The Vigyan Valley Learning Centre started with 7 children in Kochi who were assessed and diagnosed with learning and behaviour problems. They were taught by a team of 4 special educators. The centre adopted the curriculum of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Government of India. Children came from some of the very prestigious schools and from other parts of Kerala.
Since then, Vigyan Valley has been identifying and educating children with learning disabilities who have already dropped-out from a regular school or were on the brink of dropping out. The number of children enrolling became 40 from 7 by the end of the first academic year. It rose to 60 soon thereafter. Nine years later, the centre had 150 school dropouts enrolled for fulltime study. Though the initial focus was only on children with special needs, particularly those with learning disabilities, soon children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorders, and traumatic brain injury too enrolled with us for a student-friendly and non-intimidating school environment. Soon it grew into an organization with 112 children and a staff of 25 including special and general educators, and school counsellor. Today, our children come from schools in Ernakulam, and from various parts of Kerala after completing their class 7 or above. Thus, we have become one of the few centres in India that offers a blend of regular schooling along with specialized remediation for children with difficulties in learning.
The centre prepares children to appear for the exams conducted as part of the National Open School System (10th and 12th). Vocational training in Catering Management for senior secondary students and Bakery/Confectionary for secondary students is offered through a tie-up with a local institute in Hotel Management. The centre also helps students to choose courses and careers, appropriate to their abilities. Our students usually opt for under-graduate programs in Commerce, Fashion Designing, Hotel Management, Medicine, Engineering, Law, Music, Child Development, Interior Designing, Fine Arts, Home Science, and Aviation Technology.
Apart from the academic focus, children take part in various activities such as celebration of various festivals, field trips, excursions, competitions, quizzes, organizing on-campus festivals etc. Children, therefore, do not miss out on the benefits of regular schooling, because of their academic difficulties. Six of our students won both the first and the second prize in the Regional Science Competition of the National Institute of Open Schooling, Government of India. The first prize was awarded to “Clean Energy: Energy Resources and Conservation” and the second prize was awarded to “Eradication through Utilization of Water Hyacinth”. We have conducted workshops for children with creative abilities. Around 30 students were selected for the workshop on different aspects of photography and video film making. These groups have come up with a documentary and a stop motion video.
Besides offering educational and clinical services, the Learning Centre soon became a much sought-out facility as a resource centre for post-graduate courses in education (B. Ed in Special Education – University of Kerala), learning disability (M. Phil. in Learning Disability – University of Kerala), educational psychology (M.A. Psychology – Women’s College, Trivandrum) and disability studies (M.Sc.in Disability Studies – M.G. University) as also providing internship opportunities for students in Psychology, Social Work and Special Education. In 2011, VVLC in association with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) offered a 3-module programme in Learning and Behaviour problems in children, which was attended by regular and special teachers, and parents. In 2012, we were approved as the only skill training centre of the Rehabilitation Council of India’s Foundation Course on Education of Children with Learning Disabilities program in Kerala. We are also an internship facility for trainees of B.Ed. in Special Education courses in Kerala.
The academic year 2013-2014 saw VVLC associating with three panchayaths in their efforts to start resource centers for children with learning disabilities and development of teaching-learning materials for children. In South Mararikulam Panchayath, in association with Mehac Foundation, five schools were provided teacher training programs in identifying children with special needs. Following these two screening camps were held for school children and 120 students with special needs were identified. The project now has two full time special educators to provide services to these identified children. Our second project is in Kizhakambalam Panchayath in Ernakulam district, where we have started a Saturday Intervention Clinic for children with learning disabilities; this was started based on two child mental health screenings done in association with Mythri and MJ Foundation. In Kadanadu Panchayath, near Pala, in association with Ambika Vidyabhavan School, Vigyan Valley has started an outreach centre where full-time services for children with special needs are available. An assessment clinic and an early intervention center will soon start functioning from the same premises by June this year.
Example of our yet another achievement is the collaboration with two municipalities in Sweden in professional exchange of special educators to study the classroom practices in special schools and regular schools in both countries. Funded by the Swedish Municipality, the projects focused on children with learning disability and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Vigyan Valley was also a resource centre for the Centre for the Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Government of India’s project on developing video materials on learning disabilities; already ten modules of video lectures and demonstration classes has been recorded for telecast in the Victers channel and for uploading to a national website repository of resource materials in this area.
On August 15th in 2022, we celebrated Independence Day and sang patriotic songs and spoke to the children about the importance of independence. We celebrated Onam in September, distributed payasam to the children and conducted onam skit, Floral Carpet, Onam songs and Onam dance. We celebrated October 2nd remembering Mahatma Gandhi and conducted drawing sessions. In October 2022, we took part in an All India Quiz Able competition conducted by the Raksha Society. Our children got the 1st prize. We celebrate Xmas in 2022 with Xmas carols and Santa clues. Kites foundation distributed gifts to all the children. On 26th January, Republic day was celebrated by hosting a National Flag, singing patriotic songs, a Fancy Dress competition and some simple games. In the year 2023, we also took part in the All India Quiz Abled competition and won the 1st prize again. It was a great achievement for us. But the best achievement of all is when we heard the positive remarks about the improvement in their children after they joined Vigyan Valley Learning Centre.