Education

Education

It is our firm belief that education is the sharpest tool for empowerment. To this end, we provide schooling to children in the communities we serve. Institutions like Soundaram Vidyalaya, Gandhigram Primary School, Lakshmi College of Education and Thambithottam Higher Secondary School have been established by Gandhigram to take forward the dream of TS Soundaram of ensuring that children and teachers in rural areas have access to  holistic education and training. 

The curriculum in these schools is largely aimed at promoting Gandhian values like truth, non-violence and leading a simple life. They cater to all age groups, from primary to higher secondary schooling. During the initial days, an emphasis was placed on teaching children along the lines of Gandhi’s Nai Talim model of education in some institutions. Later, the syllabus was modified to make sure the transition of students into mainstream institutions was seamless. 

All the schools currently follow the SSLC curriculum of the Tamil Nadu Board of Education. The admissions process of all the schools is interconnected and in order to bring down the dropout rates, primary students are offered surety of higher education in sister concerns.

Along the way, we also realised the importance of training teachers using the ideals propagated by Gandhi so could pass on the education to the children they taught. The Lakshmi College of Education extends teachers the opportunity to acquire degrees like B.Ed and doctorates cater to the demand of teachers in schools in rural areas. Since the establishment of these institutions, we have been able to educate hundreds of children and teachers who, in turn, have gone on to contribute to society in meaningful ways and propagate the teachings of Gandhi.