A step in the right direction

Giving a thrust to its belief in the value of education for a girl child, Prashanthi Balamandira Trust under the guidance of Satya Sai Baba Trust has been empowering girls through free education. In the schools run by the trust girls from rural areas are taught Value education and given skill development training apart from academics. After these girls complete schooling they are offered to continue their education by perusing Intermediate course with their choice of subjects. difference of subjects thought.

As a step towards strengthening the objective, the one of its kind - only women’s residential college offering free education was inaugurated in Siddipet, Telangana State on June 1. Vijayalakshmi Bunusu, an active member of Prashathi Balamandira Trust, talks about the newly inaugurated college. 

Apart from this being a girls’college; what are the other features?
This college gives free education to girl students. It is following the tradition of the Gurukul system. This is a residential college where the students and teachers reside together. Here we provide 24 X 7 learning, it is not just informative learning but confirmation learning. Apart from academics we look at the all-round development of the student, we have music and dance room where students can learn. Yoga is a mandated course for these students. We ensure that the girls learn the old traditions like Sanskrit and Vedam. 

These students have elocution competitions and quiz programmes. We have tied up with universities abroad so that the students have a complete training given in the English language. Apart from MPC we have combined courses like maths, economics and logics. Logic is very important for civil training. We also have Advanced English, Economics and History. 

We provide training to improve speech levels in rural students to make communication easy in English. We concentrate on both academic and spiritual excellence of these students. The college is called Residential College of Human Excellence - We look at the overall development of the child right from morning 5 am until night. The students are even trained and given cooking classes by professionals.

How are the students picked for the residential college?
Here, we choose the students through an entrance exam based on class 10 syllabus. About 900 students appeared in the entrance exam from Siddipet and Hyderabad, out of which 90 students were selected after an interview. The interview of both students and parents are taken separately in order to know the financial status. If the student cannot afford to pay the mess charges, we take an initiative in providing them food. We also have 25 orphan girls, who cleared the test and got an admission into the college.  By taking less number of students we want to focus and give our best to these students and make them eligible to achieve success in life. 

What is the next level of education for these students?
We would be opening a B. Ed with a Degree College. Our aim is to produce value-based teachers and if students are interested to study further they can pursue Masters in different subjects. This would be the first Women’s University in Telangana. 

How did this concept begin?
We already have a school that runs under the Satya Sai Baba Trust. The students who studied in this institute at Anantapur, 20 years ago, moved across India. Among them few students came to Hyderabad, Moosapet where they taught slum students and that is where the idea began. Specifically, we planned to educate girl child because, a woman in any role can teach values and ethics to the society and family. 

How many teachers are there in this Gurukul?
They are around 15 teachers in the Gurukul. We just began the intermediate course, so we only have the first-year students. After we they move into second year, we will increase the faculty as well.