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Design of a new project
Women’s development by forming a link from informal to formal education

Especially for the graduate students of L.E.C. we are now proposing a new project: a scholarship-fund to help the graduate students to finish their formal studies, doing their exams, and initializing further vocational training they had to leave behind. As there has been a big gap in upgrading their skills and knowledge in formal education, we want to help them in getting into the habit of studying and how to handle the stress and tension of doing exams.

L.E.C. wants to give them the support which is lacking at their homes and in their families. Not only in funding studies and exam-fees, but also in encouraging preparing exams & study in L.E.C., encouraging the parents to get the necessary commitment for their daughters to do these studies. In contrast with the broken-off formal learning, these studies are motivated by the students themselves, by freedom and choice. As a result they will experience a greater involvement in community and political life. It will lead to more independence and full-or part-time employment which suits their skills, knowledge and talents. When entering their first menstrual-phase many of these students had to leave school before being able to do their final exams.

After this, entering in L.E.C. they gradually became aware of their real aims in life. Now, after the first ‘empowerment-year’ in L.E.C., we are keen to help them to use the skills and talents they discovered, and not to let them fall into the traps of prevailing patterns of lethargy in the family & village.
Parents play a critical role in promoting success through encouragement and involvement in their children. As increasing commitment of the parents in this stage is needed, we will offer counseling to the parents and other primary caregivers to improve their understanding and awareness to support their children. In this new project, especially designed for graduate students, we are focusing on enabling them to finish their formal education in 11th and/or 12th standard, and doing a further vocational training for which they strive.

Crew:
Zerina – Coordinator
Harini – Executive
Marijke – Executive

Teaching staff:
Sylvia – English

Amar – English
Elizabeth – Fashion Design
Susmita – Teacher Training
Lisa – Auroville Liaison

Contact:
Zerina:
zerina@auroville.org.in
Harini:
harini@auroville.org.in
Marijke:
margeen@auroville.org.in

Situated in Tamil Nadu in South India, near Pondicherry, Auroville is an experimental laboratory in the evolution of mankind. One of the many aims of Auroville is to promote development in the local bioregion – be it environment, technology, material and social change, leading towards a change in consciousness.
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We will do that by:
  1. 1. Making scholarship contracts with the student and the parents for the time the course/preparations of exams take to make clear the commitment on both sides.
  2. 2. Collecting the data about the progress of the students who are using the education fund, starting from the first day till end of the project-year.
  3. 3. Starting research on these students if this education really leads to boost their results in the total education/awareness-programme that L.E.C. offers.
  4. 4. Starting research on these students if this education really leads to employment.

To what this all leads: for the girls:
  • - employment;
  • - being more independent;
  • - being able to face the world they are living in.

    For L.E.C.:
    • To investigate further the research question:
    whether the impact of awareness improves access, quality and effectiveness of value oriented education and vocational training for the students and if it increases social sustainability due to raised empowerment and capacity to improve their socio-economic conditions.
    We in Life Education Centre believe in that the transformation of the prevailing social discrimination against women should happen concurrently with increased direct action to rapidly improve the social and economic status of women.
    • As women receive greater education and training, they will earn more money.
    • As women earn more money - as has been repeatedly shown - they spend it in the further education and health of their children.
    • As women rise in economic status, they will gain greater social standing in the household and the village, and will have greater voice.
    • As women gain influence and consciousness, they will make stronger claims to their entitlements - gaining further training, better access to credit and higher incomes - and command attention of police and courts when attacked.
    • As women’s economic power grows, it will be easier to overcome the tradition of “son preference” and thus put an end to the evil of dowry.
    • As son preference declines and acceptance of violence declines, families will be more likely to educate their daughters, and age of marriage will rise.
    • As women are better nourished and marry later, they will be healthier, more productive, and will give birth to healthier babi.
  
   
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