Lucknow: In a bid to connect last mile artisans with business owners and promoters Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) organized an artisans fair – GyanSetu Hunar Utsav 2023. Taking forward the mantle of Skill India, artisans and craftswomen from six districts of Uttar Pradesh were invited to showcase their products and build connections with promoters to ensure a steady line of business orders. More than 800 handmade items were put on display.
Notable among the promoters, Chandar Prakash, Runa Banerjee, Shurti Shandilya, Madhvi Kukreja, IB Singh, members from Lion’s Club, Ruth Chokarvarty, Vaani and many others.
The event commenced with a meeting of entrepreneurs from the city. Dr Urvashi Sahni, CEO and founder of SHEF said, “We work with the marginalized communities where talent and skills exist. We have organized Hunar Utsav to bridge the connection between artisans and craftswomen from our communities to all the entrepreneurs and businesses in Lucknow. Our goal is to economically empower women, enabling them to achieve independence and take control of their lives.”
Ms Tanmai Chaturvedi, GyanSetu program manager said, “We work with 70 distinct communities and these communities are full of skilled artisans. The Hunar Utsav is to celebrate their skills and their talents and connect them to businesses so that they can earn. ”
The Hunar Utsav showcased chikankari, zardozi, knitting, handcrafted items and many other products. In October 2021, SHEF launched its skill development program in collaboration with Laxmi Smriti Vidyadaan Sansthan and Jan Shikshan Sansthan, operating under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship in Lucknow at Itaunja village. The skill development center was successful and five graduates from the GyanSetu Skill Development Center opened a tailoring unit in Itaunja village.
Lucknow: High on World Cup fever, Prerna Girls School and the British High Commission hosted a cricket match celebrating women in cricket. The chief guest for the event was Mr Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India was in Lucknow to show support to the England Men’s Cricket team for their game against India. The day began with a ceremonial cricket match with Mr Ellis, Dr Urvashi Sahni, CEO and Mr Anand Chitravanshi, Operations head from SHEF.
Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India said: “I’m delighted to be at the England vs India ODI Cricket World Cup match here in Lucknow and to visit Study Hall Educational Foundation. It’s a pleasure to play gully cricket with young girls of the school. The UK and India share a unique living bridge, including a 1.6 million-strong Indian diaspora in the UK, and our shared passion for cricket binds the people of UK and India together.”
The match commenced with a toss, setting the stage for an electrifying showcase of talent, resolve, and teamwork by the young ladies from Prerna School. Both teams exemplified exceptional sportsmanship and unwavering commitment, embodying the essence of cricket. Prerna alum Sandhya yadav, an under 21 state player and Ragini a district level sports person led the Blue and Red teams, respectively. Unnati, under 15 district level cricketer took an stellar catch at long off to dismiss the opposition captain Sandya.
Dr. Urvashi Sahni, Founder and CEO of SHEF said, “Our objective is to empower our girls to venture into domains that have historically been dominated by males, and cricket is undoubtedly one of them. Our girls are changing the game and breaking barriers.”
“The winning team’s captain, Sandhya Yadav, expressed, ‘Our primary objective was to relish the game while putting forth our utmost effort. Undoubtedly, the match was closely contested, with a target of 54 runs to chase, and our team showcased exceptional bowling skills.” Sandhya, an alumna of Prerna, has been actively involved in cricket since 2018. She previously represented the under 19 team from 2020 to 2021 and currently plays for the UP state team.
Ragini, the captain of the red team said, “We enjoyed the match and the team gave tough competition.” The match not only offered a thrilling game but also delivered a powerful message about gender equality and inclusivity in the realm of sports.
Lucknow: “NIOS, the world’s largest open school which offers diverse and flexible education. Congratulations to children and the teachers for such a great result. To the students, remember, there’s no shortcut to success; your hard work brought you here.” said Dr. Piyush Prasad Regional Director, NIOS Regional Center, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh who was the chief guest who was the chief guest at the convocation ceremony of Prerna Girls’ & Boys’ School, and Center for Learning School (CFL), unit of the Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) on Friday September 8. The guest of honour at the ceremony was, Ms Priti Jhunjhunwala, Founder of Helping Hands.The guest of honour at the ceremony was Ms Priti Jhunjhunwala, Founder of Helping Hands.
The event felicitated 85 girls and 41 boys who excelled in the NIOS board examinations for classes 10 and 12, receiving the prestigious Late Sundari Devi Kapoor Memorial Scholarship. Additionally, 45 former Prerna girls pursuing higher education were awarded the Late Rajendra Mohini Satpal Malhotra Memorial Scholarship.
Principal Rakhi Panjwani initiated the program, congratulating students for their outstanding achievements and expressing gratitude to parents for their unwavering support. The event commenced with a presentation of ‘Mangalam’ by the students.
Ms Priti Jhunjhunwala while congratulating the students said “Prerna, as its name suggests, is a beacon of hope. Each and every child here is an architect of change, and I am delighted to witness such brilliant minds.Such brilliant minds”
Ms Pratima Srivastava Principal, Center for Learning said “At SHEF, we firmly believe that every child is invaluable, deserving love, care, and a reason to smile. Today, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the students, many of whom I’ve had the privilege of working closely with over the years. I am confident that each one of you will uphold SHEF’s values and evolve to be respectful individuals.”
Ms Pratima Srivastava Principal, Center for Learning said “At SHEF, we firmly believe that every child is invaluable, deserving love, care, and a reason to smile. Today, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the students, many of whom I’ve had the privilege of working closely with over the years. I am confident that each one of you will uphold SHEF’s values and evolve to be respectful individuals.”
Dr Urvashi Sahni, Founder & CEO, of SHEF also congratulated the students and said, “This is your first step towards success and I know that there will be many hurdles that you all will face but you should always know that you have the support of your teachers and parents. Prerna School and CFL play a pivotal role in molding students into well-rounded, empowered individuals. We are committed to inspiring every student to take charge of their destinies.”
During the academic year 2022-2023, students in the 12th and 10th grades excelled with outstanding scores.The felicitation ceremony commenced by honoring the highest-achieving students, such as Dipika Sahu and Geeta from Prerna Girls School, who attained an impressive 84%. Nishant Rawat, a student at Prerna Boys School who secured a remarkable 89%. Furthermore, Ishita Patel, from CFL (Center for Learning School),who not only secured 84.6% but also became the school’s Topper. Afterwards, the ceremony acknowledged and celebrated the accomplishments of all deserving students.
Seema Nisha, a former student of Prerna School, expressed, “Prerna is truly unique. The school embraces children coming from challenging backgrounds and the teachers not only provide education but also offer unwavering support, guiding through every obstacle teaching them to be resilient and empowering them to achieve their dreams. My sisters and I are very proud to be a part of Prerna”
The ceremony culminated with a dance performance and a gracious vote of thanks.
Lucknow: “Theatre provides a safe space for children to express their feelings, rehearse resistance and think critically. At SHEF we provide all our children safe space to learn and fail. Arts and drama are an integral part of our pedagogy,” said Dr Urvashi Sahni at Yuva Manch, a theatre festival organised by Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) at Sant Gadge Auditorium in Gomti Nagar. The festival showcased three critically acclaimed plays by renowned writers – Munshi Prem Chand, Anton Chekhov and Rabindra Nath Tagore, and performed by the students and alumni from various units of SHEF.
Yuva Manch opened with Thakur ka Kuan, an adaptation of Munshi Premchand’s story of the same name. The play was performed by students of Vidyasthali Kanar Inter College (a unit of SHEF). It was followed by a series of two English stories under the theatrical performance “Cheers to Chekhov” as a tribute by the students, to the renowned Russian playwright and master of modern short story, Anton Chekhov. ‘The Chameleon’, was a comical parody that kept the crowd guessing. It captured the hypocritical nature of individuals in society who prioritise authority and status over principles of truth and justice.
Meenakshi Bahadur, Principal of Study Hall said “Drama instils discipline and hones multiple skills in the children. It helps in fostering creativity, self-expression, and teamwork.”
The final presentation was an adaptation by Shrimati Usha Ganguly, of Rabindranath Tagore’s story ‘Chandalika, a poignant tale exploring caste, compassion, and self-liberation in 20th-century India, a compelling story of societal barriers shattered. Students of Prerna Girls School, Prerna Boys School and Study Hall performed the play for the audience.
A month-long theatre workshop was organised to hone the acting, diction and stage presentation of students by Mr. Bhartendu Kashyap and Mr. Vinay Kumar Mishra who directed all the plays. At the core of all these plays, societal issues were brought to light, which made for an evocative theatrical performance by the children.
Lucknow: Saumya Pandey, DSP Anti Terror Squad 1090 on Friday at the annual concert of Prerna Girls and Boys School said, “We must work together to create a safer country for everyone. It is our duty to raise our voice against any form of injustice. The police needs your help. As a citizen of this country, you must raise your voices, and the police will surely take actions and resolve the issues. ” Prerna Girls and Prerna Boys school organised their annual concert on 23 December. The chief guest for the occasion was Ms Saumya Pandey, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Anti Terror Squad-1090. The theme for the concert was ‘Aao Milkar Badlen Jahan’. The program started with the welcome speech by the principal of Prerna Girls School, Ms Rakhi Panjwani.
“We started Prerna with just 80 girls in 2003 and today we educate and empower 1050 girls. Through critical feminist pedagogy, we have empowered our girls and boys to critically examine the oppressive social norms and learn to resist and change these norms to create an egalitarian society. Seeing this enthusiasm, it is evident that our boys and girls will move forward together and make the world a better place.”
Ms Pratima Srivastava, Principal of Prerna Boys School was also present. A play on “Mera Jeevan Mera Adhikar” based on legal awareness was presented by the students of Prerna Girls and Boys School. Colorful dance and songs and many performances kept the audience engaged. The aim of the entire program was to raise awareness that together, it is not only girls’ responsibility to resist oppressive social norms that limit their lives but it is equally important that men and boys play a role in this effort, as they can be powerful allies in the fight for gender justice.
Parents of the students were in full attendance. The program ended with a grand finale and vote of thanks.
“Education is the basic right of every child, and we are trying to reach every child in the country. Prerna school is doing such amazing work by educating girls and boys from the most vulnerable communities and has empowered them to reach new heights,” said Sandeep Kumar Singh, Minister of state, Basic Education, UP who was as the chief guest at the convocation ceremony of Prerna Girls and Boys School. Mr G Ramesh, Managing Director of HDB Financial Services Ltd and Dr Vinit Chauhan, Associate professor at IIM Lucknow and Dr Rajender Pensiya IAS officer, Lucknow UPS Nagar Vikas were the guests of honour at the ceremony.
Prerna Girls School and Prerna Boys School (units of Study Hall Educational Foundation) organized their convocation ceremony on the 6 September. The students who successfully completed their class 10th and 12th board exams were felicitated. 40 girls and 13 boys were awarded with Late Sundari Devi Kapoor Memorial Scholarship. In addition, three Prerna alumnae who successfully completed their graduation and have enrolled for master’s program were awarded with Late Rajendra Mohini Satpal Malhotra Memorial scholarship.
The program started with Principal Rakhee Panjwani addressing the parents and thanking them for their support and congratulating the girls and boys for their achievements. The students performed ‘Ganesh Vandana’ mesmerizing the audience.
Dr Urvashi Sahni, founder and CEO of SHEF congratulated the students and the parents. She said, “Every aspect of education at Prerna — the teachers, the curriculum, the culture of the school, is focused on helping the girls construct a sense of themselves as equal persons worthy of being respected by themselves and their communities. We don’t just focus on academic excellence, but to empower them and to build a capacity to aspire, to take charge of their lives, and to flourish. We also focus on boys to help them ”
The students shared their experiences with the audience. Sonali Sahu, Prerna graduate said, “I feel proud to be a part of Prerna, we are taught that girls are equal and have every right to a life of their own choosing. With my teacher’s support I was able to do well in my class 12th examination. I also got the opportunity to study in Italy through a scholarship program. And it has been a great learning experience for me.” She also thanked her teachers and parents.
Manju Rawat, mother of Shalu, a Prerna student said, “There is no school like Prerna. My children are welcomed in the classrooms with their lives and their problems. Teachers don’t just teach here but support them through all their challenges and help them achieve their dreams.”
The ceremony continued with a delightful dance performance. The ceremony finished up with a vote of thanks by the vice Principal, Roli Saxena and National Anthem.
Lucknow: “Going to study in the US is like a dream for me, I would have never imagined studying abroad,” says 16 year-old Kashish, who got selected for the US State Department’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme scholarship. She leaves for St Louis, Missouri later this week. “It is a great learning opportunity for me and my school has been my biggest support throughout.” Kashish is a Prerna alum, who is currently studying in class 11 at Study Hall School on scholarship. She joined Prerna Girls School in 2009 and later earned a scholarship to study at Study Hall School because of her excellent academic performance. Kashish will be studying at Parkway South High School, in St Louis, Missouri, USA for this academic year.
Kashish lost her father at the age of five. Her mother, Shashi is a single parent, raising three daughters and works at a women’s self help group, where she makes dry snacks and pickles. “My daughters have made me so proud. Kashish is going to study abroad. All of us are so excited and happy,” says Sahshi. “I dealt with society when they questioned me for not having a son and raising three daughters alone after losing my husband. I was able to send all my daughters to school because of Prerna School. I don’t need a son, I have my daughters”, she adds.
Rakhee Panjwani, principal, Prerna Girls School (a unit of Study Hall Educational Foundation) says, “This is indeed a very proud moment for our school. Kashish has been one of the brightest students and it is her dedication and hard work that got her selected for the scholarship. We wish her good luck for her journey and hope that she returns more confident and encourages her peers too.”
In the past, 10 girls had been selected from Study Hall Educational Foundation for the YES programme to study in the US. The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme brings high school students from countries of strategic importance to the United States for an academic year.
Lucknow: Inspiring action on climate issues, Study Hall School, Prerna Girls School and Center For Learning organised the culmination ceremony of a unique inter-school competition – Climate Warriors 2021. 22 schools, 13800 children from Lucknow, Barabanki and Jaipur participated in the competitions. The event was organized in partnership with the British Council and Scottish Youth Theatre under the Conference of the Parties (COP26) banner. Climate Warriors was organized in accordance with the 13th Sustainable Development Goal set up by the United Nations. All the three organiser schools are a unit of Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF).
Priya Kakkar, event coordinator said, “It was exciting to see all these young minds bring their creativity to make the competitions a success. The idea was to engage children and youth and spread awareness about the climate crisis. These children have worked on brilliant projects to bring about change through small but effective solutions to climate change issues.”
Viraj, a student of class 9 at Study Hall said, “Climate change is real, we all need to take this seriously. We are responsible for it and it is our duty to make sure that we work to find solutions to this crisis. It was a great opportunity for all of us to learn and work together.” Study Hall School, Vidyasthali Kanar Inter College, Prerna Girls School, City international School Manas City, Modern Academy, were among the top schools who won laurels in various categories.
From drama to arts to memes, children raised awareness about the climate crisis through these competitions. Earlier in March 2021, Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) qualified for Phone Call to the World – a collaborative project created to mobilize youth to take actions regarding climate issues. Youth from England, India, Palestine, Scotland and South Africa collaborated to create digital performance work to draw attention to climate change issues through artistic means. Phone Call to the World is one of the 17 global projects commissioned by the British Council to sensitize the world about the environmental crisis through performing arts and digital technology. The event ended with prize distribution and vote of thanks.
Meet Simran, a student of class 10 at Prerna Girls school, a unit of Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) has been selected for the U.S. State Department’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program. She lost her father three years ago, her mother works as domestic help to barely make ends meet but defying all odds Simran is now in New York to continue her high school at West Seneca East High School in West Seneca, New York for this academic year.
Simran (second from right) biding goodbye to sister Jiya (left), her mother (second from left) and her best friend (extreme right)
Back in 2018, seeing her mother struggle financially, Simran decided to get a job. Despite all the challenges, Simran spared no effort to get good grades in school and eentually got selected for the scholarship.
Simran (left) with Dr Urvashi Sahni (center), founder & CEO of SHEF and principal of Prerna Girls School, Ms Rakhee Panjwani (right) posing for the lens man before she left for New York
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I have really worked hard for the selection and I am grateful for the support that I got from my school. I am really excited about my journey. I want to learn about different cultures, social issues there and share what my school has taught me,” says an elated 16-year-old Simran.
Simran along with her host family in New York
Simran aspires to be a doctor and is determined to achieve her dreams. She strongly believes that all girls should have dreams and they should pursue their dreams. In the past, ten children have been selected for international scholarships from SHEF.
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Empower girls like Simran and help them get access to life changing education. Visit www.shef.ngo for more information.
Welcoming all to the celebrations of 5th September’20, Teachers’ Day. The students utilized the day to express their heartfelt gratitude and thankfulness towards their teachers through a virtual presentation. As is the ritual of Study Hall, the head girl of school Deepanshi Verma, adorned as the principal Meenakshi Bahadur aunty and the vice head girl Gaurisha Prakash, as vice principal Meenakshi Shah Aunty started the morning assembly with usual meditation and the vice head boy Aryaman Shukla, that day transformed into Rajesh sir, the yoga teacher @Study Hall headed the yoga session. The head boy Kushagra Trivedi entitled the teachers as the unsung heroes, and it’s worth it, all those moments they asking the students to switch on the cameras, permission for PDF in drives, responding to the questions, while the students sometimes choose to stay silent; thanked them for adapting to the virtual medium so well and making the teams classes as any other reality class. Thereafter Sherlock Holmes and James Watson, the comparers for the day (detective theme) opened the show, which was mostly pre-recorded and displayed through screen share on zoom, and invited the students of standard 6th and 7th to present their dance on peppy and fun numbers. It was enchanting to see the little ones hop and rock on the screen and how the teachers wished they were relishing the event physically in the school campus. Nevertheless there was no compromise from the student body in putting up a great show. The pair of detective friends handed over the microphone to batman and robin, who sadly drew the former’s vehicle into an accident and so the conversation moved on to listening and respecting elders and specifically teachers. Why? Due to 3 reasons- firstly if students are smart, teachers are double smart, next for the amount of hard work they put in and manage their job and homes both, and last teachers have since ancient times been the superior figures even where god stands in comparison, all of these creatively visualized and presented by the students of 8th and 9th in a skit. Next the celebration had Dana Scully and Fox Mulder from FBI opened the floor for riddles where the teachers were required to move the detective minds in them and ace the games. Then again the legends Feluda and Byomkesh, the celebrated detectives came on screen and introduced the music video prepared by the musicians of 10th and 11th. The audience was swaying and tip toeing to their tune, mesmerized, praised by Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys as well. And last but not the least, standard 12th put up yet another comical dance-drama to make their last teachers’ day in school memorable for their teachers. They took the reality of their virtual classes to the skit, mixed with additional comedy, intertwined with dance to portray the situation, garnished with emotions! And with a thank you note from all the students and Meenakshi aunty herself for making the celebration possible on virtual platform, the day came to an end. With all due respect and love, HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY.
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