When I started the series #LearnNotEducate the idea behind that was to ensure that each child realizes that his passion and interest can be a medium for him to earn! I traced stories of people who dared to dream and choose unconventional career paths and excelled at it. And now when I am talking about Climate change warriors under my #CauseAChatter series I am searching for stories of people who are working on ground zero in India to bring a change.
When I came across Akshar Foundations story on `a TV channel ‘ Yeh Mera India’ it was the perfect marriage of both these concepts and hence I had to feature them.
What is Akshar Forum?
Akshar forum is a 100 student model school in Pamohi village Assam. What makes this school special is that they take plastic waste as fee from kids! Unbelievable isn’t it? But that is what makes this school impactful. Akshar Forum asks their kids to collect 25 waste items each week and bring it to the school as fees. This plastic is then recycled and used like simple construction bricks around the school.
How is Akshar Forum different from other schools?
I found the school’s concepts unique and wonderful as they are not just working as a singular entity but their focus is to work as a community and create 100’s of eco warriors who in turn will make many more.
- They ensure that the village and surrounding areas are clean by asking children to collect plastic and bring it to school instead of burning them.
- Children learn about the harmful effects of burning plastic in their school curriculum and thereby educate more in their surroundings.
- The school has a recycling center on campus where children learn and work on recycling projects. They make eco-bricks by stuffing single use or smaller bits of plastics in the bigger bottles or containers and make eco bricks useful for small construction projects.
- They have vocational training center in school which helps students take up courses that can help them get work after schooling. These courses include solar paneling, animal shelter, landscape enterprise, organic farming and other sustainable business.
People behind it
Mazin and Parmita are the people behind it. Both of them had a vision about reforming education and making it affordable yet impactful. It was because of this vision that they came together and started this model school in Assam. They aspire to take this model across India and build 100 such schools in the next five years.
Other important things in this model worth noting
- Each student is a teacher – One of the biggest problems that Mazin and Parmita faced during their initial years was to motivate the parents to let children go to school! Parents did not want to send an earning member of their family to study. To make this lucrative they came up with this plan where older students teach younger students and earn in the form of toy currency which they can redeem at a local shop near the school.
- Younger children benefit from individual attention – As older children teach younger children, each child enjoys individual attention during studies. Similarly, older kids learn important lessons in communication and leadership.
- Customized learning – Here children do not study grade-wise. There is a lot of tech learning that is incorporated in the system and hence each child studies at his pace.
- Animal Shelter – Akshar Forum also runs an animal shelter where stray and ill animals are taken care of. Older children look after the health of these animals while younger children take care of feeding and hygiene. These animals are trained and then given for adoption.
- Vocational training – They have a lot of vocational courses built in their curriculum like carpentry, cosmetology, singing, dancing, electronics. These courses are other than the sustainable programs that they run.
Akshar Foundation and their work is widely covered across mediums. I had sent an email to them asking for an interaction; however I failed to get a response. My post is derived from all the information that is already available online.
This post is written for the Blogchatter initiative #CauseAChatter where we are writing one post a month for a cause that we believe in. I am writing about climate change warriors in India who are working at the grass root levels to fight climate change.
Akshar Forum is truly an inspiration. By taking plastic as fee, they are not only helping in recycling 100 homes but also setting the tone right for all the schools around the country to wake up to this initaitive. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for introducing us to Akshar Forum. It is heartening to see that schools are working towards making children more environmentally conscious, as this is surely the need of the hour!
Nice post
Wow this is an awesome school. I think all schools should adopt this and discipline the kids further instead of stressing on the bank balance of the parents.
It was so beautiful to learn more about Akshar Forum and how different they are from other schools. Kudos to the entire team.
This is such a nice way of making kids learn what is important for our coming future. The customized learning plans are best.
Indeed Akshar Forum is doing good work by motivating kids to collect Plastic waste and contribute to environment cleaning
This is such an inspirational post Neha, I am so glad you chose to write about them. All the schools must actually adopt these practices
That’s such a brilliant way to instill responsibility towards our environment in children. Truly commendable work. This is something schools across our country can try out too.
This is really relaxing to know that schools are taking such great initiatives to make children more environmental conscious .. Loved the post.
Climate warriors and that to young generation, then surely we are on right path. Very inspiring post to create changes for the world.
This is an amazing initiative. In fact, all schools need to teach the kids this and more. Rather than just a mock thing on one day. This certainly more sustainable than one creating a fake child personality like Greta.
Its so heartening to see the way this school has taken up the initiative. Asking kids to bring the plastics they see to school , segregate and recycle it is simply brilliant