Centre for Learning, Ramanagara is a small co-educational school in the outskirts of Bangalore for children between the ages of six and 19. It provides a general studies course to all students, and has selected the Cambridge Assessment International Education IGCSE certificate at the secondary school level and the CAIE GCE ‘A’ level at the senior secondary level for students of classes 10 and 12.
Centre for Learning was established in 1990, by a group of educators with an attempt to explore the challenges faced in learning by contemporary India. In January 2000 the school moved to the 23 acres campus about 40km away from Bangalore. The campus and its building are being supported by the donors of the school. The campus facilities are simple and cost-effective.
The 23-acre CFL campus is located on a piece of land near the village of Varadenahalli, 40 kms to the west of Bangalore. The buildings, simple in structure blending with the landscape, have been designed for easy maintenance and each building houses about three teachers and 15 students.
Facilities include a spacious and well-stocked library, laboratories, a circular assembly hall, and art, craft, pottery and carpentry areas. Hostels double as classrooms, while the junior and middle school have dedicated learning spaces. The kitchen is a major hub of teeming activity and the campus also houses a modest guest house facility for overnight visitors.
A large part of the campus has been left as a ‘sanctuary’ for forest regeneration. Over the years, teachers and students have engaged in various land-related activities as part of the curriculum, as a result of which the campus has seen a great diversity in flora and fauna.
The CFL curriculum through the years is a dynamic response to what the educators perceive as movements in children and in the world at large.
The eight to 12-year-olds are taught the fundamentals of mathematics and language (Hindi, Kannada and English). Possible areas of engagement in these years are cooking, cleaning, drama, music, dance, pottery, art, craft, land work, nature walks and observation, astronomy, annual excursions, caring for things and for each other. When they are a little older, students are encouraged to explore subjects at greater depth. They engage with projects relating to social studies and science and are trained in academic and critical thinking skills, alongside the nurturing of their artistic inclinations and physical abilities.
Students aged 13 are introduced to separate subject areas such as history or physics. Their writing and articulation skills are sharpened.
The senior school programme challenges and nurtures the 15- to 18-year-olds. It is spread over three years. It is a rigorous programme where students are encouraged to be partners in their own learning and can participate in creating their own programme. All senior school students participate in a General Studies course, which is concerned with social and environmental awareness. In the social awareness module CFL aspires its students to have empathy and an appreciation of outside-world living. A key ingredient for both modules is interaction with people who have committed their lives to either social or environmental issues.
Students in the 10th and 12th standards also prepare for school-leaving certification in these years. The faculty has selected a certification that best reflects their own approach to the curriculum: the Cambridge Assessment International Education IGCSE certificate at the secondary school level and the CAIE GCE ‘A’ level at the senior secondary level.
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Internet Wi-FiParents are recommended to be sure about CFL education before applying for admissions. They are welcomed to speak freely and share their views as candidly as possible with the faculty. Since the CFL is a small school, it can offer very few spaces to children each year. The ability to pay is not a criterion for admission; unconditional financial support is provided to parents who are serious about this kind of education.
Started in 1990 by a group of educators, The Centre for Learning is an attempt to explore the nature of learning and its relationship to the challenges we face today. In current times where education has been reduced to preparing the young to compete in such a world, CFL aims to meet the challenge of creating an environment where children and adults can inquire together in freedom, security and affection. They aspire to awaken a creativity in the individual, which will contribute greatly toward a spirit of responsibility and regeneration in society.
CFL provides hostel accommodation to students that double as classrooms. There is also a guest house facility on campus for overnight visitors.
