School
The Mahakavi Bharathiyar Higher Secondary School at Kasuva centre is a free school with classes from Balwadi (Pre-KG) up to Std XII for children from Sevalaya’s Home for destitute children as well as underprivileged children from nearby 40+ villages in Thiruvallur District. The children are provided with quality education completely free of cost and they are also provided with textbooks, notebooks and uniforms. Transport to and from the school is also free for primary school children.
Montessori system of education is adopted in the Pre Primary and Primary school. Sevalaya’s school is one of the very few schools in the state to offer Montessori Method of education in Tamil medium. The Montessori section is well equipped with the necessary learning tools and the teachers are well trained in this methodology.
The children are exposed to the teachings of Mahakavi Bharathiyar, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda who remain our source of inspiration. It is a matter of pride that none of our alumni are unemployed. This is all the more meaningful given the rural area in which we are located.
The school has well ventilated and spacious classrooms, well equipped science laboratories and a computer lab. The primary school is housed in a separate building. Smart classrooms are a unique feature in the school.
Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Science centre provides opportunities for the students to learn Science through practical experiments. The centre is open to students from the neighbouring Govt. schools also.
There is lot of investment in extracurricular activities for the students to ensure all round growth. Yoga and physical fitness activities are part of the regular curriculum.
Sevalaya has a comprehensive sports talent search scheme that evaluates each student. The promising ones are identified, selected and given rigorous training. Students are also given opportunity to get trained in sports including Handball, Basketball, Volleyball, and Athletics, and encouraged to participate in various District, State and National Level events. Special nutritious food is provided to the students participating in Sports training and events. Sevalaya has a well-equipped Sports fitness centre at the Kasuva campus.
Many students are able to get admission for higher studies in colleges in the Sports quota with fee waivers based on their achievements in Sports.
Community College
Sevalaya runs Community Colleges, offering courses in various trades. These provide a ray of hope for rural youth (mostly aged 18 and above) who otherwise would not have had access to higher education. By offering free courses, such as Tailoring, Nursing, Baking, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration mechanic, Lab technician, Electrician, Beautician, Computer courses, E-Publishing and Tally, Sevalaya aims to uplift unemployed and unskilled young people out of poverty’s reach.
In addition to skill training, beneficiaries are also taught soft skills, such as interview etiquette and functional English. Partnerships with companies are also nurtured; industry experts are invited to give guest lectures and real world advice. Industrial visits, internships, and placements are an integral part of these colleges. Regardless of lack of formal education, or personal circumstance, Sevalaya takes pride in helping young people realise their full potential.
Library
Swami Vivekananda library at Kasuva centre of over 25,000+ volumes of valuable books including the complete works of Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Mahakavi Bharathiyar.
There are also books on various topics like self-improvement, physical and biological Science s, computers, engineering and many other topics.
There is a library period for each class, where children are taken to the library and are encouraged to read age appropriate books. Besides students and staff, over a number of students from nearby colleges and local villages also have free access to the library.
The library is open to college students and people in the surrounding villages. The library services are free of charges without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion etc. like all of Sevalaya’s services.
BGV Activities
Sevalaya was set up with the Vision to make a Change for the better in the communities we serve, with inspiration drawn from the great thinkers – Bharathiyar, Gandhi and Vivekananda (BGV). Sevalaya has a dedicated unit to handle all activities to propagate the teachings of BGV and related works.
Sevalaya has taken up the initiative to instill the values as propounded by these three great men of our country. There are regular sessions on value education with snippets from the lives of BGV as part of the regular curriculum for the students of the School as well as at the Community colleges. Over 1 lacs beneficiaries in and around Tamilnadu and Puducherry.
The culture and way of work for the staff members of Sevalaya are also based on the values instilled by these thinkers. There is a daily quiz on various facets from the teachings and lives of BGV which also helps reiterate the learning amongst the employees.
The BGV sessions are also extended to the communities in rural areas as part of various outreach activities – regular sessions are conducted for students in Government schools apart from value sessions to villagers.
The Unit also extends counselling and other services with help of incidents from the lives of BGV to help the persons overcome their challenges.
Tuition Centres
Sevalaya realized the need to support underprivileged children to help improve their performance in academics. Many of the children who go to Government schools do not find support at their homes to complete their school assignments. This may be due to the literacy levels of parents, financial circumstances, and even lack of proper home environment. The Tuition centres have been set up in various locations to provide assistance to the children to work on the school assignments along with additional inputs to improve their overall learning potential.
For two hours every evening, with the help of the Tuition teacher, the children are encouraged to study and clear any doubts. Once a week, additional activities including value education sessions, fun activities are also held.
