True education has to unfold and reveal what is already present in
the children; they open themselves in joy just like flowers open
themselves to the sun.
Dedicated to village children
New Creation participates in Auroville's unique
and challenging experiment by prioritising the aspiration of those
original inhabitants and their children who have lived on the piece of
land which ultimately became Auroville. These first citizens of
Auroville, the Tamil village population of about thirty thousand people,
reside in pockets in and around Auroville.
Integral learning process
Although Auroville has many active village
development projects, the community of New Creation is the only one
which is wholly committed to the multi-level development of village
children. By creating a congenial, non-authoritarian atmosphere in which
these village children can open themselves to an integral learning
process, the teachers of New Creation hope that, one day, the children
will become better equipped to fight against both the visible and
invisible limitations that exist in their lives and the lives of others
in their immediate surroundings
Eager faces everywhere
 Although New Creation fights a daily battle
against meagre material resources to fund its activity (children attend
the Kindergarten, school and the boarding programme free of cost), it
firmly believes in nurturing and educating its one resource that will
stand Auroville in good stead in the future.
Daily in the school the cheerful eager faces of children are to be seen
everywhere. These children, between the ages of three and fifteen, need
special care because they come from homes that are not able to provide
them with the basic necessities of life. Plagued by the many problems
associated with poverty, disease, hunger, exploitation and domestic
violence, the village children admitted to New Creation School and
community receive a much needed respite from the daily grind of their
lives, and are offered a positive channel through which they are able to
grow towards a higher and truer reality.
High rate of attendance
Today, 240 students attend the SAIIER day-school,
and 18 young people between the ages of six and fifteen reside in New
Creation as boarding students. These boarders come from family
situations which are recognised as potentially harmful to their
emotional and physical health. Most of the school children and boarders
belong to Kuilapalayam, the village closest to New Creation. Other
children walk from villages not so near. Distance is not a deterrent for
these children, however, and neither are the heavy rains during the
monsoon which hits Tamil Nadu around October-November every year. The
annual reports indicate an overall high rate of attendance, a negligible
drop-out rate, and a waiting list for admission.
Antioch University
Since 1992 the school has received active support
from the American University of Antioch. A professor of education visits
the school every year and conducts workshops for the teachers. Since
1994 three teachers HAVE attended training courses in the USA, and in
return five trainee teachers from Antioch have each spent three months
in New Creation, working with the teachers and children. This
cross-cultural exchange of ideas has enriched the quality of education
for the children.
Skills and employment programmes
As a community of Auroville, New Creation seeks
the ideal of Human Unity by sharing with the present generation of
village children the opportunities that have developed as a result of
Auroville's growth. Some of today's 65 residents of New Creation are
former students whose current livelihood is the result of educational
skills and employment programmes offered to them in New Creation.
Tests for higher schooling
While New Creation hopes over time to expand its
capacity for a boarding situation, the current emphasis is on the
day-school, which includes a crèche and a kindergarten. A complex of
detached and semi-detached classrooms serves the needs of students from
grade one to seven. Class sizes range from eight to twenty students.
All pupils attaining level seven have the
opportunity each March to take a test for entry, during the following
school year, into the Gentilesse School, where they are able to study
for standard 10, or into After School, where they can study for
standards 10 and 12, giving them the possibility of entry into
university.
The core subjects offered are English, Tamil, Science and
Mathematics. In addition, classes include training in software
applications, tailoring, handicrafts in wood and clay modeling, dance,
drama and swimming.
Professional training programmes
New Creation's immediate goals for the future
include the introduction of professional training programmes for
electricians, carpenters, tailors and metal workers, because not all
children who complete their education at New Creation School desire
higher education. Many are eager to begin to learn how to earn their
livelihood; for some it is an economic necessity.
It is to accommodate the needs of this sizeable group that New Creation
wishes to develop an independent training programme, developed with the
cooperation and participation of neighbouring schools, which will enable
Tamil village children to secure a decent progressive and material
future.
Free progress
In July 2000 a new crèche, called 'Free Progress'
was started with 30 children aged 2 ½ to 3 ½. For these children no
formal education is given before the age of 7 or 8, and daily activities
are physical exercises, games, singing, drawing, playing, with time for
rest and also outings to discover places. Languages spoken are French
and Tamil in the first two years, after which other languages will be
introduces.
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