The Peepal Grove School

The Peepal Grove School
Location
Sadum, Chittoor district , Andhra Pradesh India
Information
Type	Public school
Established	2006
Principal	Sunanda Ali
Enrollment	150
Campus	Rural
Website	Official website

The Peepal Grove School is a co-educational boarding school (following the CISCE Board) located in a village in Chittoor District of Southern Andhra Pradesh (India). The school is founded by Sri M (Mumtaz Ali), a spiritual crusader, and is inaugurated by the then President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam in December, 2006. The student population is around 150 ranging from Grades 4 to 10 (8.5 - 16 years).

Purpose

The purpose of the school is to "encourage each student to think critically, creatively and independently to achieve academic and personal goals; to celebrate his or her cultural roots while embracing a global perspective." The motto of the school reads 'Samvo Manāmsi Jnānatam' which means, 'With out minds put together, may we understand'. The school, besides providing the students opportunities for academic excellence, provides them an environment conducive to learning to be responsible, sensitive, honest and 'related'. The school is run by Satsang Foundation (which also runs another school called Satsang Vidyalaya for under privileged children). The Governing Council of the school guides the school. It consists of eminent personalities such as Justice M.N.Venkatachaliah, the former Chief Justice of India; Dr. V.S. Ramachandran, an eminent Neurologist; Ms.Sunanda Ali, the Principal of The Peepal Grove School; Dr. Vijayanarayana Reddy, Quantum Physicist; Mr. Ajai Kumar Singh IPS, Senior Police Officer (Karnataka cadre); Mr. Jayabharat Reddy IAS, former Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh; Ms. Tara Singh IAS, Senior IAS Officer (Govt. Of Karnataka); Dr. P.K.Krishnaswamy, Director of Basic and Clinical Research, Manipal Hospital; Mr. Ramesh Reddy, a prominent Builder (Chennai); Ms. Rukmini Krishnaswami, Director (Spastic Society of Karnataka) and an Educationist; Ms. Jyotsna Singh, an educationist and a Women’s Rights Campaigner; Ms. Soumini Reddy, a prominent educationist in Andhra Pradesh; Major General Ram Naidu (Retd.), Indian Army; Mr. Jerry.G. Jones, a philanthropist and a businessman (U.S.A.); Mr. Brij Sethi, Vice President, Ecoeye, Social and Community Initiatives (Wipro Technologies); Ms. K.C. Anita Reddy,an emminent social activist and educationist (Bangalore); Dr. Brijesh Kumar, IT Expert and educationist (Aligarh); Mr. Ajay Bhatia, an enterpreneur and educationist (Dubai); and Mr. Sukhbinder Takhar, Validation Architect at Intel.

Culture

Interactions between teachers and the students are informal and there are close relationships between students and teachers. Most students address the teachers as bhaiyya (brother), dheedhee or akka (sister). Almost all the teachers stay on the campus with the students thus staying very close to each other. Freedom 'along with' responsibility is fostered; rewards and punishments are kept to a minimum. The dress code is casual. Being a co-educational institution the school encourages a healthy interaction amongst the boys and girls. Students are drawn from all regions of the country and also from abroad, so they are made to understand to accept the differences amongst them and cooperate with each other. Apart from structured activities children indulge in free play, sharing their ideas and experiences with their friends or house parents. Older children often play the mentoring role by helping them keep their belongings neat, helping with their home work or including them in their games. In the evening the children also get to exchange notes with the house parents in an informal setting. Many children like to share a story they have read, share a poem they've written or discuss their hobbies and ideas.

Education

The school believes that the "education is founded upon the acquisition of core skills and knowledge taught through integrated experiences." Critical thinking is stressed. The school's academic program is designed to provide creative space and means for students to do deeper and beyond the syllabus. The school is affiliated to the CISCE Board, Delhi. At present, the school has students in Classes IV – X (8.5 - 16 years). In Classes IV through VIII, the school's focus is on developing the fundamental skills – Explanation, Interpretation, Application, Perspective, Empathy and Self Knowledge. The emphasis is on collaborative learning (rather than direct teaching) which is student centric, provides for differentiated learning by way of levels and styles and provides opportunities to try new things. Students are also taught spoken Sanskrit – as the language is the cultural base of all Indian thought. In Classes IX and X, the course becomes more rigorous and there is a greater focus on the ICSE Examination. Students make use of Multi–media facilities, a comprehensive library and well equipped laboratories in their efforts to research, understand and excel in subjects. Extra curricular activities, discussions, arguments, Socio-Eco responsibility, arts, yoga and sports go along with academics, even thought the academic course is rigorous.

Campus

The school is set in a verdant environment. Surrounded by hillocks and adjacent to a lake, the school has a salubrious climate round the year. The air pollution and pollution of other kinds are kept to as minimum as possible. The school fosters its students to appreciate nature. The students go for treks to nearby hills along with some teachers frequently. Almost all the teachers reside on the campus which makes it possible for the children to connect with them very well and to interact and learn with them in an informal setting. The school is located in a village. This helps the students connect with the villagers very well. In fact, most of the non-teaching staff are from nearby villages. Recently, the school has started a rural outreach program under which a variety of activities are held on weekends. Teachers and students volunteer to design and participate in these activities.

See also

• List of schools in India

External links

• The Peepal Grove School (Official Website)
• The Satsang Foundation
• The Hindu: Tamilnadu/Chennai News: A unique school for holistic education
• The Hindu: Andhra Pradesh News: The President visits The Peepal Grove School
• Address and Interaction of The President of India, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, with the students of The Peepal Grove School
• Alternative Schools in India
• About some of the alternative schools in India