The schools in India have enjoyed rich traditions in the ancient history of education. The Vedic-age “Gurukul” (schools) that opened their doors for admission to all strata of society, followed a structured curriculum in the teaching of religion, scriptures, philosophy, literature, warfare, medicine, astrology and gave importance to activities like yoga, meditation, mantra chanting and art that generated positivity.

Today, the schools in rural India are found struggling, with faculty inefficiencies, lack of infrastructure, and absence of value-based and holistic learning. 500 million people aged 15 to 24 years in India are enrolled in secondary, higher education, yet the literacy rate is only 69.3%.  Lack of quality education in India has led to poor outcomes in the economy, politics, social well-being and the  markets. While school enrolment rates are  significant, there is a gap in digital literacy.

The present project reviews the current status of schools in rural India by drawing a national picture substantiated with field observations and interviews [1] in the rural villages of Uttar Pradesh, India in order to examine the realities on the ground and to develop an understanding of the different contexts in which rural schools function.

Through our project, Gurukul on Wheels (GROW), we aim to solve this  prevalent and massive problem of education inequality worldwide. GROW is a distributed network of mobile classrooms with interdisciplinary expert  teachers travelling across the country, to increasingly dissolve the urban-rural divide and fostering unity among students, while promoting cross-cultural learning.

Our project offers 3 prominent features:
1. Firstly,
Our diverse experienced gurus (teacher) offer multidisciplinary, holistic education through specialised masterclasses and elective courses. 

2. Secondly,
Inspired by the ancient Indian Gurukul system, we prioritise experiential learning both indoors but also  outdoors in nature. Practical teachings take precedence over theoretical concepts, with ethical values, a strong moral  foundation and the art of living. 

3. Third: 
Our mobile classrooms utilise solar-powered Vehicles, bringing electricity to remote corners on earth. Equipped with wifi, e-learning tools, and AI-gamification.


Reference:
[1] Mr. Pratham Singh (Professional cricketer and Founder of ASP Vidyapeeth, a non profit educational institution in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India) in discussion with the authors at New Delhi, India, December, 2023.