A future of possibilities

OneAction promotes access to quality education near Bodh Gaya, in the Indian state of Bihar, for young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. It supports the development of a free school with almost 300 students and has built a second English-speaking fee-paying partner school, enabling both schools to operate independently.

Location

Topics

Un avenir des possibles 2023 SDG - OneAction

Beneficiaries

Direct
550+ students in the two schools

Indirect
2’000+ members of students’ families

Impact

250+ students benefit from reduced tuition fees at Gyan International School

83% of students are from disadvantaged castes

80% of students pursue higher education

300+ students receive free education at Gyan Niketan school

Context

With its population of over 100 million people, Bihar is one of the most populous, dense, poor and conservative states in India. Close to 98% of the population lives in rural areas, 34% lives below the poverty line, and a large proportion belongs to the lowest castes, including the Dalits – formerly known as ‘untouchables’. Half of Bihar’s population is under 20 years of age and the unemployment rate among 15-30 year olds is 17.5%, partly due to limited access to education and training. Indeed, more than 15% of students in Bihar drop out of school after 5 years of primary education and the illiteracy rate is the highest in the country (36%), especially in Gaya district (45%). In Bodh Gaya, many children from the lowest castes, including young Dalits who represent 15% of the State’s population, are marginalised and excluded from any school education.

Our partner

Un avenir des possibles 2013 Eleves 9 - OneAction

Since 2012, OneAction has been working with the Indian NGO A future of children in Bodhgaya society. Brajesh Kumar, its director, has a degree in education. He has been involved in local society for almost 20 years, strengthening the education system for children and young people in Bodh Gaya and its surroundings. Brajesh founded the NGO in 2004 when he established the Gyan Niketan School, providing free education to about 300 Dalit students, aged 3-16 years old, who previously had no access to education. Brajesh Kumar is also the managing director of the English-speaking school.

The project

Since 2012, OneAction has been supporting the Gyan Niketan School in providing new educational opportunities for its 300 students and improving their well-being. In particular, OneAction has contributed to the smooth running of the school, the development of its infrastructure, as well as efforts to combat malnutrition with its One Meal a Day programme, which provides a balanced daily meal to all students.

To help the school become more self-sufficient, OneAction has also worked to create, fund and build a second primary school: Gyan International School. This school, which is not free of charge, offers local youth a quality English-speaking education at prices that are much more affordable than the existing offer in the region.

The school’s objectives are thus to offer new prospects for young people from lower castes, as well as to cover a large part of the costs of the free Gyan Niketan school. The school will eventually accommodate more than 300 children who will attend two years of kindergarten and eight years of primary school. In addition to traditional classes, the school offers art and sports activities, as well as group reflection sessions, workshops on non-violent communication and extracurricular activities such as yoga and meditation. In addition, the pedagogical team advises students on the continuation of their education through the establishment of a career guidance office. In its fifth year of operation, the school is expected to generate enough income to cover its operating costs and a significant portion of the Gyan Niketan School’s One Meal a Day programme.

The project in figures

250+

Students enrolled in the new school

83%

Students from disadvantaged castes

300+

Students benefit from free education at Gyan Niketan school

10 teaching grades

90%

Students who will pursue higher education

100%

Operational costs covered by project revenues

Expected outcomes

A new English-speaking school is built with all the necessary equipment.
Access to quality English-language education is facilitated for children from disadvantaged castes thanks to a more affordable price.
The English school offers quality education to more than 250 students in 3 kindergarten classes and grades 1 to 8.
80% of the students complete their final year and continue their studies.
In addition to the traditional classes, there are art and sports activities, as well as group discussions on happiness, non-violent communication and conflict resolution.
By the fifth year of operation, the school is self-sufficient and is gradually generating funds to cover part of the running costs of the free Gyan Niketan School.

Sustainability

Young people from the lowest castes are given the tools to break out of poverty, integrate into society and thus improve their lives in the long term.
The new school is projected to be self-sustaining by the year 2025 and will generate funds to cover the One Meal a Day programme, which provides a balanced daily meal to all students at the free Gyan Niketan School.
OneAction gradually withdraws from the management of Gyan Internation School after a strategy with the local partner is put in place to ensure quality and long-term impact.

"I am very happy to be able to offer quality education to very low income families. I have seen smiles and hope on the faces of many students, happy to receive an education that will allow them to dream further. Thank you to OneAction and its team."

— Brajesh Kumar, Director of Gyan Niketan School and Gyan International School

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Our projects

Together with its partners, OneAction develops initiatives to protect nature and empower communities. These initiatives are designed to be holistic, sustainable and locally owned. In most cases, self-financing mechanisms are included in order to create models that can be replicated in different contexts.