Aseema

A COMMON VISION

Making high quality & value-based education accessible to children of all backgrounds, with a holistic approach to child development.

WHat THEY DO

Aseema runs three schools in Mumbai in partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and one school for tribal children in Igatpuri, in rural Maharashtra.

Aseema set up Bal Shaikshanik Kendra in Igatpuri with a view to providing education for tribal children from the neighbouring areas. The school boasts facilities like a library, indoor & outdoor sports premises, a multipurpose hall, a dining hall and medical room.

They provide healthy meals that are made at the school kitchen to tackle the issue of malnutrition amongst their students. Vocational training and counselling are available to the students on campus. Aseema also set up a Community Work Cell to engage with the children’s families, to understand the challenges faced by them, to encourage them to keep the children in school, to involve parents in their progress, and to deal with health and medical requirements.

Dance and drama

Classical music

Arithmetic in practice

Experimenting with science

CORNERSTONES

Aseema’s education program and teaching methods are influenced by the Montessori approach to help the children learn independently and experientially on the principles of curiosity, awareness/observation, exploration & action. The pre-primary class, Jal, enrolls children aged 2.5 to 6 years so that young children are not measured against narrow age-specific developmental markers.

They look at child development from all sides – education, nutrition, health & well-being, future livelihoods and their communities – thereby giving their students a strong foundation from which they can achieve a better quality of life.

Developing with your body

Harnessing your senses

Understanding concepts, instead of mugging

Learning with colour

Using the mind and body in unison

Being organised and methodical

A balanced and nutritious diet

Happiness is the key ingredient

Independent & self-reliant from an early age

ADDING VALUE

Bansuri has supported their pre-primary program, Jal and we have also funded their Community Work Cell in the past. In that time, a health and nutrition assessment survey found that issues arising from traditional smoke chulas were instrumental in keeping the children from school. Bansuri was able to step in immediately and sponsor replacement smokeless chulas.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Aseema has worked closely with the communities to increase enrolments and to retain these first-generation learners. They have achieved an average attendance of 72% over a five year period.