1. I'ld like to know the highest class (GRADE) in the school. It is mentioned to be 5th grade in the Project Proposal Submission form (Jan.2004) and the Site Visit Report (Apr. 2004) says that it is 7th grade.
>> The academic calendar starts in March, and we add one class every year. Also, I have been in the United States since 1999 when the school barely started... I go home every year and I guess during my previous visit it was until 5th grade. So I may have made the error in the report. Also the submission form is older... I tried submitting the same to CRY and other organizations for support. Hope this clarifies. Amit Sethi checked the latest facts in April... and so he has the latest info!!

2. I want exact information regarding the number of students (boys and girls). Different numbers are given in different places.
>> Again, Amit has the latest numbers, which he mentioned in the report. We have round-year enrollment, and we work extra on students joining in the middle of the year to get them up to speed. Not many students come in or leave during a session, but we dont turn students away, at least that's been the plan so far... and will carry through for 2-3 more years.

3. Please let me know the details regarding the operation of the two buses donated by Rotary Club.
>> Rotary International gave us two grants - which got us 2 buses, a libarary with chairs/tables/shelves/books, a computer room with 2 computers, an electricity generator, some almirahs and some more smaller items. We use these to get children and teachers (from Faridabad town). The total grant money was approximately $30,000.


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1. Please let us know more about their efforts to provide scholarships for higher education of the students who leave their school and their efforts to expand their classes until 8th grade. We would also like to know more about the oppurtunities the students have for higher education in the surrounding areas.
>> Currenly we have classes until 7th grade. We increased one class every year and next year we will have an 8th grade. Good news is, we have got recognition from CBSE so we can now expand classes even until 12th grade. New challenges will appear... like having science classes and labs.... and we are gearing up for it. Students can opt for higher education in surrounding towns and cities like Faridabad and Delhi. At that time, we will prepare to grant scholarships.
 

2. How far would it be helpful if the students are given Vocational Training? Are there are any small factories around the Sotai village which can employ them? (I'm not suggesting that children should be employed. I'ld like to know if they can get employment (in the future) without having to migrate to the cities.)
>> At this time, all our students are really young and our objective is for them to get a good primary education and a normal childhood. We do not want to confuse people with a new objective, and certainly not encourage employment at a young age. Faridabad is the adjacent town, and is very industrial. Some people in this and adjoining villages go there for work. If these kids are able to get a good education, they wont have to go too far for well paying jobs.
 

3. It is mentioned that 'children have to leave school when fathers transfer to another factory in other area'. Is this regarding the school in Delhi? If so, and are there no (means) school buses to bring these children to school and how far is it feasible? If it is about the village, is it not possible to bring such children to school with the buses they have.
>> This is true for the village. The trouble we are facing now is encouraging people to see the value in education and sending their kids to school in the first place, instead of using them on the farm or getting them employed as domestic servants. We are going out of our way by plying buses to get them. But there is only so much area we can cover. The school near Delhi is a successful project, with people around the area considering an education as the "normal" thing to do for their kids. So even though we have buses there, many parents drop their kids off there.
 

4. They have asked funds to build a boundary for the school. I'ld like to know how important it is? Is there any fear that their land would be occupied by others?
>> It is very important to have a bounday because it provides a sense of security and the idea of a "premises". We want to develop a playground and stage there, and also do some plantation to give it a school-like look. We want to have some playing equipment too. Currently, we face problems of grazing by farm animals and people using the open area as a toilet (since it is not under cultivation). There is no fear of the land being occupied by others. 
 

5. In the break up for the school UNIFORMS they HAVE NOT MENTIONED anything about the UNIFORMS FOR GIRLS. (There are 65 girls against 28 boys as on 30th sept. 2004) They have mentioned Rs.125 per pair of Pants. I'ld like to know how much Pants are necessary when the age range of students is 5-14 yrs.?
>> In the winter, girls and boys wear the same uniforms - shirts, pants, blazers, ties and shoes. In summer, girls wear skirts but they cost the same as pants. We try to give a new uniform to every student once a year. Most students have 3-4 pairs of dresses. The school is only 5-6 years old.
 

6. They have not mentioned much about the Second school in the Delhi's Southern Industrial area. Please let us know the (important) details about this school like sources of funds, number of students, facilities provided to students etc.
>> The school in Sector 31, Faridabad (very close to Delhi) was started in 1991 and had a strenght of 1000 students in 1999-2000. During the initial years of this school until this time, we recieved generous donation from philanthropists and from Rotary International (who helped start a library, computer room and bought some equipment). Due to the decline in the economy in 2000, several donors pulled out and we had to scale operations. We also began to improve the quality rather than quantity. Now we have about 350 students from LKG to 8th grade, and the project is largely self sufficient. We have imposed a small fee per student, ranging from 75 - 100 rupees per month. We continue to recieve donations to a smaller extent but they are enough to fund our effort.
 

7. Regarding the school in Delhi, they have mentioned that 'EVEN IF WE THINK OF RAISING FUNDS BY SOLICITING DONATIONS FROM THESE EMPLOYERS, IT NEEDS A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND FUNDS'. It is evident that this is their assumption. Did they actually try to approach the employers for funds and what were the results?
>> As mentioned above, we were trying to get donations from a wider pool of industrialists in 2000, but it required a lot of co-ordinated effort, which meant hiring a few people who were trained to solicit and recieve donations. This was an expensive proposition at a time when even my father was facing tough times in the downturn. The limited support we continued to get was largely because of my father's connections, but it was'nt enough to cover 100% of expenses and we decided to scale down under the tough circumstances. The project was successful at this point, and it continued under the momentum... we asked parents if it was ok to impose a small fee, and we got feedback they were ok with it and actually proud to pay. We began focussing on quality and began preparations to get CBSE recognition. Now we have it. The quality of education of the school now is on par with some of the best school in the town of Faridabad, for less than 1/10th of the price. We are now preparing to launch grade 9th and 10th, with labs, etc. (We faced some very tough times on this project!!)
 
 

In the site visit report given by Mr.Amit Sethi, it is mentioned that 'After a well known name for the school has been established, the Director intends to plan and work towards self-sustenance of the project'. The Academy was established in August 1991. I'ld like to know why steps towards working for self sustenance have not been taken even after 13 years since the academy's establishment? It would be helpful if we know their tentative plans for self-support and the time they intend to start working towards that.
>> I've answered this question above - the project is self-sustaining. The Sotai village will follow the same model in 7-10 years. We want to develop a good model school for the village where all kids, as they become 3-4 years old, are sent to for primary education.