On Education: Objectives

1.       “Access to knowledge: knowledge is widely available.

2.       Knowledge concept: teaching institutions.

3.       Knowledge creation: by those work in science, humanities

4.       Knowledge application: making knowledge practical and useful.

5.       Knowledge service: e-governance. People, citizens’ interaction with the government. Information and communication technology.

The best brains in the world are busy solving the problems of the rich –who actually don’t have real problem to solve. As a result the problems of the poor don’tget the right kind of attention, or the right talent to help them get through it.

Bringing the poor into the main stream meant making the nation's government inclusive, open and transparent. It meant providing information to everyone. (Sam Petroda)

II

Innovation:

Innovation involves thinking differently, creatively and insightfully to have an impact on social, economic values and development.

Innovation that can offer solution to the existing problems where conventional approaches have failed to deliver results.

Five most important things that matter in innovation:

1)       We need to look at innovation as a platform. Innovation is required in products, process, policies, plans and programmes. Innovation is about changing mind sets, organisations business management models, distribution, delivery and many more.

2)       Secondly inclusivity. Our job was not to create more millionaires, it was to lift millions of people out of poverty. Let us focus on innovation for the bottom of economic pyramid.

3)       Innovations happen in an ecosystem that fosters it.

4)       We want to properly define some of the elements of sustainable, affordable innovations. We want innovation in products that are durable rather than disposable.

5)       We have to consider the possibility of discourse. We need to create nation wide conversation on innovation. WE need to question the status quo and inject that habit of creative thought into the national psyche.”

Sam Pitroda

On Education: Objectives

·           To make young people to base their lives on solid moral principles.

·           Inculcating a vision for life.

·           Inculcating a vision for the society.

·           Individualism versus a collective. Personal aspiration versus collective aspiration. Fulfilling or working for their aspirations versus working for the aspiration of the collective.

·           History of people and the nation: To help them to locate themselves in the context of the history of the nation.Understanding the history of which they a part. They are product and they contribute to the history.

·           Making of the nation called India. Study what has made our nation.  How it has traversed through the history of people’s struggle to emerge as civilized human collective.The people, leaders who sacrificed their lives for creating this nation.

·           Valuing the work of the people for emancipation of people who have been disadvantaged, oppressed and marginalized.  Human collective that recognizes the aspiration of these people for equality, equity and justice.  Aspiration for justice for all is more important than aspiration for personal aggrandisement.

·           To make them understand the idea of India. Creating a nation they want to live in.  Democracy is based on historical reality of India and in interaction with global cultur; evolved value based democracy as an environment for all to learn and grow; environment of equal opportunities for all, equal participation and equal access to resources needed for growth of individuals and of human community.

·           Democracy is based on values of secularism; tolerance for people’s ways of life, thinking, faiths, religious beliefs and practices and culture; even more, sharing with people of other cultures to develop composite nation.  There are people belonging to different faiths, religions and persuasions. Making youth understand and appreciate other religions and faiths we will have lessons on all the religions in India.

·           Promoting dialogue, exchange and cross fertilization of religious ideals, values and ethos.  Study of all religious philosophies.

·           Looking at the nation in the context of the global scenario.

·           Value of democracy, socialism, secularism, tolerance, respecting diversity, living with differences.

·           Art, culture, music, religious heritage, history and philosophy.

·           Emphasis on learning English:  without English the rural youth will lag behind.  It will put them on the path of progress.

·           Study science with temper of philosophy; And study humanity with temper of science.

·           Create economic system that will be free from exploitation and bring about egalitarian society.

·           Study political science and politics that is value based, participatory democracy and governance.

Methodology:

·         Seminar and workshop approach and emphasis on Peer learning.

·         Learning to learn: Developing capacity to learn is more important goal of education than accumulating information and knowledge.

·         Developing the capacity to learn:  Empowering a person, making a person self reliant; to understand, comprehend issues, challenges facing a person, community; to search and find solutions.

·         Searching and researching. Exposure and social involvement.

·         Learning to think and problem solving.

·         Learning from one's experience.

·         Breaking out of moulds, thinking out of box.

·         Exposure to the world outside one's own.

·         Walking back in the history. Reading, writing.

Practical organisation:

o   Position ourselves in one place (village) where the school centre will be located. From there reach out to at least five village schools.