Project title
Building a new building in an innovative school to improve learning conditionsLocation
Dehradhun, India
Starting point
While about 84% of children in India go to school, there are huge disparities in access to education from one region to another and from one population to another. The city of Dehradun, in the north of India, is a privileged place of study for the children of the wealthy middle class of Delhi and many private schools have settled there. Children from poor families in the surrounding villages have neither the education level nor the financial means to attend them. They must be content with government schools with old infrastructures, where the teaching is more than mediocre. Many of them drop out of school and those who finish school are unable to compete with students from private schools.
Since 1998, Mr G.K. Swamy has been working to ensure that disadvantaged children in Purkal (suburb of Dehradun) have access to quality education in order to become true actors in the development of their region. The school he founded bans learning by heart and focuses on learning skills (knowing how to think) and acquiring qualities such as creativity, curiosity, autonomy, ethics and criticism.The school currently has 435 students and offers a comprehensive curriculum from primary to high school, recognized and certified by the state.
About the project
Given the success of the school and the growing demand for enrollment, the existing infrastructure has reached its limits. In response to the situation, PYDS wishes to build a new 5-storey building that will include a refectory, a kitchen, 3 classrooms, toilet blocks, an infirmary, a library, a computer room, a multi-purpose room and an innovation laboratory. ASED has participated to the construction of the third and forth level and is looking for funds to build the last one.
This building will allow the school to accommodate an additional 100 students, improve services for students, strengthen creative activities and introduce a new discipline – an innovation lab, aimed at stimulating students’ curiosity and to provide space and materials for them to unleash their creativity and their sense of initiative.
Partnership
Purkal Youth Development Society (PYDS) is an Indian secular organization founded by Mr. G.T. Swamy, a retired Mumbai economist for 20 years. The Corporation operates a school that currently has 435 students and 86 employees.
Duration
July 2017 – December 2018
Galerie photos
