana , who served as Professor for 28 years in the Southern Illinois University. Tel: USA 817 557 1662 ; e-mail: spkesan@yahoo.com. • (iv)N.Chandramouli, a Chemical Engineer of repute who had worked in EID-Parry , Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Indian Petrochemical Corporation , Chennai Petroleum Corporation and currently occupying a very senior executive position in Kothari Sugars & Chemicals, Chennai. • (v)Ms Sita Umamaheswaran, B.A (English Literature), B.Ed., the Director of the School, who is a qualified teacher with 10 years’ experience in the famous Padma Seshadri Bal Bhavan Higher Secondary School, Chennai, which was voted as the 7th best school in India after a survey conducted by the redoubtable ‘India Today’; Tel: India 44-2814 2930; e-mail: sitaumesh@hotmail.com. • (vi)S.Sesshadri, a well known Social Worker of Chennai, who manages a Free Home for nearly 60 Destitute Senior Citizens in Pallavaram, Chennai ; Tel : India 44-2247 7214; e-mail: spmt@eth.net.

20. Location • Run one village school called SRIVIDYASRAM NURSERY & PRIMARY SCHOOL . • It is situated 300 KMs (~190 miles) from Chennai, on the left bank of the River Cauvery in the village named Vadakurangaduthurai in the Papanasam Taluk of Thanjavur District in Tamil Nadu, India.

21. Teaching Method • Follows the Frobel System , popularized by Mrs. Ellen Sharma, a German lady, by setting up the Children Garden School in Chennai. • Like the Montessori System • teach through the 'play way' method.

22. How is this school different? • Only English Medium School of a standard that is not available within a radius of 15 kms. • Infrastructure and a lot of amenities that rival any good school in a metropolitan town. • The Chief Educational Officer, Thanjavur declared that, infrastructure-wise, this was the best school in the district.

23. Some Statistics • Current strength is 309 children • 181 boys and 127 girls studying in 11 sections of 7 grades . • Teachers=15, minimum qualification= graduate, Other staff=7. • Average distance traveled=1 - 3 kms. • The school runs two buses. • Children are brought from 15 villages in and around .