About Us
Welcome
Get To Know Us And Our Passion For Helping Every Student Reach Their Full Potential!
Gyanankur school is a Maharashtra State board school running classes from Nursery to Standard 10 ( SSC Secondary School Certificate). We have had seven years of successful standard ten students pass out and many have gone on to college and good jobs.
Most of our students come from non-English speaking homes and grow quickly in fluency here. We focus on teaching children to think for themselves and build confidence in the students through participation in assemblies, competitions and sports.
Our staff are committed to our vision and values and receive ongoing and regular teacher development.
Our current struggle with repairs and shortage of space will soon end when we move to a new structure on newly donated land just a short distance away from the current school building. This will enable us to add classrooms, science and skill labs and sports opportunities to extend our reach.
History
Read Our Story
Gyanankur School and its managing trust (Resurrection Education Society) were founded in 2004 by Mr. Argemiro Fernandes, an 86-year-old Indian philanthropist with a big heart. Mr. Fernandes was moved by the need expressed to him by his driver and local farmer, Mr Dhatta Dhore and others from Kesnand village about the lack of quality English-medium education available for their children. They saw this as a key barrier to their children’s future opportunities.
Mr. Fernandes funded the opening of a small pre-school consisting at the time of about 60 children and 3 teachers in a small rented bungalow. Read More »
Our Board
The People Who Lead Us
- Mr. Sandeep Dongardive is the chairperson and has a long history with non-profit service and leadership.
- Mrs Suzanna Andrade Brinkmanns is the daughter of the founder and a highly skilled education consultant.
- Mr. Datta S Dhore is a founding member, local farmer and land dealer.
- Mr Nyaneshwar Alkute is a Wadar social activist and has over 20 years’ experience working in a variety of non-profit projects.
- Ms Surrekha Waghmare hails from an underprivileged back ground and has been a strong ambassador for the needs in the community.
- Mr Samuel Kadam is a former headmaster for a government school.
- Mr Rohit Ignatius is a former business man and currently an education consultant helping the school with various compliances and procedures.
Gyanankur School is managed by the Resurrection Education Society (RES). The board consists of 8 committed individuals, inspired by Biblical values and driven by a shared heart for promoting quality education for the poor.
They volunteer their time to serve and safeguard the vision and values of Gyanankur School, as well as oversee several other community development project.
Our Board
Turning Our Vision Into A Reality
These are the people who have helped make our mission a success through their strong leadership.
Suzana Andrade Brinkmann’s passion is improving the quality of education for India’s poor.
Mr. Sandeep J Dongardive, hails from a small town in Vidarbha, and initially worked as a Mechanical Engineer.
Ms. Shilpa Emanuel Navgire completed her M Ed , an MA in postgraduate Diploma Management of Education.
Over two-thirds of Indian children can only afford schools characterised by fear and discrimination, where textbooks must be recited and memorised, and little real learning takes place.
Denied access to good quality education, most families are unable to even dream of better opportunities for their children, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Gyanankur was founded to address these challenges.
We believe that every person can blossom when lovingly nurtured, that learning is something to be enjoyed, and that quality education is a key to social transformation in India.
Our Vision
Affordable Quality Joyful Education For Every Child
Currently:
- Being a beacon school as we develop an on-the-ground model of low-cost quality joyful education
- Offering teacher training and mentoring to grassroots teachers in innovative approaches - initially in our own school at Kesnand
- Welcoming children into our school who have missed out on years of education and providing the Grade Skipping program to aid them to both catch up the years they have missed and graduate with good grades in English medium
In the future:
- Start a National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Centre to provide alternative forms of education for children in our area who don’t thrive in the usual system
- Expand to Standard 11 and 12 with pathways to other skills training that are relevant to our students
Our Values
What We Stand By
Informed by our Christian faith, these are the values that drive how we run our school, and that capture the legacy we want to leave with each of our students and staff.
Joy
School should be fun – for both our students and our staff.
Service
Our goal is not to be served, but to serve.
Transparency
We want our lives and relationships marked by openness and honesty.
Dignity
We treat everyone with equal respect – regardless of background, ability, or achievements.
Our Story
How Our School Was Founded
Gyanankur School and its managing trust (Resurrection Education Society) were founded in 2004 by Mr. Argemiro Fernandes, an 86-year-old Indian philanthropist with a big heart. Mr. Fernandes was moved by the need expressed to him by his driver and local farmer, Mr Dhatta Dhore and others from Kesnand village about the lack of quality English-medium education available for their children. They saw this as a key barrier to their children’s future opportunities.
Mr. Fernandes funded the opening of a small pre-school consisting at the time of about 60 children and 3 teachers in a small rented bungalow. For 3 years the school grew but remained in dire need of strong leadership.