Gyan Ganga School is a place of self-discovery. Located in Tumariya Ghat village, in Sambhal district of western UP, for most of you, it would appear as a humble village school trying to educate children of the region. But it is doing much more. It is inspiring children, empowering them. It is inculcating in them self-worth, recognition and purpose. It is trying to create a culture. We learn by doing. We have playful imagination and the biggest appetite for uncertainty. We look around and explore. We build diversity, pluralism, inclusion. We create a safe space for ideas and openness. This is a school for the children of villages in the region, their parents and the entire rural community. It belongs to the village, and villagers belong to it. It is being cultivated through diverse minds. Everyone learns from everyone here. And it is not just teaching for literacy. It is learning to build character and integrity. Gyan Ganga is a small effort in creating an ecosystem where, as Tagore said, The head is held high and mind is without fear, and is led forward into ever-widening thought and action.
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We are an eclectic group. There is nothing specific that connects us, except that we relate to rural India deeply. Most of us grew up in villages, others have been associated with Indian villages through family connections.
The other thing that connects us, is that we wanted to give back.
The world brought us together slowly. Even the idea grew over time.
And both the group and the idea is continuing to grow. We came together to build something sustainable rather than doing everyday charity. Since many of us are educationists, we recognize the trans formative potential of good school education,
and the lack of it in rural India, particularly UP. We decided to build a school. Frankly, nothing else can change lives as much as good education can.
The idea emerged over time. We refurbished an ancestral, dilapidated home in a village and started a make-shift school with open and collaborative learnin . This happened through careful efforts of designing a student-centric pedagogy that helped them imagine and be curious. In a matter of weeks, hundreds of children and their parents lined up. We simply had to decline admissions for want of space. Inspired by this experience, we are now building a community school that aspires to instil pride and character in the students. The village is located on the banks of Ganga. We are calling it Gyan Ganga School. The plan is to make a difference in the lives of the villagers, and hopefully, inspire other such initiatives. The village is located in one of the most impoverished regions of UP, and has one of the lowest school-educational indicators. Frankly, generations have been deprived of something so basic and valuable for no fault of theirs. We feel fortunate to contribute and empower them. Children learn through cooperation, not competition. They discover things, rather than memorize them. They participate and imagine. We also involve parents. Frankly, it works like magic. The land has come from donation. Construction has begun (although we need some help there). It has been just a few months, and the school is on everyone’s mind. There is a newfound hope and promise that the school is bringing to the region. And you can see that excitement in the air already.
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