Our Journey
Learn more about Our Journey
A brief map of the journey of Umang Democratic School
2012
Begining of an Orphanage
We started teaching at an orphanage with 32 children with 2 teachers.
2013
Working with First Generation Learners
We worked with children from Dakkot Community. Most of the kids were 1st generation learners who used to beg or work at home to help sustain their families.
2015
Developing Alternative Education Method
Working with first-generations learners who were much older than the traditional grade-level appropriate ages pushed us to experiment and develop our own alternative education methods.
2017
Becoming a Diverse School
After focussing on just one community, to experimenting with being a girls-only school for a while, in 2017, Umang opened its gates to all children regardless of their backgrounds.
2022
Umang, a Truly Democratic School
Our alternative ways of education were focussed on academic pedagogy. With time we realised that students felt most challenged by discrimination faced at the hands of teachers and systems at other schools. This informed our decision to prioritise democratic values of equity, justice, dignity, freedom, and love in our alternative system of education. Today Umang works with 103 students, 10 teachers, and 4 volunteers.