The education program of Pardada Pardadi Educational Society (PPES) is to empower girls socially and economically. The main focus of the program is to encourage each girl to become an independent thinker and self-learner.

Pardada Pardadi runs four schools affiliated with the U.P. Board. The pre-primary school is called Emma Horne School and the senior school is Pardada Pardadi Inter College. Along with this, PPES is associated with Bhagwati Sarla Paliwal Inter College Jattari in Aligarh as a knowledge partner.

Along with offering free education, PPES also provides study material, uniform, stationery, health facilities, transportation and 3 meals a day free of cost. A daily scholarship of INR 10 is transferred to each girl’s account for each days attendance from class 6th onwards for her higher education. From class 9, INR 10 is raised to INR 15. Coming from economically weak households, the accumulative value of this money acts as a driving force for parents to send their daughters to school.

The primary school follows the Satya Bharti school system, which focuses on activity-based learning aimed at improving the overall scholastic experience.  The senior school’s curriculum involves core academics as well as personality development.

Personality is what makes a person unique. One of the most important factors that mould the personality of an individual is the environment to which they are exposed. PPES believes that grades and marks are not enough for girls to create their own space in the world. So, PPES enables girls to learn and practice life skills through classes and extracurricular activities. Personality development classes include Human Rights, Women empowerment, Art, Theatre, Public Speaking, etc.

Pardada Pardadi Educational Society follows a comprehensive model of value-based education, and to achieve this PPES partner with The Other Side Intercultural Theatre, New York. The Other Side Intercultural Theatre has been working with PPES girls to create a cross-cultural exchange of dramatic storytelling which supports their common experience, inspires leadership, and develops community. Under this module, girls are inspired to create an intercultural dialogue with girls in other countries using performing arts, thus creating a global sisterhood of confident young women.

PPES also has a comprehensive sports program where all the students are encouraged to participate in at least one sport. PPES also organise a marathon every year in Anupshahr to address the right of girls to participate in sports.

In addition to the above, we at PPES encourage girls to give back to society by doing work within their communities such as planting trees and practising environmental awareness making them sensitive towards their surroundings.

One girl from each class is selected to perform necessary school chores, including cooking, cleaning, taking care of plants, etc. The reason behind this is to instill the dignity of labour in every girl and remove caste barriers amongst them.

Girls are introduced to new cultures, traditions and viewpoints through student exchange programs and visits from international students to PPES. Exchange programs allow students to develop a better understanding of the world and bring PPES students one step closer to becoming global citizens

A register is maintained in every class where a daily record of attendance is kept. Additionally, a F.R register is maintained where records of existing students are updated every year and all new admission are recorded.

The dropouts are tracked directly by the Principle and no girl is considered a dropout until a substantial effort is made to get her back to school.

PPES believes that the school’s role does not end with the graduation of a girl.

Responsibility to put together a financial package and provide continued guidance for every graduate so that she pursue further studies is also part of the PPES education journey.

PPES takes care of everything from career counselling sessions, to help in applying for the course of their choice. Graduates of PPES also receive mock interview practice, placement opportunities, and securing loans for higher education.

Throughout summer, before PPES graduates join their respective courses for higher education, training sessions are held to polish their communication and interactive skills in order to prepare them for a life outside their villages.

Once the girls start their courses, they are then paired with suitable mentors from their chosen fields who can guide them on how to approach their course and what to expect while seeking employment. The guidance provided by these mentors proves to be immensely beneficial as the girls can make the most of their opportunity to study, to realise their professional ambitions, and be financially independent.

Every January, PPES announces how many new girls will be accepted for the following academic year. All girls between the ages of 3 and 14 are eligible to apply.

Girls come to the school and receive assistance with filling out an application form. The school then gives them an interview date. Application forms help us determine whether a girl is qualified for entrance to the school. Generally, we only accept the most impoverished girls from families that earn less than INR 810 per month per family member (US $13). They are also given a medical exam to determine if they have any medical complications. All possible assistance is provided to children with special needs. Interviews allow our admissions staff to establish how much interest the girl and her parents have in the type of education PPES embodies. If a girl or her parents aren’t interested at this stage, the girl will likely drop out in the future. The most motivated students receive admission.

Throughout the initial three weeks of school, the newly admitted students undergo tests and trainings to decide in which class level they belong. During the fourth week, final adjustments are made and by July everyone starts the regular program. In order to ensure that the students excel in the skills required to pass each class, PPES does not have summer or winter vacations but two months in summer during which the students can do more sports, arts and humanities, or improve themselves in the classes they have difficulties.

Program and operational costs include:

• Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks given during the school day.
• Material for the students’ uniforms.
• Academic supplies (textbooks, notebooks, pens and pencils, etc.).
• Transportation (busing of students, bicycles).
• Students’ field trips
• Computer equipment
• Academic teachers’ wages.
• Administrative and development staff’s wages.
• Furniture for classrooms and offices.
• Building materials and construction costs.
• Fuel and diesel generators for power supply (as electricity in this area is not reliable).

In April 2014, the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research conducted an assessment of PPES student performance compared to similar grade students in the Bulandshahar District (population 3.5 million) and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) (population 204.2 million).

• On 10th Grade (and 12th) U.P. State Board Exams, 100% of PPES students passed the exams, compared to 85% for Bulandshahar and U.P.
• PPES student attendance for all grades averaged 82% compared to 62% for all girls in U.P.
• In standardized reading and arithmetic exercises given to rural students, PPES students out-performed school averages in U.P. and all of India in every grade level.
• The vaccination rate among PPES graduates households is 87% compared to 29% in non-PPES households.
• PPES student/teacher ratio was 23 compared to 42 in the U.P. and 33 in all of India.
• The fertility rate (ages 16-30 years) is 1.08 children for PPES graduates compared to 1.63 children for similar non-PPES females.
• Despite 3 meals a day provided by the school, 66% of PPES students are underweight as measured by BMI values.
• 18.5% of PPES graduates earn a regular monthly income compared to 5.6% for non-PPES women in the area and that income is two times greater for PPES graduates.