What we seek to do
To work with children in their initial years to create a strong foundation of academics.
Disha Learning Centres
Our previous work with the community beyond Umang School has left us with the desire to focus on keeping education at the centre of whatever we do. Vocational training alone may help people become competent and get employed but our goal is to create agents of change who can push possibilities for themselves, their family, and society. We want to take our best practices from the alternative model of education at Umang Democratic School and reach the larger community of children (3-5 years), young adults (11-17 years), and youth (18-24 years) in the various villages of Haryana. To achieve this, we seek to create Learning Centres
Disha Learning Centres will serve as hubs for progressive and democratic social transformation, and prepare a community of young people capable of carrying on this movement in a self-sustaining manner. The Learning Centre will host the following.
Pre-Primary and Primary Study Circle
A substantial section of children who begin Primary education at government or low-income private schools do not have a strong enough kindergarten foundation. Their struggle with the basics begins right when they enter formal schooling and remains unresolved, compounding over the years – we have seen this in children who came to Umang. We want to work with children in their initial years to create a strong foundation of academics as well as values to prepare them for their future.
Elementary Study Circle
This circle will work as bridge courses for students struggling with learning gaps due to drop outs or missed school during the pandemic, and as remedial classes for students who feel behind in studies. They will be taught using alternative ways of education developed through our experiments at Umang school.
Library
Traditional schooling may rob children of the joy of learning and their capacity to read for pleasure. Our library will provide a space conducive for young students to learn, self-reflect, and connect with peers over ideas, concepts, and aspirations.
Sports and Theatre of the Oppressed
At Umang, we have employed sports as an educational tool to connect with the youth and develop life skills such as compassion and perseverance, and we seek to work with other young people similarly. Theatre of the Oppressed helps participants and viewers directly engage with deep social issues and builds nuanced conversations – this will help young people critically think about issues in their lives and community.
Capacity Building Workshops
Workshops on life skills and leadership building, as well as sessions to create awareness about and work on local social issues will be hosted at the learning centre to directly work with young people on their personal as well as career growth.
At Umang, we have seen our structures of School Management Committee (SMC) and Student Council to enable the participation of parents and students in decision-making. We want to make the structures and practices of these bodies replicable for other government and private schooling institutions and substantially improve the depth of education by building leadership and ownership among students and parents.
