In this competitive world, are we forcing our children to be a part of the rat race? Is it necessary to pressurize our children to pressure from a tender age just because there may be others who are faster learners? Probably not. The education world in India is diverse and populated with a wide variety of schools. Some of them encourage competition and are strict about academic results while some others focus on overall development. There are also some that discourage competition and teach children how to maintain a balance and develop important life skills. Sloka - The Hyderabad Waldorf School is one of them.
Established more than 20 years ago, the school follows the Waldorf curriculum, which is a unique approach towards learning and child development.
Sloka Waldorf School Fee Structure
Sloka-The Hyderabad Waldorf school charges an admission fee of Rs.5,000 and a corpus fund of Rs.1,20,000, both of which have to be paid during the time of admission. There are two terms in a year hence the fee structure has been divided into Ist and IInd term.
- Playground costs around Rs.61,700 each term.
- For Nur/KG, the term fees are approximately Rs. 66,950, with Rs.4,750 for the stationary.
- Class I - V costs around Rs.66.500 along with Rs.7,750 for the Stationary, Rs.11,250 for lunch and Rs.1,450 for Art & Craft.
- Class VI - X has Rs.66,950 term fees with Rs.7,750 for the Stationary, Rs.11,250 for lunch and Rs.1,450 for Art & Craft on an average.
Transport Tiers are as follows Kindergarten Campus in Jubilee Hills: Flat Rate Rs.5140/- P.M. Grade Campus in Aziz Nagar: Tier 1: Rs.4650, Tier 2: Rs.5140, Tier 3: Rs.5560 Please note that the information has been taken from a reliable source; however, the actual may vary from year to year.
Where is Sloka located?
The spacious grade school (kindergarten to class X) building is located in Aziz Nagar. It is spread across 25,000 sft. and has been designed by German designers keeping the educational needs of children in mind. The school claims it to be one of the best school buildings in the city. In Jubilee Hills, there is a dedicated Kindergarten school.
What is a Waldorf curriculum?
The Waldorf Curriculum is inspired by Rudolf Steiner. In this curriculum, education occurs in blocks along with simultaneous learning of co-curricular activities such as music, dance, knitting, gardening, cooking, etc. It focuses on each child and matches the age group to complement physical and emotional development. It nurtures all the seven bits of intelligence. Sloka follows the Waldorf Curriculum until 8
th grade. 9
th and 10
th grades follow the CBSE curriculum.
Does the infrastructure complement the curriculum?
It definitely does! The school building was designed to ensure large classrooms and other amenities that do justice to the curriculum.
Classrooms
Spacious, ventilated, and age-appropriate, classrooms at Sloka are like a second home. They are elaborately decorated to create a vibrant and wholesome atmosphere.
Laboratories
Various laboratories in the building encourage practical application of the subjects learned and ensure that children learn through experiences.
Library
Reading is one of the most essential life skills and Sloka has all the facilities needed to make sure all students read and widen their horizons in the well-equipped library.
Playground
The campus has a large playground and garden with a long jump pit, 200m track, volleyball court, and more, encouraging children to participate in various sports and games actively. Different games are introduced to children of different ages. Bothmer Gymnastics is a unique form of gymnastics that is a combination of a few core exercises. It was developed keeping Steiner’s perspective of Human Being and Child Development in mind and is exclusive to Sloka in Hyderabad.
Co-curricular activities
At Sloka, co-curricular activities are a major part of the curriculum. From cooking, digging, and gardening to woodwork, handwork, and more, the school molds children into wholesome individuals by helping them develop a wide range of skills.
Events such as Jharoka and Bazaar are conducted every year where children get a chance to showcase their skills.
Transport
The school has a fleet of buses that pick up and drop off children at various points across the city.
Dining
Sloka has an in-house kitchen that serves delicious vegetarian food to its students every day.
Learning at Sloka
Sloka has successfully managed to Indianize this approach to meet the educational demands of the country. The curriculum depends on the age group:
- Kindergarten (3-6 years): Children at this stage learn through imitation and activity. The entire curriculum is devised around this. They have creative play, music, etc. that helps them develop their social skills and nurture their imagination.
- Primary school (7-11 years): Here, children develop their skills through listening and understanding. It includes story-telling, poetry, etc. They also learn to develop their writing skills. They also start learning math, social, science, and other subjects.
- Middle school (12-14 years): History, science, and math become the focus of education with language learning always being a major part of learning. Music, clay modeling, cooking, woodwork, painting, and crafting are a few co-curricular activities children engage in.
- High school (15 and 16 years): The CBSE curriculum is taken up at this stage with elements of Waldorf Education. This blended approach prepares children for the board examinations and life after school.
Teacher training
The school conducts teacher training through Steiner Education. Training is carried out throughout the year through workshops. Representatives from Switzerland, the USA, and Germany keep visiting to help teachers understand the Waldorf Curriculum and its application to different grades. Sloka is indeed a refreshingly different school that takes a unique approach towards education and child development.