Enabling free education for the poor is fundamental. However, the urgency of the situation is evident as we continue to witness children from underserved families grappling to break the cycle of poverty. The solutions lie in addressing the problem’s multifaceted nature, which includes providing quality education, long-term support, equal opportunity, the power of choice, and gender equity.
The success of the Parikrma Humanity Foundation in India serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating that change is possible and scalable. The model has proved successful, with the potential to effect real change – not just by its academic excellence but also by creating trauma-sensitive schools that foster sensitivity, empathy, and an environmentally conscious generation of young changemakers.
Why is the Parikrma model successful?
Firstly, we. attribute this success to our unique education and learning model, which we call the Parikrma Way
Free education: Our 1473 (4 K-10 schools and 1 Junior College) children from 95 slums and four orphanages in Bengaluru, receive free and high-quality English-medium education. Children are also provided with three meals daily and ongoing health care.
Long-term support: Each child is supported from the age of 5 to 25; not just financially but also through life skill training, counseling, mentoring and career guidance.
Equal opportunity: Our children have access to well stocked labs, national and international programs and workshops, and interactive sessions with individuals pursuing diverse careers from across the globe. Every year, a few of our students are selected for the Global Youth Leadership Summits held in San Diego and the list goes on. We also organize three annual events – Parikrma Champions (football) League, Festival of Science and the Innovations Conclave – and schools from across India participate.
Motivated learning: Our teachers are exceptional, and we ensure they continuously receive a range of training, designed to make them better teachers and instil in them a pride in their profession. Our teachers have been part of the British Council Global School Exchange Program, UK.
Power of choice: Given the exposure they are given over their time at Parikrma and the freedom to develop their innate talents, they opt for diverse and non-conventional career paths, unconfined by the ‘socially acceptable definition’ of career choices. Today, our alumni comprise a Chef in Dublin, an award-winning actress, product and graphic designer, a professional footballer, a social science researcher, entertainment manager on an international cruise line and entrepreneurs (event management, catering, sports management, fitness training). We also own the Parikrma Boys and Girl Football Clubs, both playing in the Super Division of the Karnataka Football League.
Gender Equality: Over 52% of our annual admissions are reserved for girls. The mothers receive special vocational and skill-based training and counselling, which results in taking a stand against child marriage, encouraging sports for the girl child, and pursuing a career. Many of our mothers are entrepreneurs today, with a mother having taken up a position in local governance, too.
Children Stats at Parikrma:
Average People / Household: 5
Monthly Household Disposable Income: INR 1500 per month
Neighborhoods they come from: 95 slums across Bengaluru city
Ages: 5 – 18 years
Total Number of Children: 1473, comprising 764 girls and 709 boys. Including the support given to alumni, the total number of children supported is 1800.
The beginning
In 2003, 165 children from marginalised families started a new chapter in life, huddled together on a small roof-top in a school in Rajendranagar, Bengaluru. Today, we can proudly say that:
- We have one of the highest attendance rates in the country at 94%
- A drop-out rate of less than 1%
- A 95%+ pass percentage in the 10th and 12th grade board exams
- We have been featured on TED Talks
- We are a Chapter at Cornell University and IIMB
- We have been named No.1 Social Impact School in India (2019-2020: EducationWorld)
- We have received the Indian Achievers Award for Education Excellence 2020
- We have been certified as a Great Place to Work for six years in a row
- We have been named among India’s Top 75 Mid-Size Workplaces for Women® 2022
- We have been named one of India’s Top 10 Most Admired Philanthropic Schools 2022 (EducationWorld)
- We have been named as one of the Most Impactful Social Innovations in India (2016:CNBC)
Large-impact programs
Education Transformation Centre:
Through our ETC program, we continue to foster excellence in teaching and learning on a larger scale, training 2000+ teachers from government schools and 200+ school heads.
Training government teachers with SIF:
In partnership with the Singapore International Foundation (SIF), Parikrma runs a collaborative program to update the skills of government school teachers in Karnataka. Hundreds of teachers and students from government schools benefit from this partnership.
Community Development Services:
We offer holistic support to over 1500 families in the slums via awareness workshops, skill training, de-addiction and counseling, livelihood programs, financial planning and free health check-ups.
Parikrma Inside:
Our government school adoption program. We have implemented the Whole School Improvement Policy in five government schools, which we have adopted to bring about a qualitative change in school environment, parent involvement, and curriculum delivery over the next five years.
Parikrma Oxygen: In 2023, we launched India’s first outdoor and nature school for children from urban slums – Parikrma Oxygen addresses four critical global crises and over 10 SDGs:
- Education in nature and the outdoors
- Addressing early childhood trauma with a fresh academic approach
- Skill-building and job opportunities
- Climate change preparedness and community development
Research and Policy Change:
Founder Shukla Bose, through her participation at various forums, has been part of many State and National education policies. She has been nominated as the Chairperson for the committee drafting the Karnataka school education policy and works with the Karnataka State Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), IQ Education Excellence Task Force, to monitor quality in education. As a member of the national CII Education Committee, Shukla has helped draft the national education policy. She is on the sexual harassment prevention committees of various organization. We have several papers published on education and best practices.
Vision and Mission
Parikrma’s mission is to unleash the potential of underserved children, enabling them to live on equal terms and become valuable contributing members of society.
Reforming education in India has become a numbers game. Bigger, it seems, is better. But is it? The government and most non-profit organisations work together to improve education as if it were just statistics. They need to address these vast numbers to address the quality of education. The statistics have, at best, shown marginal change. Is a child, then, just a number to be improved incrementally?
There is a significant gap between those receiving a quality education at private schools and those limited to sub-standard government schools and low-cost, poor-quality private schools. This gap perpetuates inequality, leading to a few privileged individuals pursuing higher education and meaningful jobs while others drop out of the system. This gap needs to be addressed, and Parikrma is the bridge. We are committed to transforming education, bridging the gap and creating a more equitable society.
We firmly believe that the lack of access to high-quality education perpetuates the cycle of poverty. This is why Parikrma is not just an organisation but a beacon of hope. We are a catalyst for fundamental change, transforming how people perceive education for the poor and the marginalised. We believe in the transformative power of education to break the chains of poverty and despair.