The first Saraswati Shishu Mandir was started in Gorakhpur in 1952. At present, Vidya Bharati runs 12,094 formal schools in 682 districts of India. More than 100 of these schools are residential. More than 200 are affiliated with CBSE, and the rest are affiliated with their respective state boards. Fulfilling its social responsibility, Vidya Bharati is running more than 8000 non-formal education centres free of cost in urban slums, remote areas, tribal areas, and the Northeast region.
A new experiment, ‘School on Wheels,’ has also been started for students living in sensitive and disturbed areas, providing education to the wards of 480 refugee families living in camps in Manipur. As an essential dimension, Vidya Bharati’s special efforts have been in girls’ education for the last four decades. Generally speaking, more than 34 lakh students are currently studying in all these schools. Today, Vidya Bharati is imparting education in 20 language mediums out of the 22 languages of the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
Vidya Bharati is trying to instil educational skills and moral values among students through the efforts of about 1 lakh 37 thousand teachers. Besides school education, Vidya Bharati also runs 54 colleges and a university in higher education. Additionally, Vidya Bharati is continuously contributing to the programs of mass education and development through ITI, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, and Skill Development Centers at the school level.
Goals
With the motto “Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye”, Vidya Bharati constantly strives to contribute to developing education and teaching. With time, there is a need for continuous improvement in the quality of education and educational institutions. For this purpose, Vidya Bharati has been sharing its detailed and comprehensive working experiences with various governments on their invitation. Vidya Bharati is a society-centric and society-nurtured institution committed to creating a new generation with modern thoughts centred on Indian life values in education. The educational institutions run by Vidya Bharati are not only educational institutions but also centres of social consciousness.
Achievements
The ability of Vidya Bharati students in academic and other fields of society is reflected in the fact that 2755 students secured a place in the High School Merit List of the year 2024, and 3922 students secured a place in the Higher Secondary Merit List across the country. Sixteen alumni secured a place in the Civil Services Examination 2023. They continuously encourage forts to encourage important dimensions of education, such as scientific understanding, interest and innovation in children. The Atal Tinkering Lab Project has been established in 507 schools. Vidya Bharati alums have also made Vidya Bharati and the entire country proud by their participation in various fields of society. Significant achievements like the participation of 9 alums of Vidya Bharati in the lead team of Mission- Chandrayaan are examples. Currently, 9,33,209 alumni are registered on the alum portal. Vidya Bharati alums are working in almost every field of society.
Innovative Practices
Vidya Bharati has also set up some institutions to develop educational quality, mainly ‘Vidvat Parishad’, which works as the Academic Council of Vidya Bharati. Problem-solving and future strategies are discussed through seminars and discussions on various educational subjects. The Bharatiya Shiksha Shodh Sansthan, Lucknow, implements and researches new education subjects. Manak Parishad System on School Enrichment and Quality (SESQ) sets the standards for the quality of schools and ‘Prashikshan’ – in which teachers are given training on teaching style and other subjects before and after appointment. Other important innovations include the Science Fair, Mathematics Fair, and All India Cultural Festival, which Vidya Bharati organised.
Implementation of National Education Policy- 2020 (NEP 2020)
Vidya Bharati is already working on the suggestion of starting education from childhood through BALVATIKA as per the format of 5-3-3-4 of the National Education Policy 2020. SHISHU VATIKA, run by Vidya Bharati, has been incorporating a school-based education system without bags, examinations, homework, or stress. As per the National Education Policy, appropriate steps are being taken to develop a curriculum in accordance with the National Curriculum for early childhood care and school education.
The Way Ahead: To Reach the Unreached
In the coming years, Vidya Bharati will focus on intensifying its work in areas where education is needed—the hilly regions, the tribal areas, the coastal belts, and along the international border lines—so that the people living in such remote areas may also come forward to join the national mainstream.
