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Our Philosophy

Aikiyam School provides a progressive kindergarten, primary and intermediate education for children from Kuilapalayam and other Tamil villages geographically connected to Auroville. The school's mission is to maintain a creative and joyful atmosphere, where the uniqueness of each child is respected and nurtured. We aim to prepare children for life in a rapidly changing world, while maintaining strong contact with their Tamil cultural heritage. Our approach is based on the principles of integral education as defined by the founders of Auroville, the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

The school provides a quality bilingual education in Tamil and English, covering all of the standard academic subjects, physical education, and a wide variety of vocational options, giving children a range of choices in the type of education they will pursue when leaving the school.

A Short History of the School

The school started in the early 1980s. It was then called New Creation School, and was later renamed New Creation Bilingual School (NCBS) as classes were given in both Tamil and English. Originally it was a small boarding school for children from the traditional and impoverished village of Kuilapalayam, where, at that time, the only mode of transport besides walking was by bullock cart, or, for the better off, by bicycle.

In 2009 NCBS was renamed Aikiyam School and is now a day-school under SAIIER's* Auroville Outreach School Board for more than 200 children, with classes ranging from pre-kindergarten to eighth standard. The majority of parents contribute between Rs2,000 and Rs3,000 per year towards costs of tuition, educational supplies, nutritious snacks and mid-day meals. This is a small fraction of the actual costs.

Auroville's educational budget covers approximately half of the school’s expenses, and each year we receive enough money from the Government of India to cover the maintenance of buildings. For the rest, we depend on donations from parents, and from individuals and organizations from around the world. If you are interested in supporting the school, please read the section Donating to Aikiyam.

The current management team, better known as the Aikiyam School Core Group, has been in place since 2021. It works in close collaboration with the school's principal and Support Group. Through these pages, we are sharing the lively reality of the school and its steady development.

(* SAIIER: Sri Aurobindo International Institute for Educational Research) www.auroville.org/contents/521