Bangalore based The Freethinking School paves the way for others by offering “Pay as you wish” model to students and parents to ensure continuity in education
Bangalore: Bangalore based The Freethinking School have paved the way for many legacy schools by offering a very noble “Freedom from Fees” offer. The current pandemic created various disruptions across the world and the effects are being felt each day. However, the disruption in education and its impact on the formative years of a child will be felt for many years to come.
The Freedom from Fees Offer gives parents the liberty to decide to pay as per their capacity. This is offered in congruence with Montessori’s methodology, whose 150th birthday is fast approaching on 31st August and Independence Day. The Offer also provides the option to Pay it Forward where parents have the opportunity to aid their helpers, drivers or other employees’ children receive an early years education of high standard.
With any amount that any parent pays, the school will offer their full package until March, 2021. This offer is valid to anyone across the world-who may want to join. The recently announced National Education Policy ages 3-8 are the foundational stage and it is important for rapid brain development and validates the need for learning based on play and active discovery that The Freethinking School leads in. In this context the “ Freedom from Fees” initiative is even more relevant and important for young students.
Sandy Philip, Directress of The Freethinking school said “ In harmony with this spirit of Freedom, the program is offered absolutely free to frontline Asha workers, nurses and other Covid Warriors for their service to one and all. It has been my dream to take Montessori to the masses. My vision was always to make quality education accessible, reachable and affordable and this helps me achieve that.”
“Montessori at Home” is a bespoke monthly subscription program designed to cater to 2.5 to 6-year old’s diverse needs. It fosters development across domains. This program gives young children the Freedom of choice from Daily planners, which focuses on all the 5 Montessori areas of learning. They are- Practical Life, Sensorial, Language, Mathematics and Cultural Extensions. Additionally, Freethinking fun theme-based activities, which include virtual field trips, stories, dance, and much more are offered. All these activities are sent through pre-recorded videos to train parents on how to home-school their children. A downloadable kit is also sent so that children can work with their hands to use the Montessori materials with monthly assessments on the same.
Recently, UNICEF posted that approximately 22 million children in South Asia alone are missing out on a solid early years foundation. This has come about as parents attempt to strike a balance between their work lives and their children’s needs. Several have lost their jobs during these turbulent times, which inadvertently leads to loss of their child’s right to education. Numerous parents also question the need to provide any education given the young age of their child. Those who wish to provide education to their pre-schoolers, struggle to define what home-schooling means for their families.
The Freedom from Fees concept, therefore breaks key barriers of education and helps in educational inclusivity to the fullest.