Aligning with the vision of creating a divine society, the Art of Livings Free School Projects team has embarked on a mission to usher in a holistic education model in the country. The Art of Living has presence in 22 states with around 1262 schools in the remotest corners of the country, educating nearly 100000 students. For more than two decades these schools have been providing free education, free midday meals, books, stationeries and uniform transport facilities for the first generation learners. It is only by the inspiration of global peace leader and humanitarian, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji that volunteers all over the world commit towards such a colossal mission and contribute not only in terms of donations, but also volunteer their time and expertise. A typical litmus indicator of the volume of the services can be gauged by the fact that the school provides healthy, nutritious meal to the 100,000 children. The design of the value based education system comes from none other than Pujya Gurudev. The inculcation of a tranquil mind right from childhood is spawned by the daily yoga and meditative practices integrated in the curriculum. The roots are deepened by harnessing tribal music & cultural practices. Simultaneously the children broaden their horizons with an approach of universal affinity and respect for life in humans, plants, and animals, while understanding the value of conservation of soil, water, air, forests etc. The tribal children also participate in events in the city like the Run-a-thons in Jamshedpur. The middle and high schools children have also learned to grow vegetables and fruits naturally, dispelling the myth that growth of healthy vegetables and yield can only come with use of chemical manure and insecticides. The organic farming fields in Ghatsila are worth visiting . On the other side the same students learn robotic programming too. In Jharkhand there are 58 free schools out of which 18 are primary/secondary schools under the guidelines of the state board & 40 free schools are feeders schools run by our Art of Living yuvacharyas for children of the age group of 3-5 years. In 2023 around 60 students passed with 90% placed in 1st Division and rest in 2nd Division with no failures. A few even scored more than 85%. The Alumni have found placements in organizations including BSF, Army, Banking & Insurance sector among others. These successful alumni do visit schools during their vacations and inspire the kids to do well. A few to name them are Seema Gope of Ghatsila who joined BSF (Fig8), Bhola Singh of Kudri, Torpa who joined Army, Avinash Mardi of Ghatsila joined Bajaj Alliance etc. It is not only about academics in these schools, as rural sports like archery, kabaddi and football are actively encouraged for children to participate in. High quality archery sets are made available to the children by volunteers and donors and their affection does not go in vain as the children have participated at state level archery competition and bagged several prizes in Archery and Kabaddi. As they grow, it is natural to observe that all children cannot be equally gifted in academics. Various vocational training centers, which are annexes to school building empowers the budding rural youth to learn skills that help them earn a decent livelihood. The Sri Sri Rural Development Program (SSRDP trust) has recently groomed 30 alumni students in electrical training who are now ready for taking any urban real estate challenge. Usha sewing Schools sponsors training centers in Ghatsila . Today, the women from the villages earn a decent livelihood by sewing around 6000 uniforms annually. These women beckon other villagers to attend adult education classes in the evenings. The school serves as the core for an integrated village development. Every fortnight there is a medical camp in the villages in addition to Mobile Medical Vans. Alcoholism and addiction has reduced significantly as the children with their strong satwik presence dissuade their parents to get into any such practices. Among the students 48% are girls, which catapults gender equality and brings up a promise of a brighter future for the society. Such is the reputation of the school among villagers that every year around 500 new enrollments are made. For the purpose of continuity and involvement, teachers are recruited from local villages instead of hiring them from nearby cities. These teachers undergo professional training in the teachers training institute setup in 2011. The corporates, including PSUs, banks, financial institutions and IT giants, are also eager and excited to be a part of this success story and have supported them as part of their CSR mandates. With more stakeholders joining hands day by day, this noble effort is well poised to replenish the tribal society with self-reliance and self-esteem.

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