About Us
Who are we?
Golden Avatar Gurukula is a community project that functions in West Bengal, India which aims to provide support, education and love to those in the greatest of need. Golden Avatar Gurukula was founded on the tenet that a community which values education and respects women can change its course for the better.
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In any part of the world one of the biggest factors widening the gap between the rich and the poor is a lack of equal access to education. When someone is denied an opportunity for education, they are denied a lifetime of opportunities. Ongoing cycles of poverty, alcoholism, domestic abuse, social stigmatism and discrimination are all intimately connected with this fundamental inequality.
In West Bengal, India, we find some of the poorest and most neglected children in the world, facing challenges which include child destitution, prostitution, drugs and crime. The International poverty line is an aspirational goal for these people who would have to double their income to rise above it. It is here that Golden Avatar Gurukula operates to try to make a difference.
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In the overcrowded public schools of this state of India, student-teacher time is minimal and it is a standard practice for a student to receive the majority of their instruction through private tuition. This is a huge problem for those who can hardly afford to attend public schools, what to speak of paying for private tuition.
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This is where Golden Avatar Gurukula makes the biggest difference. Apart from providing all costs for a student's government schooling, including uniforms, books and stationery and school fees, the Gurukula also functions as a private tutorial school, not only covering the government school syllabus, but introducing extra curricular activities such as arts, music, dance and sports.
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We aim to prepare students not just for work and further study, but for life. We aim not only to make them into educated human beings, but into empowered, self-directed learners, able to face the challenges of life. We believe this can be achieved by providing a full education—not just in academic subjects but also vocational training, farming, arts, music, dance, sports and martial arts. In a nurturing and family-like environment, a student who pursues studies which they find interesting and meaningful is bound to perform well and gain confidence. That confidence itself is empowering and can change their lives.
​Golden Avatar Gurukula is still a small and developing program. We are currently not certified as an independent school in West Bengal due to our small size and minimal assets. Even so, as we grow, we continue to benefit many students.
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​​​The project continues to grow today, with a current total of around one hundred and twenty students being catered for, including upper secondary and tertiary. Still, this is not enough, as we have a waiting list well over two hundred - far beyond our current capacity.
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