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CURRICULUM

The NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training] is the central force behind accredited education in India. The system classifies education as:

Primary:
Up to age 14 or the completion of 10th Standard Exams. In 1994 the Indian government launched a program to revitalize primary education in India, however current estimates categorize at least 40% of the population as illiterate. For women the number is even higher - over 50%.
Secondary:
This includes vocational education and "PUC" - pre-university and college. National statistics show that only 15% of students reach this level.
Tertiary:
College, university, higher technical training. Although the Indian system of higher education is the third largest in the world, lagging only behind the United States and China, there are seats for only 7% of those who are eligible.

AT CPT

The Children's Project is an English Medium school and follows the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling), one of a number of accreditation systems authorized by the NCERT. The NIOS offers a credit-based system, which is used by many private schools in India because it is more 'learner-centric' than other curriculums. Public nationwide exams, marking the completion of primary education at 10th Standard level, are held twice a year by the NIOS and other accrediting organizations. Once our older students have completed the core curriculum they are tutored for the exams, which usually last one month. After passing, they are eligible for 'Pre University College', a two-year program. In April 2009, seven of our older girls successfully completed the exams with a 'First Class'.

We are currently using distance education to enable us to offer PUC courses in Coorg. Once completed, if they wish, they go on to college or university or some form of vocational education.

For our standard core curriculum, CPT uses the books and materials developed by the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) for English Medium schools. We evaluate and select books with language that supports human values education.

Core CPT Curriculum

A teacher is really the one who teaches others how to live. Teachers in fact are the people who indicate the royal road for human life. Teachers illumine the nation by promoting great ideas. They are responsible for the blossoming of ideals in the young. They awaken in children the integrated awareness which is subtle and hard to recognize. They draw out the latent potentialities in the students. If they are encouraged to make an effort, students can accomplish anything. ~ SATHYA SAI BABA

Thirty of our 40 children are of primary school age and we employ four teachers who instruct them in the core curriculum. Right now, this includes all the basic subjects: Math, Science, Biology, English Grammar and Composition, Social Studies, History, Home Sciences and General Knowledge.We also have four long-term volunteer teachers who work with the standard curriculum as well as special classes. Volunteer visiting teachers may also take over some of the core classes, depending on the duration of their stay. This gives us a high teacher-student ratio. We look for teachers who don't just follow the course material, but who are willing to embrace transformation within themselves and grow and learn along with the students.

To the standard government curriculum we have added courses in the reading, writing and chanting of Sanskrit, through the study of the ancient epics of Indian culture and the Vedas. We also hold classes in Telugu, the children's mother tongue; we want them to be as strong in their native language as they are in English.

Our daily schedule includes six class periods, five days a week. Classes are interactive, where the teacher encourages the students to explore their subjects through conversation and action in the classroom. The younger, pre-school children also attend classes to introduce them to basic counting, alphabets, writing and social skills. Small children experience many different ways of learning the alphabet. We use Sesame Street and other children's programs to illustrate educational lessons. They go for walks and learn the names of things around them. They are encouraged to use memory games andgiven quizzes to enhance their knowledge and alertness.

The older children are taught in a similar way, but their education is much more focused and includes regular tests to ensure they have adequately assimilated the course material. While this diverse approach to education may be common in other nations, it is not yet the norm in India.

Physical education classes are held at the end of every school day for all students, often followed by games and sports. Like many children in India, ours are particularly fond of cricket. Dancing, yoga and music education are also popular with the children, all of which ensures strength of body as well as mind.

At the inauguration of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (now Sri Sathya Sai University) in Puttaparthi, AP in 1981, Sathya Sai Baba spoke about the ideals of the institution founded in his name. Although small in size The Children's Project is guided by the same mighty principles:

This will not be like all other universities, which adopt a few faculties and burden their alumni with degrees, which they can present as begging bowls while clamoring for jobs. This university will confer on its alumni the courage and confidence, the knowledge and skill to shape their careers by their own efforts, standing on their legs and relying on their strength. So we have proposed that spiritual education be integrated harmoniously with the teaching of ethical, physical and metaphysical subjects. ~ SATHYA SAI BABA

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