Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Made in India pre-primary education model launched by state government has failed to click. Arun Uday School in the city, established last year as part of the government’s plan to Indianise pre-primary education, is on the verge of closure.
The school has only four enrollments. Despite its staffers conducting door-to-door surveys to identify students and informing about fee cut, it has no takers.
The concept and model of Arun Uday schools were developed by MP State Open School, Directorate of Public Instruction and Maharshi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan. Based on, Sanskrit, Sanskriti and Sanskar, Arun Uday Schools were supposed to be Made in India alternatives to western kindergarten and Montessori models of pre-primary education.
The Schools were supposed to instill Indianness and Indian values among children. Arun corresponds with LKG or KG 1 and Uday with UKG or KG 2. The government had plans to establish 350 Arun Uday schools in PPP mode in different districts..
A prototype of the Arun Uday School was set up on the premises of the Government Sarojini Naidu School in Shivaji Nagar with colourful furniture and paintings on walls. The school had a mini zoo, Meditation Vatika, a nursery of medicinal plants, an aquarium, a playground made from discarded tyres and a mini jungle. It also had a story corner and a puppet corner. But it has just four students.
The school admits children of 3-5 years age group and is also a daycare centre. It takes children of only working couples and the monthly fee is two day’s salary of whoever among the husband and the wife earns less. The school has no textbooks and the kids are supposed to learn by doing. They are taught Sanskrit as a ‘seed language’.
A senior official associated with the launch of the project said that lack of adequate publicity was behind the school not getting enough students. “New projects are like little babies. You have to take extra care of them,” the officer said.
Another official said that the school would be rebranded. “Some parents had issues with teaching only Sanskrit to their kids. So, English and Hindi may also be taught in the school. Also, the condition that children of only working couples will be admitted may be relaxed.” he said.
