Our School

Nirvana School provides nursery, primary and high school education to children aged 3 to 15 years old. The curriculum follows the Tamil Nadu State Board syllabus for all levels. It is an English Medium school so apart from Tamil language class, all subjects are taught in English. In addition to providing education for the local children, the school also gets involved in community work to assist local residents and other schools whenever possible.

Our Story

Nirvana Trust was launched by Mrs. Vinodini Samani in 1994 after the sudden death of her husband Mr. Pravin Samani. The couple had settled in Kottukupam, near Pondicherry, South India in 1987 after having lived in the UK for 26 years. They began tutoring local children in front of their home and hoped to open a school to give under-privileged children a high standard of education, regardless of their financial situation.

Nirvana School was formally opened in December 1995 by Mrs. Samani, fulfilling the vision she shared with her late husband. She runs the school on a purely voluntary basis, and does not take a salary or any other payment for her efforts.

The school started with only 7 children in 1995 and by 2003, had grown substantially after the completion of an extension. Currently the school has over 500 students, aged 3 to 15. Classes are taught from pre-kindergarten to 10th standard with the subjects of English, Tamil, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Art and Sports.

Thanks to the generous support of people all over the world, Nirvana School has been able to provide nursery, primary and high school education to over 1875 students since 1995.

Our Mission

To give underprivileged children from the local community the opportunity of almost free education in a privately run school offering a high standard of education and personal development.

Our Goals

For our students

  • To provide a high standard of education for local children from nursery school to high school
  • To follow a Government-approved state board curriculum, emphasizing English in all subjects to enable the children to communicate globally
  • To charge only a nominal monthly fee so as to enable the poorest children to attend the school, without having the parents depend on charity
  • To provide educational assistance and financial support to top students to continue onto higher education
  • To organize evening coaching classes for children
  • To encourage young students from around the world to actively participate in the education of Nirvana School children
  • To provide basic evening computer classes with certification free of charge

For our teachers

  • To provide employment opportunities with a good salary for quality teachers and nursery assistants
  • To provide a unique opportunity for volunteer students and teachers from around the world to exchange experiences
  • To give Nirvana School teachers the opportunity to communicate with people from different countries and cultures

For our community

  • To distribute basic foodstuffs such as rice, sugar, oil, bread and other supplies to the poorest families in the area
  • To assist with donations to nearby orphanages and homes for the aged
  • To hold free eye clinics and finance eye operations for local residents when needed
  • To help local cow owners by supplying special high protein food for the cows which helps in better milk production
  • To help local villagers in any way possible during the rainy season and in emergency situations such as flood and fire
  • To provide jobs to labour workers
  • To help upgrade living standards for the local people 

The Structure of Our School

The students

The majority of the children that attend the school are from Kottakuppam – a large town that houses many smaller villages, with a few students from Pondicherry. Most of the parents in the community are uneducated and the men are usually fishermen, labourers and stone-masons. The majority of the population is Hindu with some Muslim families, and the main language is Tamil.

Most of the children that live in this area wouldn’t be able to enter into other government schools due to over-crowding. And if they did, they wouldn’t get the same standard of English education or the same level of attention they receive at Nirvana.

Nursery School

The nursery school is where it all starts, teaching Pre-kindergarten to Upper Kindergarten to children aged 2 and a half to 4 years old. The nursery school classes focus on activity-based education.

Primary School

Primary school includes standards 1 to 5 for children aged 5 to 10 years old. Children are taught the main subjects plus extra-curricular activities such as computers, visual arts and library reading.

High School

The High school offers standards 6 to 10 to children aged 11 to 15 years old. The main subjects are: Tamil, English, Maths, Science, Social Sciences (History, Geography and Politics) and extra-curricular activities such as computers, visual arts and library reading.

The School Day and Classes

A Typical Day

The Nirvana kids arrive at school by 8:30am every day. Some children share a rickshaw ride into school, others get dropped off by their parents on their scooters and some walk or cycle into school.

Each day starts with morning assembly at 9am in the front courtyard. During the assembly, the children pledge the national anthem, say their prayers, exercise, get the day’s news, practice English conversation skills and welcome guests, if any. On Mondays, there’s also a flag-raising ceremony during the assembly.

After the morning assembly, the children split up into their classes until 12:30pm when they break for a 1-hour lunch. They bring their own lunches, but the school provides milk and biscuits during morning and afternoon recess periods. After lunch, it’s on to more classes until 3:45pm when the school day ends. After that, some of the children go on to after-school activities.

After School Classes

Some examples include:

  • Karate
  • Tabla (Indian drum)
  • Visual Arts
  • Classical Dance
  • Marching Band (Performs at special events such as Annual Day)
  • 15-minute meditation (twice a week)

Once a year, the school holds special activities such as Yoga and Vipassana meditation for the children. The school also takes the kids on educational tours.

Annual Events

Sports Day

Every February, the kids participate in Sports Day where they compete in various activities such as three-legged races, bean bag races, musical chairs, dodge-ball and more.

Annual Day

Every March, the school holds an Annual Day celebration where the children get to dress up and perform various cultural and musical items on stage. All parents are invited and prizes are awarded to the children for academic achievement and best behaviour.

Children’s Day

This is celebrated annually on November 14th which is Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday. The kids engage in academic competitions where they have drawing and writing contests, and more.

Teacher’s Day

This is an annual event celebrated on September 5th which is Dr. Radhakrishan’s birthday. He was the first president of the country and a former teacher. During this event, Nirvana kids hold a cultural show and fun activities for teachers. Recognition awards are also given to the teachers at the event. Gifts are organized by management for teachers.

Independence Day

On August 15th, Nirvana kids celebrate Independence Day with cultural activities and various competitions in writing, drawing, speeches and more.

Republic Day

This event is on January 26 and children engage in cultural activities and various academic competitions.

Parent’s and Teacher’s Meeting

The school holds one annual meeting and two open-houses during the year.

 

Mother’s Morning

An annual get-together at the school for Nirvana mothers to socialize and talk about their children’s education. This also provides the staff with an opportunity to get to know the mothers better.

Talent Search Competition

Conducted in August and February including Handwriting, Essay writing, Speech, Drawing, Art & craft, Mind Maths, Soduku,  Spell be, Describe pictures competition.

Medical Camp

Vision test – free medicine and specs are given. general health check-up is done. Student health record maintained.

Calendar Painting

Yearly school calendar made out of students painting. Mural painting is done. Also, students painting 20-30/year published in Local newspaper.

Educational Tour

Science Planitorium, Pondicherry Univerisity, Historical places visited – Special coach arranged.

Inter school competitions

Twice a year students taken to outer school competition for Athletics, Table Tennis, Chess, Cricket etc.

Support our students

£90 sponsors a child for an entire year. That's works out as only 25p per day. You would be making a huge different to someone's life.

We'll send yearly updates to you from the child your money sponsors too.

Sponsor a child today

Contact Us

If you have a question, or would like to arrange a visit, feel free to get in touch.

ADDRESS
Nirvana High School, Nadukuppam Road, Kottakuppam, Vanur Taluk, Tamil Nadu, 605 104, India
Locate us

PHONE NUMBERS
+91 8489449752 (High School)
+91 9003753474 (Nursery and Primary Schools)

SPONSORSHIP & DONATIONS 
To sponsor a child, make a donation or to find out more about these areas, please email Mrs.Samani at nirvanatrustindia@gmail.com.

FACEBOOK
Join us at nirvanaschoolpondicherry on Facebook.