Community Approaches - BSS 

Introduction

The Bhoomiheen Sewa Samiti project aims to provide basic education and skills to children of the landless and extremely poor kids of the Banda District in UP state of India. The educational activities of the Society take place just outside the residential area of the Aau village in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere in the lap of nature. The educational activities are in two parts; a non formal primary school (classes 1 to 5); and a formal but highly innovative junior high school (classes 6 to 8) 

Presentation at the conference (Lalit Unyal)

Bacon said: the truth emerges more easily from error than confusion. There need to (be) philosophies. They may be wrong, try them out and discover the correct thing. Aim of education is the same as aim of life. Get into the process of self-discovery, understand abilities, aptitudes,  etc. and employ those for service of society.  There also needs to be social philosophy and not just individual philosophy in education. Democracy in educational institutions is important. Learn to come out in open and state it in civilized way against all oppressions. This is the way we can have a democratic society. Learning to live with dignity is important. On the academic side, we should change our concept of knowledge. Earlier all knowledge was religious knowledge. And so the books and teachers were the authority and everything had to (be) learnt as it is. Rote learning is a mechanical thinking, not an intellectual process, so the fear of teacher helps in this. Today secular knowledge is what we should be concerned about and is ever growing. (Neither) the book nor the teacher is the authority. So it is even more important that knowledge discovery and creating becomes a part of education. Teaching is not what is taking place, but learning, and so the activity of the pupil and not the teacher that is central. We need to get our teachers out of the attitude of domination etc. But the 3rs are essential to learning and education. And for this we need new methodologies and techniques.  All knowledge is related to life. For e.g. - civics - children find it hellish to learn elections, houses etc. So we had elections in the school. The school had 4 groups. Some were press people, some votes invalid, election commission was present. This process itself taught them. The government was made responsible for certain things in the school.

Contact Information

Lalit Unyal
6a, Panna Lal Road 
Allahabad 211 002, 
UP India

Back to community approaches

Top of page