Rishi Valley School: A Complete Guide

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Rishi Valley School Chittoor is a co-educational boarding school in India. Jiddu Krishnamurthi found the school in 926. The school aims at holistic education which includes academic excellence, sustainable development and community service. 

Location

The Rishi Valley School runs across 375 acres of an independent valley. The school is surrounded by ancient hills and tiny villages. The location ensures a perfect atmosphere of peace and serenity for learning. The nearest town is Madanpalle, Krishnamurti’s birthplace, in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rishi Valley is two hours from Tirupati, two and a half-hour from Bangalore and five hours from Chennai. The once drought-prone zone is now a lush forest area and the with a green cover of young trees by years of sustained reforestation and water conservation. Conserving and enhancement of the natural environment form one of the aspects of the school’s core values. In 1991, Rishi Valley School was officially declared a Bird sanctuary, by the International Council for Bird Preservation. 

Vision

According to Dr Krishnamurti, education must focus foremost on complete human development. It should maintain technological standards among students so that they can pace with the modern world. Children will only attract the right people and ideas if they have an appreciation of nature, music and drawing. Complete growth must include inward and outward goodness.

The school tries to achieve these aims by cultivating a global outlook, a love of nature and a concern for mankind. More specific goals of the educational philosophy of Rishi Valley School are:

• Educate students so that they can explore both the world and their inner being
• Inculcate a love for nature and respect for all forms of life
• Create an atmosphere of affection, order and freedom without either fear or license
• Not to condition the students in any particular belief, either religious, political or social, so that their minds may remain free to ask fundamental questions, inquire and learn.

Curriculum

Junior School:

The junior school consists of grades 4-6. The key motif of education is the social and emotional development of students. The curriculum strikes a balance and is dynamic. It provides a foundation and basic skills/ concepts in various subjects(English, Hindi, Telugu, Sanskrit, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. Teachers at the school are warm and friendly. The school motivates knowledge-based learning through exposure to nature and village visits. Parents receive a descriptive evaluation report of their child at regular intervals.

Middle School:

The school understands the importance of adolescent growth. The teachers take care of the students in dealing with the inner changes and emotional dynamics. New subjects are added to the curriculum. Students learn through classroom teaching, audiovisual methods, laboratory experiments and fieldwork. The school takes initiatives for the students to engage in discussions and think for themselves. Students with specific difficulties in subject areas get external support through a programme of extra-help. 

Senior School:

Children emerge as “young adults” in this phase, and expected to take positions of responsibility and host events. Emphasis is laid on education to prepare the students for board examinations. The Rishi Valley school introduces a general studies program at this level. The programme focuses on Environmental crisis, food security and social issues such as poverty. This give them a glimpse of the surrounding culture and values. The school offers all disciplines, with unique subjects like Carnatic music, fine arts and environmental education.

Beyond the classroom

Curriculum finds a balance with arts and craft, music, dramatics and sports. Arts forms an integral part of students’ life at the Rishi Valley School. Students sing, paint, sculpt, embroider, and learn the techniques of woodworking, dyeing, printing weaving, and embroidery. The school offers a variety of clubs ranging from astronomy to chess. The Department of Music provides instruction in vocal music, mridangam, tabla, violin and veena. The Dance Department offers instruction in Bharatnatyam style of dance. Two dances and six musical performances are scheduled each term. Concerts by visiting musicians form highlights of the school term.

The school organizes programmes on afforestation, rural health and development. Students participate in them, evolving into socially aware individuals. Every grade persuades research work in the form of projects and case studies. The school encourages Debates, forums and meetings to promote discussions. Through these programmes, students learn to think, reason better and express themselves.

Infrastructure

 The Rishi Valley School focuses on the overall development of students. Classroom learning must be combined with practical knowledge. The classrooms are large and airy. The student teachers ratio is 25:1. Besides, the school has a large sports grounds facilitating Cricket, Tennis and Football. It has a huge open assembly hall, a yoga cum activity room and laboratories. 

Residential life

Unlike most school hostels, Rishi Valley School has 20 small houses to accommodate all students. Boys and girls live in separate houses, with a mixed age of 2 grades living side by side. The teachers residing at campus act as house parents. The students and teachers develop a friendly relationship. Life at the Rishi Valley school hostel is one which teaches self-restraint, cooperation and sharing. The school does not believe in prefects, no student should have authority over another. Campus life is peaceful and dynamic.

Astrachal:

Every evening, the whole school comes together, during “Astrachal” to appreciate the changing sky. They sit in silence and quiet reflection. 

Bird Watching:

Rishi Valley School is home to nearly 200 rare varieties of birds. Being an official bird sanctuary, bird watching is a regular activity for interested students. 

Games and Sports:

Regular physical activity is compulsory for all students. The school trains its students in all major field sports like football, basketball, throwball, tennis and badminton. An annual athletics meet is organised for the development of athletic talent and prowess. Teams go to nearby schools for friendly matches. 

Crafts:

Students at the Rishi Valley School are culture driven and skilled in indigenous arts. The Arts and Crafts department is large, with facilities for teaching drawing and painting, batik and needlework, pottery and carpentry, design and construction of toys and models.

Music and Dance:

Students learn Vocal music in the Carnatic style, Veena and Violin. Well-qualified teachers take Mridangam lessons. Students learn Bharatnatyam dance along with folk dances of India. A piano teacher visits the school every fortnight to coach a limited number of students with the talent and the drive to work independently. Senior boys and girls enjoy an evening of western folk-dancing on the weekends.

Highlights of the School

Bird Studies:

Testimonials of J. Krishnamurthy, birdbaths and rare books on ornithology contribute to a long history of bird studies at Rishi Valley. The Rishi Valley Institute of bird studies and natural history aims to protect and enrich biodiversity in the Rishi Valley and conduct short term courses on ornithology. Individual courses help create an interest in birds and bird watching as a hobby. It also aims to build awareness about the greater conservation issues and environmental problems among the general public, especially the youth. Students come from all parts of the country and all walks of life for this course.

Outreach Programs:

The Rishi Valley institute offers a hand for a welfare society in all respects. The Rural Health centre covers nearly 60 villages near Chittoor and caters to nearly 22,000 patients who are below the poverty line. Patient facilities include daycare, treatment rooms and a scheme to prevent non-communicable diseases. 

Rural Valley Education Centre:

It consists of Rishi Valley Institute for Education Resources- RIVER, a residential middle school for students from nearby villages and 12 satellite schools. This programme aims at drawing children from child labour to education, promote village education, create green spaces and to raise awareness about health and sanitation. 

Conservation programs:

Rishi Valley School is not just an education centre, but a place for nature conservation and social welfare. Water Harvesting projects have been active at the school since the 1970s. Two tanks were initially dug: First, ‘Lost Lake’ which midway up the hills to the south of the campus; it helped regenerate 150 acres of a once barren hillside. The other, in the valley, serves well 3 miles downstream and has resulted in a much more prosperous farming community. Five tanks were built more recently in the valley. There are several smaller tanks to recharge wells on campus.

The conservation work is aimed at Reforesting barren hill slopes, Soil and moisture conservation, wasteland development and use of alternative energy for energy production. The efforts of the school have rendered the once-barren hillside into scrubland and forest. Moreover, there is a dairy on the campus which has a biogas plant. Methane produced in the plant meets 25% of the school’s energy requirement. The students are persuaded to participate in these sustainable and transformation initiatives.

Conclusion

The school has won several accolades for its dauntless contribution to society. The recent one is the 2011 Jindal Prize for value education.  The students of the Rishi Valley School grow up into academically strong, fit individuals who are aware of their social and ecological environment. They learn to be active citizens, contributing to the great causes of societal and environmental harmony.