Dr. Ravi Kumar Gupta
Dr. Ravi Kumar Gupta has done his graduation from "UCMS Delhi University" and his post-graduation MD in Radio Diagnosis from Safdarjung Hospital. Dr. Ravi Kumar Gupta has an experience of around 35 Years.
Born out of a vision of Dr Ravi Gupta to empower and uplift lives, Saral Gyan was established in asso- ciation with Nav Foundation. Dr Ravi Gupta himself coming from a very modest family has always believed in the potential of formal education and knowledge in transforming lives. The beginning of Saral Gyan School was made in the year 2008 with the opening of a non-formal school in a hut for the small and young children of Murti makers residing in a cluster of huts at Harsh Dev Park, Sector 23, Rohini. Nobody in the families of this nomadic tribe had ever gone to a school as every member of the family is involved in the craft of Murti-making and selling. It was a formidable task to convince the leader of the community and the craftsmen about the benefits of education and to send their kids to school. Nevertheless, it was taken as a challenge by us.
The sky was our ceiling and the streets, our playground. Limitless. The emphasis was on making the children learn 3 R's, personal hygiene, nutrition and health.
The Regular classes were scheduled from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm for various groups of children depen- ding upon their availability. Within six months the number of children grew up from a meagre 5 to 60 who happened to be the first generations in their entire family clans to have attended a school.
Saral Gyan is a ray of light and hopes to better lives. With tender love and care, the children are holistically groomed. They blossom because that's how they do!
There are 320+ students at present and more than 1200 students have benefitted.
This happened because we don't let any child easily drop out and instead try to address the academic needs of the child, this practice not only drew more children of the cluster but also children of neighbouring localities who were going to the regular Municipal schools. The swelling number of students compelled expansion into two branches of non-formal school one in Sector 23 and one in Sector 25 Rohini
The students are a heterogeneous mix of regular school-going children and children not been to any school. They are in the age groups of 2.5-16 years and represent varying levels of knowledge. In order to address the multiplicity of needs and expectations of beneficiaries, Saral Gyan initiatives now include:
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Preparatory School
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School Ke Baad School
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Adult Education.
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Quality Education is our prime objective therefore, great emphasis is laid on the holistic development of these students by imparting academic education through funfilled and joyful learning experiences.
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Helping them develop good value system, interpersonal skills is equally stressed so that they can appreciate acquiring habits, skills and attitude which characterize an individual who is socially accepted and adjusted.
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Self-defence taekwondo training by a professional is imparted to all students.
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Every year the school organizes Annual Day, Sports Day and Annual picnic, Festival of all religions with all the National festivals are celebrated with gusto. These events provide students with the opportunity to showcase their talent and learn the importance of Punctuality, Discipline, working together in teams etc.
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A culture of transparency, mutual trust, open communication are encouraged.
All children in the age group of 2.6 to 5 years are taught elementary Hindi English Arithmetic and are prepared to take admission in regular schools.
Children are encouraged to learn the 3 R's.
It was observed that children of class six onwards going to regular schools were deficient in their learning of subjects like basics of Arithmetic, Science, English, Hindi etc. The deficiency may lead to their dropping out of school due to poor performance or no learning. For such students, Saral Gyan conducts regular classes and teach them the basics of the subjects from the level of class 3 onwards. This effort has been extremely suc- cessful and the students have shown marked improvement in retaining their interest in education.
EEducation and learning hold little value if they do not enhance the quality of life by increasing an individual's earning potential. With this understanding, Skill Development Programmes were initiated in 2013 to equip individuals—especially women and students—with practical, income-generating skills.
These programmes include Computer Literacy for students, a six-month Cutting and Tailoring Course for women, Mehndi Application training, and the creation of Diwali artefacts by trained professionals. A Beauty and Culture Training Programme was also introduced. These initiatives have been highly successful, with many women now regularly engaged in tailoring and mehndi services, enabling them to earn a sustainable income and gain financial independence.
Keeping in mind the limitations imposed by the realities of our systems we aim to supplement and work in synergy with existing Government and other initiatives in pro- viding education to the underprivileged. We plan to scale your model of non-formal education to other slums of Rohini and adjoining areas. Getting accreditation for your skill program is our priority. Prepare children for competitive exams for higher studies.
