Jeevana Shaale, an alternative education model, aims to bridge gap between formal schooling and real-world needs 

Students at Jeevana Shaale are imparted sustainable skills relevant to rural areas, like the bull-driven oil extraction process.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A student of Jeevana Shaale near Melkote, learning traditional weaving skills.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Far from the hustle and bustle of modern life, where conventional education often overlooks practical skills, a unique initiative is under way to empower village youth with sustainable, hands-on expertise, as an effort to bridge the gap between formal schooling and real-world needs.

Located in Uligere village, about six km from Melkote in Mandya district and off the Melkote-Chinakurali Road, Jeevana Shaale – Life School – run by the Janapada Seva Trust, offers an alternative education model focused on traditional knowledge and skills.

Jeevana Shale caters to adolescents aged 14 to 18, and this initiative moves away from textbook-driven learning, with a focus on real-world skills that are relevant to the local needs and foster self-sufficiency, said Sumanas Koulagi of the Janapada Seva Trust, who has initiated the programme.

A vision rooted in sustainability

The trust was founded in the 1960s and is rooted in the concepts of non-violence, sustainability, and exploitation-free living inspired by the vision of Mahatma Gandhi. It has expounded these ideals for more than six decades through a slew of projects, and its latest endeavor, Jeevana Shaale, was launched in 2023.

“This is an initiative to create and acknowledge knowledge democracy where practical skills hold equal value to academic achievements. In the conventional education system, traditional knowledge is not recognised,” Dr. Koulagi said.

For example, farmers may not have a university degree, but their understanding and knowledge of farming is total, and they are still dubbed as illiterate. This is due to the inequality surrounding recognition of knowledge. And the new initiative is an effort to recognise the traditional knowledge, Dr. Koulagi said.

With seven students currently enrolled, and there are plans to expand the strength, the programme challenges the conventional belief that literacy, as defined by schools and universities, is the sole measure of education. It seeks to restore recognition to the vast traditional wisdom of various skilled communities.

The Jeevana Shaale’s curriculum is structured around core principles that include knowledge democracy, livelihood, physical labour, and holistic development.

Dr. Koulagi said sustainability at Jeevana Shaale is rooted in meaningful labour, and students spend four hours daily engaged in organic farming, hand weaving, natural dyeing, and bull-driven oil extraction. There is an emphasis on physical work to foster a deep connection with nature and infuse a sense of responsibility, and students also receive a small stipend for their efforts.

Strengthening language skills – Kannada and English, an hour of spinning the Charakha to cultivate mindfulness, kitchen gardening, and environmental education are among the other components of education under this initiative. At the end of four years, students will have multiple options and can continue to work with Janapada Seva Trust and its initiatives or join a network of social enterprises that prioritise sustainable living, Dr. Koulagi said.

Representing a pioneering initiative toward a sustainable and equitable future, it has the potential to inspire similar efforts elsewhere. That it is evoking curiosity and interest is also a reflection of the society’s growing acceptance of the need for such transformative approaches.