AmritaThe Amrita School of Education supports many extra-curricular activities in aid of its vision of whole-person education, developing student teachers who are technically outstanding, successful in all aspects of their lives and committed to service.
Student teachers are encouraged to participate fully in these activities, including competitions held at intercollegiate and state levels. The school bears the cost of the costumes and uniforms, transportation and other facilities. Staff accompanies the student teachers during these events. In all, ASED student teachers have won over 50 prizes in various cultural, sports and literary competitions.
Academic Clubs
ASE boasts a Science Club, a Humanities Club and a Literary Committee. The Science Club organizes the annual Science Week. The Literary Committee produces the beautiful Amrita Sindu magazine, which offers students the opportunity express their creativity through writing and art. Students design and decorate bulletin boards at the school for Science, Humanities and General topics. Every year a competition is held to determine the best bulletin board display, as well as for slogan writing.
There is also a branch of M.A. Math’s Green Friends at the school which focuses on environmental education and organizes forestation activities.
Cultural
Numerous cultural events, including the annual Talent Day and intercollegiate cultural competitions, are held at ASE. Festivals like Ugadi, Vishu, Onam, Gokulashtami, Guru Purnima, Navarathri, Saraswathi Pooja, Deepavali, and Sri Rama Navami are celebrated in a befitting manner. Through the Cultural Committee, students organize and participate fully in these celebrations.
Many students at the Amrita School of Education are talented dancers and musicians. The cultural events, as well as visits by the Chancellor, provide them an opportunity to showcase these talents for the enjoyment of the community. ASE students have won prizes at cultural events at the state level organized by Hejje Gejje, Mysore.
Sports
Sports activities and competitions, including intercollegiate sports meets and the annual Sports Day, are organized by the Sports Committee. ASE has one multipurpose field with volleyball, throw ball and shuttle badminton courts shared with ASAS. The equipment room has equipment for both indoor and outdoor games and is open 11 hours per day.
Village Visits
Student teachers participate in village visits to develop awareness of healthy attitudes about health, hygiene, nutrition and education. Social evils and gender inequality among the villagers are addressed through creative activities such as folklore, dance, drama and street plays. They practice action research by interviewing villagers on issues like their educational, social and other problems. They conduct competitions like Rangoli for village women , acknowledging their talents and boosting their self-confidence.
ASE student teachers, on a whole older and more experienced than most undergraduate students, are particularly effective at counseling village youth and rural children during village visits. Through these village visits, student teachers get first-hand experience of village life and increase their empathy and sense of social responsibility.
Other Community Activities
Students design and give presentations to the community on diverse topics ranging from fostering awareness of health and hygiene, sanitation and the importance of literacy to focusing on the importance of leisure.
ASE staff and students also participate in the varied social, charitable and community development activities of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. These include medical camps, registration for eye-donations, annadanam (free food for the poor), scholarships for poor children, pensions for widows and building houses for poor people as part of the Amrita Kuteeram project.
Student teachers distribute free uniforms to very poor children in the schools where they practice teach. They volunteer at Amrita Kripa Hospital in Mysore, and collaborate with rural residents on vanamahotsava (tree planting festival) and Green Friends forestation activities. They also serve as volunteers during the Chancellor’s visits, serving in the kitchen, setting up the stage, controlling the crowd, cleaning up and doing whatever else is required.
Only through relaxed study can knowledge be retained.