About Rishi Valley School

The Rishi Valley School is one of the leading residential schools of India. It follows the philosophy of Jidhu Krishnamurthy

Rishi Valley :
In 1926, when the philosopher J.Krishnamurti decided to set up his first school, he chose a remote valley in the interior of rural Andhra Pradesh, in Chittoor District at the edge of the Karnataka Plateau, about 135 km northeast of Bangalore. Rishi Valley is at an altitude of 800 metres. The climate is dry and temperate, the water drawn from deep borewells is fresh and potable; and, in the absence of any industries, the atmosphere is remarkably clean and clear. Shepherds with their flocks of sheep and goats have traversed this area since neolithic times, and still claim their ancient right of access to the hills; and the farmers of the valley have grown rain-fed crops like bajra, ragi and, more recently, peanuts. Their small hamlets — clusters of thatched, round mud huts with pens for animals — are dotted all over the valleys of the region. The largest settlement in the valley, Thettu village, probably dates back several hundred years.
The Campus :

         Rishi Valley School, Rural Health Centre, the Krishnamurti Study Centre at Rishi Valley, a small hospital with a resident doctor, a dairy with about 60 hybrid cows, a farm, an organic vegetable garden, a herb garden and fruit orchards are part of this wellshaded campus. A wilderness area, consisting of 150 acres of once-barren hillside now covered with scrub and a thin layer of trees, borders the built-in area of campus. The valley was officially declared a Bird Preserve in July 1991, and was cited by the International Council For Bird Preservation. Educational Philosophy : Krishnamurti's philosophy of education, reflected in the activities of Rishi Valley Education Centre, is best expressed in his own words : The purpose, the aim and drive of these schools, is to equip the child with the most excellent technological proficiency so that the student may function with clarity and efficiency in the modern world.

INTRODUCTION

A far more important purpose than this is to create the right climate and environment so that the child may develop fully as a complete human being. This means giving the child the opportunity to flower in goodness so that he or she is rightly related to people, things and ideas, to the whole of life. To live is to be related. There is no right relationship to anything if there is not the right feeling for beauty, a
response to nature, to music and art — a highly developed aesthetic sense. I think it is fairly clear that competitive education and the development of the student in that process.... is very, very destructive.
We must be very clear in ourselves what we want – clear that a human being must be the total human being, not just a technological human being. If we concentrate very much on examinations, on  technological information, on making the child clever, proficient in acquiring knowledge while we neglect the other side, then the child will grow up into a one-sided human being. When we talk about a total human being, we mean not only a human being with inward understanding, with a capacity to explore, to examine his or her inward state and the capacity of going beyond it, but also someone who is good in what he does outwardly. The two must go together. That is the issue in education:
to see that when the child leaves the school, he is well-established in goodness, both outwardly and inwardly. (Krishnamurti On Education)

  The intention of the schools run by KFI is to awaken the intelligence of the student so that he or she may 'flower in goodness'. The cultivation of a global outlook and a concern for our fellow human beings are all part of this scheme of education. Some further goals of the educational philosophy of

Rishi Valley Education Centre are:
• To educate students so that they are able to explore both the natural world and the world of feeling.
• To inculcate a love for nature and respect for all forms of life.
• To create an atmosphere of affection, order and freedom without either fear or licence.

• Not to condition students in any particular belief, either religious, political or social, so that their minds may remain free to ask fundamental questions, enquire and learn.

      Based on this philosophy, teachers attempt to create an atmosphere of freedom, care and security in which students are helped to enlarge their horizons and grow. The school is concerned with developing the individual talent and intelligence of each child. We feel that it is equally important for parents to be aware of their children’s talents as well as limitations, and allow them to develop in their own way, and not on the basis of predetermined expectations. Our experience shows that not all children flourish in this system. In particular, those children who tend to be dependent and who need constant prodding do not adjust to the absence of pressure at the school.

RISHI VALLEY SCHOOL
Student Profile:

There are 360 boarding students in the school, aged 8 to 17, studying in classes 4 to 12. Students are drawn from all over India and several countries abroad. Admission is highly selective, and only about 12% of the applicants are accepted. Students are chosen for character and talent, in addition to academic promise.

Educational Programme and Facilities :
The twelve years of schooling are divided into the Junior School which includes preparatory classes for campus children and classes 4 and 5, the Middle School which includes classes 6 to 8, and Senior School which includes classes 9 to 12. Classroom spaces and other facilities in each section of the school are suited to the needs of the students and staff at that level. The Senior School facilities include an excellent library (with audio listening stations), well equipped science laboratories, audiovisual rooms with an extensive collection of video tapes, Internet facilities and an actively used computer centre. The Junior and Middle Schools occupy a separate complex with an open assembly
space, an audio-visual room, a science laboratory and dedicated language rooms. There is also a well- stocked library for the Junior and Middle Schools, and computer facilities are available for Middle School students. In nonacademic areas, the facilities include provisions for all major sports; an arts

and crafts department with a range of activities such as carpentry, pottery, weaving, batik and fine art; and special interest clubs for topics such as mathematics, electronics, current affairs, birdwatching, cookery and dramatics.

The Junior and Middle Schools :
At the Junior and Middle School levels, Rishi Valley teachers have a high degree of autonomy in deciding curriculum, teaching methods and evaluation systems. Emphasis is given to developing basic concepts in subject areas, skills of various types, and wider perspectives that incorporate the educational values of the school. A flexible curriculum, periodically reviewed and updated by the staff, has been developed keeping in mind current trends in education and the development level of children at each age group. In the Junior School classes, a rich learning environment is provided.
Painting, craft, music and drama are an integral part of the curriculum. Students are encouraged to pursue their interests beyond curricular learning. There is an ongoing programme to create learning materials that enhance the concrete experiences which are the basis of concept formation and skill development in languages and mathematics. The immediate natural and human environment of Rishi Valley provides the starting point for curricular themes of environmental studies. Field trips,  discussions and project work help to enhance children’s awareness and understanding of the world. Evaluation is based on ongoing teacher observations and classwork. Minimal home work is
assigned at this stage.

In the Middle School — that is, from class 6 onwards — the curriculum is broadened to match the growing abilities of students in assimilating information and grasping abstract ideas. Specialized subjects and greater academic rigour are progressively introduced. In classes 6 and 7, students learn General Science, History and Geography, in addition to Languages and Mathematics. Subject matter and concepts are presented using audiovisual media, teacher-designed worksheets, visits to the laboratory and to the mathematics room, project work in the library, and field trips and excursions

to surrounding areas. Students are encouraged to participate in classroom discussions, think for themselves, and develop an enquiring attitude. Written assignments, oral presentations and homework exercises are a regular part of the learning and evaluation process at this stage. In class 8 — which is a transition class into the Senior School — the specialized science disciplines of Physics, Chemistry and Biology are introduced and a beginning is made towards teaching the class 10 examination syllabus. Periodic tests, conducted at the discretion of the subject teachers, are a regular part of the evaluation process as are self-assessment exercises, self-study worksheets and group projects.

The medium of instruction is English. In addition, all students study Hindi and Telugu until class 8. One among these two is the second language, and the other, the third language. (The second language is studied in greater depth.) The study of the second language is continued up to class 10. The Senior School :

At the Senior School level, instruction is offered in the Sciences, the Humanities, Art, Commerce, Accounting, and Hindi and Telugu literature. Environmental Studies, physical education, music and computer science are also offered. The educational programme is oriented towards preparing the

students for the ICSE (class 10) and ISC (class 12) examinations. At the end of class 9, students take final examinations for the first time. The academic curriculum is balanced by dramatics, sports and work experience which includes participation in the other activities of the Centre, such as, rural education and reforestation.

The last two years at Rishi Valley School form a separate programme for
which admissions are open and students of class 10 are screened anew as
candidates. Each student in the ‘Plus-2’ course chooses four subjects in
addition to English, which are then studied intensively for two years.
Academic courses include Maths, Science, Literature in English, Hindi
and Telugu, Commerce, Accounts, Economics, History, Geography, Art, Music
and Computer Science.
Students of class 11 take a programme of courses in General Studies
(outside the ISC syllabus) aimed primarily at broadening the students’ concerns
for the human condition and for the natural environment, and bringing them
into contact with contemporary issues. Visiting villages, stints at the Rural
Education Centre and at the Rural Health Clinic are part of the programme.
For all classes, one period a week is designated as a ‘culture class’ where
any topic of interest may be taken up for extended discussion. The aim of
these classes is to enlarge students’ intellectual and emotional horizons.
Between one and three periods a week are reserved for the class teacher
to discuss and help solve specific problems, and to facilitate interaction
between students.
Student Residences :
There are about 20 small hostels, each of which accommodates a number
ranging from 12 to 22 of students.
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Members of the teaching staff, who live in staff quarters within a house,
act as house parents. Life in the hostel is meant to instill the values of cooperation,
self-restraint, and sharing. The interaction between teachers and
students outside the classroom is considered a very important part of living
and learning at Rishi Valley. The school does not have a system of house
prefects; no student has authority over another.
THE SCHOOL FACULTY
The school has a highly qualified and dedicated staff from all parts of
India, engaged in giving instruction in both academic and non-academic
subjects. Most have done postgraduate work, many have doctorates and a
few have engineering degrees. The student teacher ratio is about 7:1.
There is a regular teacher exchange programme with the Krishnamurti
Foundation Schools — Brockwood Park in England and Oak Grove School in
the United States.
We welcome as teaching faculty pe