Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government is set to establish 350 Arun-Uday schools in various districts under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
In a bid to expand the initiative further, the government also plans to invite franchisees from across the country to set up similar schools.
The Arun-Uday Schools, which cater to pre-primary education, are named after the stages ‘Arun’ (equivalent to LKG or KG 1) and ‘Uday’ (equivalent to UKG or KG 2). The schools are designed to reflect Indian traditions and values, with a curriculum rooted in 'Sanskrit, Sanskriti and Sanskar'.
The project is a joint initiative of the MP State Open School, Directorate of Public Instruction and Maharshi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan. A prototype of the Arun-Uday school has been set up on the premises of Government Sarojini Naidu School in Shivaji Nagar, Bhopal.
The model school features child-friendly facilities including colourful furniture, wall murals, a mini zoo with rabbits, pigeons and exotic birds, a meditation garden, a nursery of medicinal plants, an aquarium and a mini jungle. The school also includes interactive learning areas like a story corner and a puppet corner. The concept and design have been developed by the Knowval Social Foundation.
According to PR Tiwari, director of MP State Open School, existing kindergarten and Montessori models are largely western and do not adequately reflect Indian ethos. The Arun-Uday school, he said, is designed to instill Indian values from an early age. The school will cater to children aged 2 to 6 years and will also function as a crèche for working parents.
Admission will be restricted to children of working couples. The fee structure will be nominal, calculated as two days’ salary of the lower-earning parent. The school will operate from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays to suit the scheduleof working families. There will be no textbooks and the learning approach will be entirely activity-based.
Tiwari said that Sanskrit would be taught as a ‘seed language’ to harness natural learning abilities of children in the 3–5-year age group. He also said that Arun-Uday schools have already been established in all 53 districts of the state, although they may differ in design and facilities from the Bhopal prototype.
