Programs
- M. Tech. in Automotive Engineering -
- Clinical Fellowship in Laboratory Genetics & Genomics - Fellowship
Amrita RITE supports education through tablet-based tutoring classes at afterschool education centers in rural Indian villages adopted by the parent NGO, M.A. Math. The program is active in 41 centers in remote,rural locations in 21 states of India. Tablets are a sustainable, low cost option for bridging the digital divide in areas of poor internet access and inconsistent electricity.
Education and Literacy
India’s rich diversity in the form of language, culture and customs is a formidable challenge to achieving uniform, inclusive education and literacy for students and adults.
Computer literacy for tribal and indigenous people of the Kerala state is provided through tablets through the Basic Computer Awareness course on tablets in their regional language.
Consistent teacher training and monitoring is the cornerstone of a good education system. Amrita RITE organizes regular training of rural teachers employed in all our Village Education Centers. Health and socialawareness is a component that our teachers teach not only to their students, but also to the parents and the extended village community.
To ensure sustainability through local buy-in and job generation, the most educated people in the village community are selected and trained and employed as education center teachers. Often we offer this employment to most educated girls in the village, thus empowering them within the community.
In the words of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, the main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart.
Amrita Yoga and Integrated Amrita Meditation (IAM) Technique is together part of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Curriculum at Amritapuri Campus for all our students.
Amrita Yoga aims to enhance one’s awareness and improve physical strength, mental equanimity, and enhanced awareness of their hidden abilities.
Students are encouraged to continuously apply experiences and insights gained on the yoga mat into their daily life by consciously witnessing themselves, accepting the different situations they encounter, and reflecting on their reactions.
Yoga and meditation are regular features of the Village Education Centers. Meditation is incorporated into the daily routine at the beginning of every class to help students focus on the academic tasks ahead. Yoga is done every Sunday led by teachers trained in a month-long yoga workshop at Amritapuri.
Teachers incorporate fun activities such as ‘Kids Yoga’ to retain attention or to regroup after a lesson. Based on yoga techniques, the Kid yoga exercises connect the right brain and left brain, increasing student attention
and concentration.
When children are made aware, the community will eventually become aware,” says Chancellor Amma.This is the vision behind Amrita Education Centers and the reason why they have become the centre, the heart, of the village
Special events and traditions are celebrated in the village. Along with preserving the local cultural heritage, the purpose of building awareness is also sought.
“Azad Bharat, Saakshar Gaon” (Independent India, Literate Villages) was the theme for 2015 in Amma’s villages on India’s 68th Independence Day. In many villages, the adult literacy program received a shot in the arm as children resolved to teach a family member to read and write.
The festival of Raksha Bandhan was celebrated in many villages with protecting the environment as the theme, with villagers tying protective bands around a tree or plant, vowing to protect it like a brother or sister.
During the harvest festival celebrated throughout India, children everywhere were encouraged to plant a tree sapling. In the year 2016 alone, 200, 000 saplings have been planted to date.
Having villagers taking pride and ownership in local village traditions and customs is another step towards self-empowerment. Indian culture and heritage is best seen in small villages like Harirampura in Rajasthan, where the spirit of service, hospitality and brotherhood is part of everyday life.
One of the ways Amrita Education Centers strengthens the value system among children in the village is by teaching them to respect elders in the village, especially women.
Rajesh Meena, RITE teacher at Harirampura, Rajastan, where gender inequality is very high, has introduced a monthly tradition- an elderly woman in the village is felicitated by the young children in the village.
AAA Program was born out of Amma’s vision to keep children from losing their way by teaching them about the evils of substance abuse, human trafficking and mobile and internet misuse. Today, the program also uses the medium of the ambassadors to educate children and adolescents on the gender equality and adolescent health.
Awareness ambassadors are usually high school students- both boys and girls- selected from the school in the village and are trained to teach their peers and juniors through activities and presentations. Not only does it raise the self esteem of the ambassadors, the efficacy of the program also lies in the fact that children are more open to learning from their peers and the seniors that they look up to.
The program has been deployed in two tribal districts in Kerala- Valaramkunnu Village, Wayanad district, and Komalikkudi Village, Idukki district, as well as in Kodur village in Medak district of Telengana and has impacted an approximate 800 students and three village community populations
They touch the elder’s feet, garland her and present her with a new set of clothes. Both generations benefit as the elderly feel cherished and the young learn an important lesson in respecting their older generations