Sri Sathya Sai Education - International Sri Sathya Sai Organization

Recently, a renowned environmentalist gave a
Convocation Address in the USA which was entitled
“What Is Education For” In this address, he made
the following points:
• Modern Education emphasises theories instead
of values, concepts rather than human beings,
abstraction rather than consciousness, answers
instead of questions, ideology and efficiency
rather than conscience.
• It is not Education which will save us, but
Education of a certain kind.
• The prevailing myth is that with enough
knowledge and technology, we can manage the
planet Earth.
• What may be managed really, is us: human
desires, economies, politics and communities.
• It makes far better sense to reshape ourselves to
fit a finite planet than to attempt to reshape the
planet to fit our infinite wants.
• The planet does not need more “successful”
people, but it desperately needs more
peacemakers, healers, restorers, and lovers of
every shape and form. It needs people who live
well in their places. It needs people of moral
courage willing to join the fight to make the
world habitable and humane.
• The process of learning is as important as the
content. It is not just what we learn but how we
learn it.
Remedy for the Problems of the World
Reflecting on this address, I felt that this person
must have been inspired by what Bhagavan Sri
Sathya Sai Baba has been propagating for decades,
and which is instilled into all the students of our
University. So many years back, He said that the
only way of living in Harmony with Nature and with
ourselves is by practising “Ceiling on Desires.” The
whole world is beginning to recognise that the
only remedy for the world’s problems is Sai and
Sai Education.
Sai Educational Programmes
This Education had its beginnings in the Bal
Vihar, which Bhagavan directed the Mahila Vibhag
to start, more than 40 years ago. This has evolved
into the Bal Vikas Programme, which today has over
16,000 Centres all over India with 18,000 dedicated
teachers who are appropriately called Gurus in
keeping with the Gurukula tradition in ancient
India, moulding the character of over 300,000
children: children in the cities, in the villages, in the
slums, rich and poor, of all faiths and religions. Sai
Education is truly secular, as its tenets stress respect
for all religions and their equality. The children go
through a 9-year programme into the early teens.
They become mature and disciplined individuals,
loving and caring citizens who are willing to share,
academically successful, at peace with themselves
and with society. Their Sai Education is a shield
against the vagaries and temptations of the world
and helps them to be in the world and at the same
time, above it. Sai Education has transformed
them and they are now the agents of Sai, working
quietly to bring about a transformation of their
families, society, their countries and of the
world.
By the Grace of Bhagavan, there are also 99
Sai Schools all over the country, which bestow
Education in keeping with the Teachings of Sai.
These Schools have an enrollment of over 50,000
students. All the Schools produce excellent results,
and are much sought after. We are implementing a
system of accreditation of all these Schools to ensure
high standards in imparting holistic education.
Many other schools have requested the Sai
Organisation to conduct Bal Vikas classes for the
benefit of their students, which is being done in a
careful and planned manner.
Education Is a Birthright
At subsequent sessions, there will be other
speakers who will elaborate on the Sri Sathya Sai
University, which imparts Sai Integral Education
right upto the doctoral and post-doctoral level.
Bhagavan has said that Education is a birthright
and therefore Education in this University, which
is of the highest standard, is totally free of cost to
the students. This University’s experience, as well
as that of other Universities, is that students who
have the background of Bal Vikas training, perform
exceedingly well. And, therefore, alumni of Bal Vikas
are preferred for admission.
The eternal gift to Humanity of Bhagavan Baba
is Sai Education, or Sai Educare as we know it today.
This is our talisman, this is our Veda, this is our
Mission, and this is our destiny.
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