REPORT April 2019 to March 2020

Since 1981 Praxis has travelled a long distance. Praxis has been organizing people belonging to the marginal farmers’ class, daliths, women, fisher people and working with children to ensure quality education and child right. Praxis has seen many ups and downs in its life. But the long journey has been very happy and encouraging experience. The struggles of the people have brought them huge gains, freedom from bonded labour, indebtedness and some relief from the oppression of the upper class and upper caste.

We were supported by both foreign and Indian donors for most of the time. The external funding had made our work free of tension. I would like to emphasize that we have been enjoying sufficient freedom to plan and shape our activities according to our vision and objectives. We always remain grateful to Novib (Netherland Organization for Development Cooperation), Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund, The French Foundation, ITC, French Red Cross and Action Aid International for their support.

But we had always seen the external funding as a weakness of our organization. Apart from coming under pressure from the donor organization there were always uncertainties about the future. There was no scope within the funding arrangement to build a financial base to gain certain amount of stability and permanency for the organization.

Children's Education Programme:

While we were rudderless after the funding was over our sister organization, Research and Training Centre for Rural Development kept us alive and searching. With their resources we were able to start a formal school for the children of the poor from remote villages in Karnataka. Children’s education had been one of our core projects. From 1983 we have been working on children’s supplementary education programme. Our goal was to ensure that the children from the poor and dalith community join the schools (enrollment). We were coaching children outside the school hours to ensure that their learning standard match with their class. This ensured retention of the children in the schools. Otherwise most of these children would drop out because they could not cope up with the studies and more importantly because they could not afford books and uniform. Under the supplementary education programme we supported the children with books and uniform. As time went on the government started providing books, uniform and mid-day meals. The mid-day meals became the main source of nutrition for the children.

After several years of experience with the supplementary education programme we were confronted with a new challenge. The children from the poor, after completing successfully their SSLC, still could not proceed further. Their weakness was they were illiterate as far as English language was concerned. This added to their weakness of being studying in rural schools.

This made us realize that we should start our own school with innovative approach and orientation. We had access to the land in Somasagar owned by our member. We constructed eight class rooms and a small hostel. On 8th May 2018 we inaugurated the school building and started the classes for Junior KG and senior KG from June 2019. We did not want to give completely free education. We were charging very low fees. This attracted a lot of people to our school. We have maintained a high standard of teaching and learning. We have 60 children in the Junior KG and 30 children in the senior KG.

We had barely completed the first year of school the lock down came and till today the schools are not open.

PRAXIS LEARNING CENTRE

CRITIQUE ON EDUCATION:

The present-day education system has created a social differentiation. There is a great disparity in the quality of education the rural children get and the urban children of the elite get.

A good quality of education for the children of the poor is a key to overcome inequality in the society.

The education policy makers have flawed assumption about education. They perceive education from a utilitarian perspective. They ignore the social purpose of education for emancipation.

Education should not aim at just getting employment. It should aim at building character, integrity and a capacity to be responsible citizens, developing cognitive ability, thinking capacity and problem-solving skill (creativity).

Education has to be seen as public good outside the logic of the market.

Education should enable all round development of individuals. Emotional well being of the students is paramount important.

Education should shift from teacher centeredness to learner centeredness; teacher domination to learner participation; teaching for learning; from textbook based rote learning to activity based intelligent learning; from unhealthy competition to happy collaboration.

PRAXIS LEARNING CENTRE'S PHILOSOPHY

Our school is based on the philosophy, simply put, “ A person is an individual with others in the world’

We arrive in the world create by the people before us. We cannot live unless we recreate this world for us and for our future generation. If a person is important, the world is equally important. Others living with us are integral part of us. We cannot become ourselves without others and we in turn make others. We cannot growth without others. And most important, we cannot grow as human persons at the expense of others. The real growth of our person is achieved only through growing together. We cannot receive without giving. Receiving and giving are two sides of the same coin called life.

We place ourselves in the history of our people. We learn from the people who have gone before us, who have contributed for the creation of this wonderful world. We resolve to contribute our best so that the world and the history moves forward and all experience a good quality of life.

We are citizens of this world and our citizenship is an attitude, state of our mind and emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part … and the part should humbly be proud to sacrifice itself that the whole may live. (Robert A. Heinnlein)

PRAXIS LEARNING CENTRE OFFERS:

Praxis Learning Centre will provide the children from remote rural areas a guarantee of excellent quality education in English medium and overcome the injustice in the education system.

Our school will be run on ‘NO PROFIT NO LOSS’ basis. We will be transparent in all our operations including our finances.

We will provide residential facilities for children from distance places, again at charges based on ‘NO PROFIT NO LOSS’.

We will conduct summer camps to upgrade the learning standard of the children.

There will be a parents’ association. All parents of the children who study in our school will be part of this association.

We will promote philosophical thinking and intelligent enquiry leading to VISION for life.

In our school, there will be a strong emphasis on subjects like history, social science, literature, and geography, to make the children acquire sense of history, looking at the society from a historical perspective, social consciousness leading to social commitment; being aware of inequality, oppression and exploitation.

Having a scientific approach to the society, never accepting things as given, the students and the teachers will become agents of change. Change is a constant reality of the society.

Promoting understanding of different cultural, religious diversities. Recognizing that these diversities and differences are a wealth of the society.

We learn together. A teacher cannot teach if he/she is not learning at the same time. A teacher becomes a learner and the learners also become teachers.”

Our school will be a community of children and teachers living, sharing and learning together. It will promote learning as a collaborative and cooperative life together rather than competitive business venture.

PRAXIS LEARNING CENTRE - VISION AND MISSION

Vision

Another world is possible.

There is a world beyond capitalism; beyond private profit to social good; beyond exploitation to emancipation; beyond competition to cooperation - to the world working together, beyond war to peace.

From each one according to his/her ability to each one according to his/her needs.

The new source of power is not money in the hands of a few, but information in the hands of many (John Naisbitt).

Mission

To ensure that excellent quality of holistic education reaches the children of the poor from the remote villages.

To promote among the young minds integrity, intelligent enquiry, creativity, critical thinking, communication skills, cooperation and vision for live.

To promote among the youth a sense of citizenship, i.e., an attitude, a state of mind and emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part … and the part should humbly be proud to sacrifice itself so that the whole may live. (Robert A. Heilein)

PRAXIS LEARNING CENTRE - BLUE VALLEY