The Museum School approach designed by OASiS, identifies Museums in the city and collaborates with them to make them the school for the children, uses the exhibits and working models in the museums as teaching aids. The Museum School approach designed by OASiS, identifies Museums in the city and collaborates with them to make them the school for the children, uses the exhibits and working models i
n the museums as teaching aids and collaborates with colleges conducting B.Ed courses for practice teaching by B.Ed students. The children of The Museum School come to the Museums (their school) everyday by school bus (just like other privileged children), and are taught by the B.Ed students through the exhibits of the Museums according to the curriculum. Thus the model provides poor children with the best school infrastructure already set up by the Government (The Museums), the best teaching aids (Exhibits and working models in Museums), and the best teachers (B.Ed students doing practice teaching) and removes the disparity in quality of education without any further investment. The model follows a curriculum designed to provide wholistic education starting from behavioural changes to literacy, to academics, physical and adolescence education, and finally ending with vocational skills and entrepreneurship development. While the children are mainstreamed through the National Open School for examination and certification, the objective is to make them self-employable, confident, responsible and independent in society. The Museum School has been running successfully in Bhopal, MP, India since September 2005 in collaboration with 3 Museums: Regional Science Centre, National Museum of Mankind and Regional Museum of Natural History, and will shortly start in Mumbai with Prince of Wales Museum, Nehru Science Centre and Maharashtra Nature Park. In Delhi 5 Museums: National Science Centre, National Museum of Natural History, National Crafts Museum, National Rail Museum and Shankar’s International Doll Museum have already expressed their interest and acceptance, whereas in Chennai 3 Museums: Birla Planetarium, Government Museum Egmore and Dakshinachitra have supported the project.
