Framework for establishment of non-profit oriented rural educational system

Abstract

1) To document and analyze the founding and growth of Manjakudi education system. 2) To develop a replicable framework for establishment of a non-profit oriented educational infrastructure in rural areas. 3) To propose recommendations to the Manjakudi school management for improving their current model. With close to 70% India’s population living in rural areas, literacy and education in these places are important elements of a nation’s development. Ever since independence we have made reasonable progress on these counts. However, the large and growing population in the country demands more attention into this aspect. In recent years there have been a few successful models in addressing the issue of providing high quality and affordable education to the rural people. One successful example in Tamil Nadu is the series of interventions in Manjakudi (a village about 80 kms from Tanjore), which we refer as the Manjakudi Model. For a small village of around 1500 persons the educational infrastructure in the area brings in over 7000 students every day to expand their knowledge. If this particular case could be converted to a replicable model, it can benefit a large section of the society. The project aims at developing a framework for establishment of such infrastructure in rural areas. Field experience has shown a very positive impact on the education levels of the young people, particularly girls in these surrounding villages. It appears that in the surrounding 28 or 30 villages, there is no girl child without high school education. Currently the operations are sustained through donations. It is important to include this aspect of financial dependence while designing the framework so as to present a holistic picture. Methodology: The project concentrated on analyzing the current education system at Manjakudi village and creating a framework based on field data, interviews etc. It was interesting and challenging to develop a sustainable & replicable framework that is founded on the principles of non-profit. Based on the above research, a framework for educational infrastructure was developed that could benefit many other rural areas in India. The project team met the resource persons in the village and collected data on various aspects of the system. From the collected data, personal interviews and existing reports the model was formally documented.