Vidya Bhawan Society was setup in 1931 to promote democratic, secular and socially meaningful education among citizens, especially in this part of the country. Vidya Bhawan over the period of time grew in to ten different institutions with required manpower and resources. Vidya Bhawan expertise lies in school-education, Teachers� Training, Education Research, College Education, Technical Education and research implementation in Agriculture, (Dairy, Poultry, Floriculture etc.).

The following institutions are functioning:

1. Vidya Bhawan School (1931)

2. Vidya Bhawan Basic School (1941)

3. V.B.G.S.Teachers Training College (IASE) 1942

4. Vidya Bhawan Rural Institute (1956)

5. Vidya Bhawan Polytechnic (1956)

6. Vidya Bhawan Krishi Vigyan Kendra (1984)

7. Vidya Bhawan Anganwadi Training Centre

8. Vidya Bhawan Secondary School Jhamar Kotra (1987)

9. Vidya Bhawan Education Centre (1995)

10. V.B. Institute of Local Self Government and Responsible Citizenship (1997)

11. Vidya Bhawan English Medium Public School (2001)

Vidya Bhawan Education Centre:
The centre has begun to define its identity since it started in 1995. The centre provides opportunities for cross fertilization of ideas and sharing of experiences among Vidya Bhawan institutions. Gradually it become a resources centre and started working on the issues of school - education, especially primary education, in collaboration with institutions like DIETs, DPEP, EETRN, IGNO Plan International and other NGOs. In cooperation with Lok Jumbish and Sandhan it has had written science books for lower primary and with Eklavya books for upper primary schools. With DPEP the centre has organized workshops on alternative schooling and has become a centre for providing training of trainers of some states. Under it, arranged programmes with education unit of Seva Mandir for neo-literate and para workers as well as under taken the work of evaluation and monitoring of their NFE centres. It is also a consultant of Seva Mandir�s NFE programme. Under the craft and professional centre in Jhamarkotra school started activities to equip students with ability to participate in the economy related skills of working with their hands.

Current Activities and Tasks:
(1) Developing and consolidating an Action Research Resource Centre for extending the meaning of school education (Basic Education Re-discovery Project)

Supported by Sir Ratan Tata Trust this project is in contininuation since 1997 and is in the second phase up to 2002. Through this project implemented in V.B.Basic School, bringing out institutions of V.B. Society together and having them develop and under take programmes for children as well as exploring the impact of Vidya Bhawan on the students, exploring curriculum, teacher training and other pedagogical questions in Vidya Bhawan Schools.

What we have been able to do.
As a result of working with the project the school has a greater test, it appears more open and exploring for other pedagogical ideas. The teachers of school are involved in thinking about making different disciplines, more meaningful and interesting for the child. The school is struggling with the task of developing a meaningful 10 years craft and professional training programe which will be interesting for the child and also make her develop ability to work with her mind and her hands in co-ordination. The children of the school are beginning to feel that they have an alternative possibility of finding a place in the economy if they do not get a conventional job.

In its second phase the goal was to further refine Basic School as a Resource Centre for Basic Education which links schooling with community advancement, respect for labour and development of earning capacity and set it up as a Resource Centre for child centred education through consolidation, Training, Dissemination Community development & Research.

The success attained by us in many areas has boosted the morale of the worker and has inspired them to put more efforts and has instilled confidence to work more creatively i.e. expansion of responsibilities of teachers, raised in come through sale of material products in vocational activities, generated in come from agricultural activity, commenced activity training programme in morning and evening, organised vocational activities based summer camps and overnight camps, continuing research work are a few achievements of the project. The National Council of Rural Institutes MHRD, Govt of India, has sanctioned grant for this project vide letter No. NCRI/G/21/2001 dated 01.10.2001 for the further duration of two years.

2. Sensitivity to the use of Environmental Resources and Conservation Project (UNDP) SPG (2000-2002).
The focus of the project was to initiate a process with probable long term implications for bio-diversity and climate and water conservation. In the project children worked on identifying plants and animals as well as on ways to slow down the run off of water to help it percolate to the ground over a period of time. This awareness in children could lead to action regarding areas of maintenance of bio-diversity and appreciating its importance as well as on improving the ground water situation. The project also focused on recycling and conservation.

The positive aspect of the project were that students become sensitive to the issue of environment as well as learnt to collect and analyze information. But more important then the above is the fact the teachers for the first time become sensitive to some of these concerns and shifted from mouthing platitudes to actually looking at data and commenting on it.

3. Scientific Technological Literacy Programme Project. (2000-2002) (STL) Delhi University Centre for Science Education and Communication.
Vidya Bhawan in partnership with CSES Delhi University is attempting materials to make develop materials under the UNESCO and UNICEF supported programs "How to make science more friendly particularly to girls, within the frame work of STL." It involves looking at science and technology literacy units and field testing them in schools around Udaipur region and discussing with the teachers of the schools possibilities of developing alternative materials which can be useful in providing science education related to life and based on isses where children have to take decisions for their own life related contexts. Through its work plan, centre has organized workshops, studied existing units, brain stormed on related issues, with teachers of 8-10 schools of Udaipur.

4. Cellulosic Waste Recycling Education Project - GTZ (2000-2001)
One component of the project of environmental sensitivity. was to set up a programme for raising awareness about recycling and possibility of recycling various products in the environment. The project was conceived of as an effort in which waste paper and waste material would be used to make Hand Made Paper and would involve gradually many organizations and communities, students and youths in the village. There is a curriculum that has been developed for training students for production of Hand Made Paper. The training of students who want to take it up has been going on in earnest. Many people including teachers and childrens from other schools have visited the plant and become aware of the possibility of recycling. The training of students has specific modules which involve thinking of ideas of about other aspects of recycling and conservation. As a supplementary effort we are thinking of few other activities linked to the hand made paper unit and are also considering possibilities of better communication of these ideas to the schools as well as parents of the children.

5. Centre for Safety concern SPF-GTZ Agency ( 2002-2003)
The idea of a centre for safety concern has gradually emerged. The centre would work through schools and other educational institutions and work towards sensitizing people regarding safety at home, in work place and on the road. It has started developing materials on safety concerns for children and work to wards a programme for safety consciousness in schools and sensitizing other schools. The issues of safety was shared with teachers and children in a manner that makes it live for them. It was also attempted to collect information, processes of industrial and environmental safety, to feel for and aware of the kind of issues that concern them in their lives. We are trying to take up studies with hospitals and police to organize data on accidents of different kinds to analyze them for probable causes and precautions along with thinking of systems that could help avoid accidents in various situations. It is proposed to prepare materials for different target groups materials could be in the form of speeches and recitations, charts, posters and leaflets, street plays and skits, analytic pamphlets and papers based on collected information, films and slide shows, articles in news papers, exhibitions, door to door compaign, scooter, cycle rally etc. We are trying to develop a place where there could be situations simulated like lights as on the roads, crossings, pavements and road side displays of instructions.

6. EETRN (Elementary Education Teacher�s Research Net-work) Project (99 -2001)
Vidya Bhawan Society Research Forum and Education Centre have under taken activities primarily in the area of research and evaluation, curriculum and text book development, training and documentation and dissemination for its own institutions as well as for other organisations and programs working for elementary education. Teachers and Teacher Educators from VBS schools and teachers training institutions meet regularly to share, discuss and probe issues related to classroom practices and children�s learning. Under the project EETRN we have net worked our computers in schools to set up a Internet. The schools are also linked to internet even though it is not need very much at the moment in schools. A few teachers, ministerial staff and students have been given the opportunity to work on computers and use it for sending and receiving E-mail as well as for Internet surfing. The EETRN Project focuses on encouraging teachers to reflect on the classroom processes and clarify what they want to do ahead. Vidya Bhawan decided to become a node for the project. Initially the V.B. institutions worked comparatively in isolation till the Education Centre was set up and work started on modifying the process being adopted in the institutions of VBS. Having workshops with teachers on how science could be learnt the reflecting upon the nature of science as well as discussing the issues of language teaching and maths teaching. Under these meetings text books and curriculum were analysed as were individual experiences presented by teachers as they come up in different context.

The EETRN Project give us opportunity to involve more teachers from schools in this process. In the discussions of V.B. Research Forum involving teacher educators and researcher as well as classroom teachers have both of then understand the dimensions of educational research better.

7. District Primary Education Programme:
V.B. Education Centre is working with DPEP/Ed. Cel as a resource support unit. The faculty has been involved in working with States of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, Orissa, Tamil Nadu etc. The support provided to these is varied, starting with evolving a Teachers Training module, Teachers Training, Master Trainers and Key Resource persons Training. Alternative Text Books, preparation of work sheets for children for West Bengal. The centre has also hosted work shop for the Andhra Pradesh DPEP in connection with language text books for class 3, 4, and 5th. We are right now working with them to help them develop their Maths text books and EVS Books as well. DPEP Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Orissa have also worked with us for preparation of manuscripts of Text Books, Teacher Guides, Capacity building of DIETS Faculty etc.

TSG (Coordinated by DPEP Bureau MHRD). The centre has hosted many workshops and meetings for TSG. Starting from the workshop for development of an approach to the concept of alternative schooling, development of research possiblities, resource enhancement programe for the Hindi speaking states, conceptualizing and developing the periodical "Issues of Primary Education".

The centre faculty has started the work of understanding the process and working of DPEP program in Karnataka State and also studying the impact of this programe on children, teachers and institutions involved in it.