Chandragiri Paathashaala
A Finishing School Concept
There are ever so many Schools, in this country. Residential Schools, Day Scholar Schools, English Medium Schools, so on and so forth. There are separate Schools for Boys and Girls. There are International Schools for the Foreigners in India. There are Schools which claim to impart Cultural and Traditional Real Education (Bharathiya Vidya) to its Pupils.
There is no dearth of Schools in India. For the Rich and Neo-Rich there are Hi-Tech Classy Schools which boast of Air-Conditioned Class Rooms and Air-Conditioned Buses for the children to commute to and from the School.
There are Govt. Schools for the Aam Aadmi’s children. There are EAMCET (Engineering and Medical Common Entrance Test, in A P ) Oriented Schools of the Corporate Commercial Education Selling Merchants, who claim to prepare the child for a degree in Engineering / Medicine, by coaching them from Class 8 onwards.
Finally, Education is a Finished Product kept for Sale on the Shelf of the Education Super Market. You just go and buy the Education you decide for your Children.
Meaning Of Education
This is totally against the very idea and concept of educating a Child to face this World, make a living, and learn the Values of Good Living. Good Ethical Living, respecting the Elders, respecting the Other Person’s Freedom, way of Life and the other person’s Religion. That the world is for every one and not just for you and your Comfort, is never taught in our Schools, these days.
Present Interpretation
By hook or Crook, move forward. Score the Highest Marks and for that make all efforts with a no – holds - barred concept. Push the other person aside and go forward. Live for yourself, not for the Society or the Community in which you live. In short, they teach a Child to be Selfish to achieve his / her Goals. Forget about every thing. Just look after yourself.
This attitude has been developed in the Entire Younger Generation of to-day, by our misguided Education System. Children born in the 90s and early 2000s are shaping up on these Lines.
A Dangerous Trend
This is a dangerous trend. It has to be corrected. The Younger Generation that will flower in the decade 2010 – 2020 have to nurtured carefully and shaped as Human Beings. Above everything. They must shape up as Good Human Beings first and everything else, next.
What Is To Be Done ?
It is possible if a few good Schools appreciate the above Ideals and re-engineer their Curriculums and approach to Education. With this ideal in mind, an attempt is being made to start a Traditional Paathaashaala.
Venue / Location.
It would be at Chandragiri, on the other side of Tirupathi, on the Chittoor / Bangalore Road. It’s a beautiful valley surrounded by Hills all around, one of the Hills being the Sacred Venkatadri Hill of Lord Venkateswara. In fact from this side there is a pathway to Tirumala with steps and is used by Hawkers and Suppliers of Vegetables and other necessities for Tirumala Town. The proposed Location will be somewhere close to the Holy Venkatadri Hill. Site location to be finalized depending on availability of adequate ground water.
It will be a Finishing School.
Children who have passed 6th Class will be admitted in Class 7. They will be nurtured, shaped and educated upto Class 12,where they will take the Secondary School Leaving Exam of the CBSE Board. A period of 6 years the child will spend in this School. A sincere attempt will be made to give the Child meaningful Education and shaped as a Responsible Citizen who cares for the Higher Values of Life.
It will be a Residential School. It will be a Co-Education School for both Boys and Girls.
Boys will learn to respect, understand and care for the opposite sex. A boy should know how to speak, deal and respect a Girl’s Feelings and her aspirations. Similarly Vice-Versa. Girls should understand, respect and appreciate the Male Point of View .
Ideal Strength of Class
Every Class will have a Maximum of 15 students. Both Boys and Girls. Stretchable to 20 at the utmost requirement. But never more than 20. No additional Sections. Only one section for one class. It should not be an over crowded School at any given point of time. Each Class will be under the Expert Care of a trained Teacher both in Class and in the Hostel.
Faculty.
Retired Teachers from Central Schools only, will be recruited. The age group being 60 to 65 years. Experience, and not Modern Degrees, will be the Main Criterion for selection of Teachers.
Complete Training
The Child’s entire Psyche will be trained. The Child will be given adequate opportunity to discover his / her latent Talents, and develop that Talent. Be it Music, or Dance, or Theatre Work, or Art, like Painting or Literary traits hidden inside them.
Hostel
Airy, roomy Living / Bed Rooms to accommodate a maximum of 8 persons will be constructed, with attached Bath / Toilets. In each block there will be 4 such Bed Rooms with amenities.
Kitchen and Dining Hall Block will be a separate block.
A Common Hall for debates, seminars and small Fine Arts Performances, Rehearsals, on the ground floor ; and an Indoor Games Hall on the First Floor. This will be another separate block.
A pleasant garden will surround all these Blocks.
Sports
Adequate Sports Facilities under Trained Coaches in each major Sporting Activity, like Athletics, Cricket, Hockey, Foot Ball, Volley Ball, Badminton and Tennis, will be made available in the School.
Languages
Children will be taught a minimum of 3 Languages, as English, Hindi and Mother Tongue, whatever it may be. Additional languages to be taught will be Sanskrit, Persian, French, German and Latin depending on the Child’s Choice. Every Child will be encouraged to learn at least One Language other than the 3 Compulsory languages taught in the regular course.
Computer Literacy
State-Of-The-Art Computer Education will be imparted with the latest Languages in vogue in the Software Industry. A well equipped Computer Lab will be available in the School.
Finer Aspects Of Life
Etiquette, both Indian and Western will be taught as a Special Subject, to all Students as a Compulsory Subject.
Religion
Religious Training on the Child’s Choice and desire will be imparted by Experts in the Subject. The child’s aptitude and desire will decide this training. There shall be no compulsion or suggestion to the Child to choose any particular Religious Training.
But the Child will be guided to understand the Existence of a Supreme Power in this Universe and the need for every Human Being to understand and Respect and Pray to that Supreme Power. All the guidance the Child requires will be provided, without rubbing any Doctrine on the Child’s Psyche.
The type of worship, chosen by the child , either in a Mosque or in a Temple or in a Church or in a Gurudwara will be made available for the child ; to continue practising his / her Religion. All help and assistance will be given to go to the place of worship in School Transport and return to the School, once in a week.
Fee Structure
The Fee structure will be such as to meet the Expenses of each Child in the School, for both Education and Hostel Facility and Food. Wholesome, nutritious Food will be given and the Cost only will be recovered in the Fee.
Admission Fee to cover cost of Infrastructure
Over and above the Cost, a minimum 15 % Margin Money, on the capital employed for infrastructure, will be collected as a One Time Admission Fee to meet the Capital Expenditure of the School Infrastructure and Assets.
A very Careful Costing Exercise will be undertaken and Fee fixed with utmost care to avoid unreasonable profit / Margin Money for the Promoter because the whole Project is designed to be low profit enterprise for a Noble Cause. It should be within Reach of an average upper middle class family whose Annual Income is in the range of 8 lakhs to 12 lakhs.
Selection Procedure
Selection of Students will be absolutely stringent and aptitude oriented. Not on the basis of the Parents’ ability to pay the Fees. Deserving Students will get Scholarships and Deferred Payment Options.
A child reaches Class 7 at an average age of 11 years. That will be the intake age.
Screening of students for admission will be meticulous. Only potentially amenable children will be selected.
A child who can be moulded , only, will be selected., irrespective of caste, creed, or religion, or Region whatsoever. No recommendations or Pressures.
In the First Year,only 15 students,both girls and boys put together will be selected for Class 7. Every year the same principle will hold good and by the time the School enters its 6th year of functioning, all classes would have students from Class 6 to Class 12.
Is one School sufficient for a Nation of our size ?
Once one School starts functioning and its effects on Society and the young children are seen, various cities and towns will come forward for starting such Schools in their places.
Franchisee Schools can be started. The new Schools will be started by our Trained Staff and Teachers, who will train the local Staff and Teachers, start the School and return to our School.
One step, the First Step, has to be taken. Then the journey will roll on. It will not stop. Hundreds of Finishing Schools will come up all over.
The new generation will be a Generation that will do India Proud, in every sphere of Life.
Parsa V Ramachander Rao, Hyderabad.
December 18, 2008.
