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Sai School Students Stand Out for their Excellence
The media hailed it as “a school with a difference”. India’s leading news daily the Times of India announced “Puttaparthi school shows the way”. Making headlines for its outstanding academic results, Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, nestled in the valley of Prasanthi Nilayam has made history yet again. The school which charges absolutely no fee and offers universal access to students from any economic, cultural, geographical or social background has repeatedly proven that the purity of intent is the superior-most formula for lasting success!
The hard-working and dedicated students of the unique school founded by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba have pulled off another stunning performance in the recent Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE exams announced in May 2009.
In the combined Grades 10 and 12 external board exams which are held nationally across India, not only did the 215 out of the 216 students secure a first division, but more significantly, ninety seven percent of the students achieved distinction or above 75% marks, with almost half of the students scoring more than 90% in aggregate. Truly, it is an amazing feat which brought joy to the teachers, students and parents.
The CBSE Results of Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Prasanthi Nilayam,
for the academic year 2008-2009
| School Toppers: |
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XII Grade |
X Grade |
1. |
C. Sai Krupa |
98.2 % |
Sai Aditya Nagaratnam |
97.6% |
2. |
Gokul Jayaram and Saru Trikha |
96.4 % |
Rohit Kumar Chawla, Preksha and Debadrita Saha |
97.0% |
3. |
L. Naveen |
95.6 % |
Ashwin R. |
96.2% |
Results Summary: |
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XII Grade |
X Grade |
1. |
No. of students appeared |
116 |
99 |
2. |
Number of students securing 1st Division (> 60%) |
116 |
98 |
3. |
Number of students in distinction (> 75%) |
113 |
86 |
4. |
Number of students securing above 90% |
48 |
37 |
Other Highlights: |
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XII grade |
X Grade |
1. |
Two students, Sai Tejan and C. Sai Krupa are awarded 100% in Sanskrit |
Four students, Rohit Kumar Chawla, Vignesh, Ashwin and Duvva Sai Bhavana get 100% in Mathematics |
2. |
Rohit Kumar Singh gets 100% in Computer Science |
Sai Aditya Nagaratnam gets 100% in Social Science and Sanskrit, while Y. Urmila does it in Social Science and Vivek Raju in Sanskrit |
This joyful news was picked by both the English language and Telegu media, praising the school’s academic record, especially observing how children from economically weak backgrounds find success here. Their news article also interviewed the brilliantly able school topper, Ms. C. Sai Krupa, who scored a remarkable 98.2%. In response to media queries on her success, Ms. C. Sai Krupa exemplified the humility which marks the Sathya Sai Education model.
“The school’s dedicated teachers and their continued support, along with a conducive environment for academic and personality development was the key to my performance.... Bhagavan’s constant interest in our welfare and progress, His selfless love towards our well being, inspired me to do my very best as my offering to Him. Where can we get such concern and care at no cost, only expecting us to become good and responsible boys and girls?” |
The Times of India quoted her as saying: “The school’s dedicated teachers and their continued support, along with a conducive environment for academic and personality development was the key to my performance.” She went on to say: “Bhagavan’s constant interest in our welfare and progress, His selfless love towards our well being, inspired me to do my very best as my offering to Him. Where can we get such concern and care at no cost, only expecting us to become good and responsible boys and girls?”
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"The Times of India" |
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"The Deccan Chronicle" |
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Bhagavan Baba blesses the Grade 12 students before their Board exams |
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"Eenadu" |
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"Vaartha" |
In an exclusive interview with H2H, the respected Principal of the Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School, Prashanti Nilayam, Mr. Y. Shivaramakrishnaya, explained the outstanding academic results thus:
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The School Principal, Mr. Y. Shivaramakrishnaya |
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“Human excellence is achieved by the collective development of the body, mind and heart. Our schedule is planned in such a way that all the three fields – the physical, mental and spiritual - are taken care of simultaneously.
“The main feature of our system is that many of our teachers stay with the students in the hostel. They keenly observe the students, identify their deficiencies and guide them regularly to bring about human excellence. They instil self-confidence in the students by integrating values in the system, but more importantly, by their personal example.
“It is because of such integral education, and of course our Bhagavan’s Grace, that the students, both boys and girls, put in sincere efforts and achieve such best results, year after year.”
Another top scorer, Gokul Jayaram, who came second with a remarkable score of 96.4% excitedly told H2H:
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"If not for Swami, it would not have been possible" -
Mr. Gokul Jayaram, the second ranker |
“22nd May - that day will remain etched in my memory forever. I can still imagine the emotions that crept through me as I typed my board exam roll no: and found it was 96.4%... Surprise, happiness, gratitude... within one hour, I came to know, to my astonishment, that I was a Sri Sathya Sai Higher Secondary School (Boys wing) topper!
"Now, as I ponder upon this, I realize, and my parents do too, that all this wouldn't have been possible if not for Swami and His infinite grace working out its magic through me. Had I studied elsewhere, I don't think I could have produced such a marvel. I completely dedicate this achievement to the hostel routine and its unique and multifaceted approach towards academics.
"A special mention of thanks to my ex-wing teacher, Mr. Sailesh Srivastava, for the important role he played in honing and crafting my skills. Last but not the least, I would like to bring forward my approbation on the way the students are coached here for the examinations, in spite of the various diverse activities that hold them engaged and demand attention.”
While explaining the school’s winning formula which draws out such excellence from the students, the aforementioned teacher, Mr. Sailesh Srivastava, said:
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Mr. Sailesh Srivastava |
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“Students learn to lead a simple and disciplined life, devoid of distractions and that itself sets their entire day. Right from the early hours of the morning, to bedtime, the student performs various activities and duties - be it early morning prayers, silent sitting, jogging and exercises, games and sports, or attending classes – every activity is performed with one-pointed attention, channelled by discipline and devotion.
“The students derive precious experiences, normally unavailable at the school level, through their involvement in diverse cultural and spiritual festivals and activities. They learn how to live together and work together and the strengths of various cultures and traditions. At others times, students go out for village service – grama seva as we call it – in a spirit of ‘love all and serve all’; on other occasions they are fully involved in the school’s sports and physical activities, and then the year ends with what we call the Board Exam, where the entire student community is busy with academics. This moral and spiritual lifestyle, regulated by discipline, is what sets apart our students from others.
“In fact, many a time, teachers from other schools have wondered how our students are able to perform so well in the board examinations, in spite of their many extra-curricular activities! The answer is in the lifestyle that the students lead. While other people outside may have to study 18 to 20 hours a day to achieve similar results, our students are able to achieve the same or more with a mere 2 to 3 hours a day! They have no distractions, and have one-pointed attention to focus on their subjects.
“Apart from this, leading a moral and a spiritual life confers self-confidence upon the individual. And it is this self-confidence which really instils some kind of energy and spirit in every activity that we undertake. And that is why every hour of study or of sports and play becomes very useful and productive. While a distracted mind wastes a lot of time, a one-pointed, focused mind achieves every second!" |
“Swami is teaching us that if a man leads a disciplined life devoid of distractions, and with single-pointed attention to his duties, he can perform multiple tasks in a day and achieve success in all of them.
“Apart from this, leading a moral and a spiritual life confers self-confidence upon the individual. And it is this self-confidence which really instils some kind of energy and spirit in every activity that we undertake. And that is why every hour of study or of sports and play becomes very useful and productive. While a distracted mind wastes a lot of time, a one-pointed, focused mind achieves every second! And I think that is the secret of integral education. Be engaged in many useful activities, but when you do a particular thing, have one-pointed attention on that, with self-confidence, in a spirit of ‘love all and serve all’.”
Another topper, Naveen Lingam, a student who came a close 3rd with 95.6% gave the following poignant reflections on his exhilarating time at the school:
“Hard work rewards. And if the universal guide, our Swami is there to guide, hard work has to reward. The marks which I recorded are not because of my effort alone; it involves the sweat and blood of all the teachers who are the best in their respective subjects.
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The 3rd ranker, Mr. Naveen Lingam feels it is God's grace alone which enables a person to excel |
"Their consistent struggle to make the subjects easy and understandable has borne fruit. This great effort includes enormous paperwork, a lot of practice, regular assignments, extra classes, and so on.
“It is said that to gain something you have to lose something. But I can proudly say I have not lost anything studying in the SSSHSS - I have only gained more and more. Not to forget my hostel, the SSS Junior Boys’ Hostel informally called as 'home away from home', is just the best place to live. If I integrate all the moments I spent here I feel that it was the best part of my life. The brotherhood, the care, the spiritual atmosphere - anyone will find it tough to get these anywhere in this world.
“Every activity we undertake, small or big, starts and ends with God's name. Activities like Gram Seva, Sports meet, etc. keeps us busy throughout the year. Believe me or not, the time we get for studies is less compared to other schools, but our performance in the exams is no doubt much better. This is because of God's physical presence. However talented a person may be, ultimately he needs God's grace to get the best.
“I believe that getting good marks is relatively easy, but maintaining it is much tougher. I extend my best wishes to my juniors and hope that they reach new heights in the coming years.”
“Every activity we undertake, small or big, starts and ends with God's name. Activities like Gram Seva, Sports meet, etc. keeps us busy throughout the year. Believe me or not, the time we get for studies is less compared to other schools, but our performance in the exams is no doubt much better. This is because of God's physical presence. However talented a person may be, ultimately he needs God's grace to get the best." |
Another year has brought yet more accolades to the Sri Sathya Sai Secondary School, which can only affirm that its unique educational system created by its beloved founder, Bhagavan Baba, is the most lucid and enlightened way to raise young men and women of character.
In India, there are 99 Sai schools which follow the Sri Sathya Sai Education in Human Values approach. They bring Bhagavan’s teachings of universal love and selfless service to life in the minds of the nation’s children. Similarly, there are many such Sai Schools dedicated to the impartation of such value-based learning in many countries all over the world.
From educators to policy pundits, the Sai Education model is being keenly studied as an ideal one for meeting the needs of today’s world. It is being seen as the blueprint worthy of dynamic replication, for the larger goal of character building. It brings many successes in its trail including academic excellence. Explaining the results achieved by the Sai schools, and the international recognition and acceptance of Bhagavan’s Educare Programme, one of the senior teachers of this school, Mr. Venkateshwarlu said:
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Mr. Venkateshwarlu |
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“Whatever Bhagavan does, He wants it replicated all over the world. He sets an example for others to follow. So certainly, this particular Institution has been initiated so that it will set an example. And at this juncture, as we know, there are many such institutions, following Bhagavan’s model, not only in this country, but the world over.
“Any learning institution has got four important components, all of which must flower if there has to be success - the management, the parents, the teachers and the students. If the management sets the goal and if the parents support the cause whole-heartedly, then the job is half-done.
"Then comes the role of the teachers for translating this ideal by their personal example, by devoting all their time and energy for the benefit of the students, guiding them and helping them to achieve this goal. Last, but not the least, the role of the students, who should be prepared to work hard with a feeling of dedication. This achieves the objective 100%!
“Many of Bhagavan’s Institutions all over this country and abroad, achieve this objective to a large extent, to name a few, Sai Schools in Muddenahalli, Alike, Vishakapatnam and Rajahmundry.”
The goal of the Sri Sathya Sai Educational Institutions is to create ideal citizens who combine academic excellence with spiritual values, and a yearning for selfless service. Once duplicated globally, students all over the world will graduate with the clarion call to ‘love all, serve all’ on their lips instead of the present day mantra of ‘let me get all for myself’.
"Whatever Bhagavan does, He wants it replicated all over the world. He sets an example for others to follow. So certainly, this particular Institution has been initiated so that it will set an example. And at this juncture, as we know, there are many such institutions, following Bhagavan’s model, not only in this country, but the world over." |
Such broadmindedness will lead to a revolution of love on this planet. Amidst the chaos that rampant materialism has unleashed on humanity, an education based on human values is the only hope for the well-being of all our children and the planet.
The consistently high academic performance of the school as highlighted by the recent results has not been lost on students, educators or parents elsewhere. Conscientious citizens everywhere are realizing that the world needs more Sai Krupas, Sarus, Naveens and Gokuls to fulfill the prophecies of a brave new world.
These results have amply amplified the fact that men and women of character need not be born out of the most expensive of educational models. Instead, they point to the case study of this divine school attached to an ashram in remote and rural India, that charges absolutely no fee from anyone from Grade 1 upto Grade 12, where the rich and poor, Hindus and Muslims come together to work in unity, simplicity and discipline to achieve personal and collective goals of excellence, while offering all their efforts to the Divine.
To know more about this School read our comprehensive Cover Story
"The Zenith of Holistic Learning"
in the July 2008 issue
~ Heart2Heart Team
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