Education

Education Unit – Day Care Centre, Primary & High Schools

Having started in the 1950s and being located next to the Children’s Home in Chennai, the schools in the Education Unit meet the educational needs of the Bala Mandir Home children as well as the children from the nearby economically weaker sections of the community. Over the years the schools have been adapting to the social changes and currently the unit consists of Day Care Centre which caters to the needs of toddler to pre-KG classes, Vidyalaya English Medium Nursery and Primary School (self-financed) as well as Satyamurthi High School (partly Government aided).

The Primary and High Schools focus on holistic education including art, sports, academics, cultural and value education, all of which is provided at a highly subsidized cost. There is a strong emphasis on inclusion and providing learning support as needed. Besides quality education, the schools provide free midday meals and breakfast for the children who come from difficult circumstances. The schools charge a nominal fee which does not even cover the complete expenses undertaken and depend on CSR support for the operations. Various improvements are underway in both schools and plans have been drawn up for the addition of Higher Secondary classes from the the academic year 2022-23.

The educational activities of Bala Mandir consist of the following –

Day Care Centre:

The Day Care Centre was started in response to the need to prevent elder girl siblings from dropping out of school to help parents care for younger ones, while the parents went out to earn their living. Over the years the Bala Mandir Day Care Centre has grown as a model childcare institution and offers learning opportunities for staff of other NGOs as well.

Children above the age of one year are inducted into a holistic and fun-filled learning methodology which includes the play-way as well as the Montessori method.

Vidyalaya:

This English medium primary school consists of the Kindergarten and Primary classes and follows the Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus. KG children are extensively taught using the Montessori system. Standard I to V follows the AhaGuru system of teaching which focuses on skills and makes learning very interesting for students. There isalso focus on all round development of children through sports, craft and cultural activities. Special learning support is provided to the children who require it, through the services of KaRE.

Satyamurthi High School (SMHS) :

This government-aided school has both English and Tamil medium sections. The Tamil medium is Government Aided while the English medium is supported by donations and sponsorships. The school is undergoing a major restructuring to improve the quality of education and discipline. There are regular spoken English, Value Education and life skill classes. Individual mentors are assigned to students in Standard IX and X to guide them through the transition and motivate them to perform well. A well-organised school health education programme enhances the on-going curriculum. Besides the science laboratory, the children benefit from a tinkering laboratory which helps in channeling their creativity. The school provides good sports facilities for interested children. Football is especially popular with the boys and the school has a structured coaching programme for this.

Education Unit Infrastructure:

Day Care Centre (DCC):

The foundation stone for this building was laid by Sri. S. Govind Swaminadhan, President, Bala Mandir in 1997. It was completed in 1998 with the donation of Action Children Aid, Denmark and was inaugurated by the Ambassador of Denmark in India, H.E. Bjarne H. Sorensen.

DCC houses the Early Educational Programme and takes care of over 100 children providing all facilities for holistic development.It houses both Bala Mandir children and children of the nearby urban slum – 6 months to 4 years.

Vidyalaya Nursery and Primary School:

Bala Mandir used to have a Carpentry workshop in an old shed that was set up in 1965. The workshop moved into the ground floor of a new building gifted in 1999 by DWH for a carpentry certificate training course. The first floor for this and adjacent ground and first floors came up in 2000 to house the three trades of Electrical / Fitter / Carpentry under the erstwhile Vocational Training Centre (VTC). The foundation stone for this building was laid by Mrs. K. Vedam, Trustee, BMKT in 1998 and the building was inaugurated by Mr. Lars Odd Pettersen, Chairman, Braade Stiftung in 1999.

Bala Mandir decided to close down the Vocational Training Centre in 2018 and convert the building into the Vidyalaya Nursery and Primary school. This project involved internal changes to the building which were completed in 2020 and the school moved to this building thereafter.

Satyamurthi High School Complex :

This building has benefited thousands of children through the years. It was built with donations from the public and inaugurated in 1978 by H.E Sri. Prabhudas Patwari, Governor of Tamil Nadu. The G. Rajagopalan Memorial Hall was inaugurated by Sri. P. Ramachandran, Union Minster for Energy in the same year. The Higher Secondary Block was built with a loan from Indian Bank and the foundation stone was laid by Sri. R. Venkatraman, President of India in 1988. It has all the necessary facilities of a Computer Lab, Science Lab, Library and Craft room, and school hall used for celebrations, PTA meetings and other activities. Some of the classrooms have been provided with smart boards with touch screen. It also contains noon meal hall and kitchen, water purification equipment and hygienic toilets.