AIREP

AIREP is a “swayambhoo” activity (just like an open source movement in IT) encouraging participation by any person, institute, and/or organization, who would like to join and promote the concept of VolunTeaching (teaching voluntarily)

The objective of AIREP is: “To empower rural populace by developing a teachable point of view that promotes innovative ways of sharing knowledge and resources”

The concept is simple. Let the educated come forward to teach voluntarily.

According to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008 - it shall be the duty of every parent or guardian to admit the child to a neighbourhood school for elementary and every child in the 6-14 age groups will be eligible for free education. Seeking to carry out radical changes in the primary education pattern this bill promises free and compulsory education for children between 6 and 14. That is for the law and for the records.

The issue is how it can be effectively executed.

There are more than 330 million children under the age of 15 in India, waiting to get educated. It would be a colossal task for any government to effectively educate all these children without the help of the citizens. One of the possible solutions is by encouraging the educated citizens of our country to teach those children who have limited access to education infrastructure. More numbers of such children are in rural areas of India. VounTeacher – The Concept

As the name itself suggests, someone who wishes to teach voluntarily, is a VounTeacher. Actually, as per the classic Indian tradition, teaching always was voluntary. However, the current age has its own set of principles and in today’s times, teaching is considered a profession. However, we believe that, teaching to primary children could be out of the professional boundaries.

Avbodh IQG Rural Empowerment Program (AIREP) is evolved around VolunTeaching in villages. That is, let the educated people teach village children. That too by going to the village schools 3 days in a week, during and/or after the school hours. We have been doing this for almost two years now and it has already shown excellent results. AIREP is a program and not an organization. We invite individuals, institutes, corporate, NGOs, government bodies; everyone to join this philosophy and help empower those who wish to live a quality life.

Avbodh-IQG Initiative

Avbodh Knowledge Foundation has teamed up with Innovative Quality Group with the primary aim of making learning a joy in villages located near the city of Ahmedabad. The effort is steadily growing and is led by Ravin Vyas of Avbodh, who has the strong support of a dedicated team. Even more so after joining forces with Innovative Quality Group’s Spirit Evolves via Awareness (SEVA) Project, led by Ms. Hiral Mehta, their mission is to improve the overall quality of life, focusing mainly on rural areas of India. IQG was founded in Boston, USA in 1997 and has gone from strength to strength over the past few years in Gujarat.

Innovative Quality Group - Spirit Evolves via Awareness (SEVA) Project have chosen 4 rural villages near Ahmedabad; Paldi Kankrej, Miroli, Timba and Naaz and have been in operation for the past 3 years. Ever since then, they have been working alongside with the children of the villages. Although there are approximately about 1000+ children in Paldi-Kankrej, it took 6 months (24 Sundays) to convince the parents of 120 children to attend the Sunday Classes.

Initially only 10 children from the village attended the Sunday schooling held by the IQG, they played fun filled and interactive games with them and tried to find out what they like, how they would like to study and what would be the reason they would not attend school. They also went to the schools and got the Principle and Teachers perspective to the situation.

As a result of that, kids started going to school on a regular basis and after the success of one performing art’s event organized by IQG VolunTeachers in that village, the parents also became more involved in the process of their children’s education. From then onwards, the interaction with the children and the local villagers formed a good bond & trust amongst each other.

The children were taught yoga, fitness, prayer, hygiene and enjoy studying and learning new things. The children are so eager to go to school and deserve every opportunity to be educated and allow their minds to shine. Now with more than 250 children attending the regular teaching sessions on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, the children are blossoming, from sitting in a disorganized manner they now sit in a disciplined lotus position, waiting for instructions from their volunteachers.