Is alternative education exclusively for the wealthy? A look at the variety of models available and efforts to democratise it.
Published Jul 13, 2024 | 12:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 13, 2024 | 12:00 PM
Isai Ambalam is Auroville follows a philosophy called ‘Integral Education’ which integrates the physical, vital, mental, and spiritual aspects of a child. (Isai Ambalam website)
Alternative education in India is often perceived as a privilege reserved for the affluent. This perception stems from the association of alternative schools with high tuition fees, niche curricula, and a focus on holistic development that seems out of reach for the average Indian family.
However, this view is overly simplistic and overlooks the broader landscape of alternative education which is growing rapidly in India. Let’s debunk the myth that alternative education is exclusively for the wealthy by exploring the variety of models available and the ongoing efforts to democratise it.
Alternative education is a model of education that uses various pedagogical practices to make sure that children have a lot more flexibility in the structure of education so that children can work on various parts of their being rather than just the academic side of it.
There isn’t a single definition for what an alternative education school should look like. Let’s look at it as a spectrum. On one end, there is the state syllabus which is among the most rigid standardised structures of education, while on the other end, is unschooling which is a mode of education without any curriculum or physical school structure. Alternative education lies somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.
It has the physical structure of a school but uses various pedagogies that look at each child’s learning curve and personality individually rather than by just a fixed curriculum and standardized assessment which is at the core of a mainstream school. A few similarities between alternative schools are smaller class sizes, customisable learning, more parental involvement, and a focus on the holistic well-being of the child and not just academics.
The landscape of alternative education in India is extremely varied, encompassing both high-end schools as well as alternative schools for individuals from middle or lower economic backgrounds.
There are a lot of schools that in the name of alternative education spike the fees while probably not following any particular alternative method. But at the same time, there exist schools that truly do justice to an alternative setup and charge nominal and affordable fees. There are two such schools that I would like to mention: Arivu in Mysuru and Isai Ambalam in Auroville.
Arivu is a Kannada-medium school and follows a state syllabus. You might wonder if this sounds like a regular school! The syllabus and board they follow might be rigid but the approach and philosophy they implement is what makes them alternative.
They teach Environmental Science through gardening and working in the garden; they teach in Kannada mainly because studies have shown that teaching in a child’s mother tongue improves comprehension; there is a maker space in the school to push children to create and innovate and the most impressive part is that the student-teacher relationship is symbiotic as both are learning from each other!
The other school that is worth talking about is Isai Ambalam. It does not have any exams until the 8th after which they follow the NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) structure. They follow a philosophy called ‘Integral Education’ which integrates the physical, vital, mental, and spiritual aspects of a child.
To implement this, they include physical activities every day as a routine. They encourage peer learning and feedback, the children maintain a garden to learn about science and the environment and they use a lot of cultural stories to learn about English and history.
An example that stood out to me was having the four walls of the classroom made of blackboard material. Children were using them to scribble everything they had learnt. This made it easy for all children to see what each person was learning and for teachers to make learning truly visible.
This shows us that applying an alternative pedagogy doesn’t need to be expensive, it is about making small changes with materials that are found in our environment!
Both these schools adopt innovative teaching methods and curricula that are relevant to the students’ lives and communities. This model of education challenges the traditional metrics of success and redefines what it means to be educated.
Community involvement is an essential component in many successful alternative education models.
A great example of this is Swaraj University in Udaipur which emphasises learning through community engagement, internships, and real-world experiences.
These models leverage local resources and knowledge, making education relevant and accessible to all. Their entire focus is that education does not need fancy infrastructure or expensive gadgets, the best learning resources can be found around us by collaborating with the knowledge and resources in our community.
Technology will play an essential role in democratising education, making it easier for alternative education practices to seep down into the system.
With more advancements in Artificial Intelligence, we can work towards customising the curriculum without the need for more educators. Teachers then can act as guides and facilitators while technology can aid in customising and individualising the learning curve for each child.
Additionally, social media and online communities provide a platform for educators and students to share resources, ideas, and experiences. This collaborative approach helps in building a supportive ecosystem that promotes alternative education practices beyond the confines of traditional classrooms.
The perception that alternative education is only for the affluent is a misconception that only tells half the story.
Alternative education might be difficult to scale as we would need more appropriately trained human resources to provide a more individualized education for children but what we can do is take alternative education practices and implement them in a mainstream school setup.
The standardised tests and curriculum can remain but how and why we provide that information or learning can be tweaked. We can use various pedagogies, technology, and the help of the community to bring different ways of learning into a rigid system.
In this way, alternative education will no longer seem like a far-fetched dream but a reality that is not too far. We can strive for a better education, one classroom at a time.
(Sanjana Samraj is an educator and advocate for alternative education. Views are personal. Edited by Majnu Babu).
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