Science and Spirituality (Project with U.K. partner school)

Description: An understanding of our reproductive system collaborated with spiritual strength to develop stronger self-esteem and morality among adolescents and compare the same with other country.
Skills evolved:

• Know our reproductive physiology.
• Awareness towards the problems and repercussion of teenage pregnancy.
• Imbibe the spiritual ways to develop a strong mind and soul to develop the skill to make decision.

Activity 1: (April-November 2013)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

Reproductive system of humans and reproductive health is part of secondary and senior secondary CBSE curriculum.  The academic knowledge has been brought to practical applicability and understanding through this project, specially emphasising the issue of unwanted pregnancies in the tender teenage.

As per recent reports India may miss the millennium goal target set for 2015 on reproductive health especially related to maternal and infant health.
The risk of a child dying before completing the first year of age was highest in the WHO African region (63 per 1000 live births), about six times higher than that in the WHO European region. Reproductive health (RH) is not a quantitative issue that needs to be pulled down with quantitative approach rather it is a composite whole that includes besides others a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of reproductive disease or infirmity, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN).  Reproductive health, therefore, implies that people are able to have a responsible, satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so”.
Correlates to this are the right of men and women to be informed of and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of fertility regulation of their choice, and the right of access to appropriate health care services that enables women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant.Consequently, RH intertwines with number of factors and issues such as age, lifestyle, overall health, per capita income, education and literacy. Unequal access to health, education also other basic needs with specific response to disadvantaged groups including tribal, indigenous people, minorities and women, is core to the ills of society and achieving sustainable inclusive participatory framework for development.

General Reproductive Health factsheets :

•   Include areas such as Amenorrhea, Male / Female reproductive cancers, cervical cancer, Pap test, Urinary tract, infections, Infertility, etc. 

•  Contraception helps prevent pregnancy until  planned. 

•  Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI's) .

 India Factsheet
(Source UNDP, http://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/mdgoverview/)

•  Adolescent pregnancy

When we come to adolescent or teenage pregnancy (15-19 years) WHO highlighted certain Key facts:

• About 16 million adolescent girls give birth every year – most in low- and middle-income countries.

• An estimated three million girls aged 15-19 undergo unsafe abortions every year.

•  In low- and middle-income countries, complications from pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 years.

• Stillbirths and newborn deaths are 50% higher among infants of adolescent mothers than among infants of women aged 20-29 years.

•  Infants of adolescent mothers are more likely to have low birth weight

Most teenage girls get into pregnancies not planned by them but quite often they getinto.

Ki-moon UN Secretary General calling for greater attention to adolescent pregnancy on World Population Day. India is also not far behind, as per the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report, in India, around four million teenage girls in the age group of 15 to 19 give birth to a child every year. Further, according to National Family Health Survey, 47 percent girls in India get married before the age of 18 years and early marriage leads to early child bearing.
Often, teens 

don't get prenatal care soon enough, which can lead to problems later on. They have a higher risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure and its complications. Risks for the baby include premature birth and a low birth weight.

Teenage pregnancies affect most of the countries. The United States (US), as per WHO report, has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the western industrialized world, 

Government Policies and Laws 

• MTP Act of 1971 and the 2002 amendments have ensured women’s right to terminate an unwanted pregnancysafely and confidentially.

•  The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 201 strengthens the legal provisions for the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

•  The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 places responsibility on the state to ensure free and compulsory education for children up to elementary level.

•   Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 reinforced the provisions of prohibition of child marriage (age 18 and 21 for girls and boys, respectively) along with measures for violations.

•   The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Amendment Act 2006 to combat trafficking and sexual exploitation

•  The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2006ensures protection of women from all forms of domestic violence. 

•  The Draft XIIth five-year Plan (2012–2017), emphasizes on faster economic and sustainable growth for inclusive development. 

•  The National Youth Policy (NYP), 2010 addresses the needs of those aged adolescents (aged 13–19) and of young adults (aged 20–35).

•  The XIth five-year Plan (2007–2012), clearly recognises young people as a group with special and distinct needs and underscores the importance of investing in them.

•   The National Curriculum Framework 2005 articulates the need for integrating adolescence (up to age 18) education within the school curriculum.

•   The National AIDS Prevention and Control Policy 2002 notes the need to promote a better understanding of HIV infection and safer sex practices among the young

•  The National Population Policy 2000 recognized that adolescents constitute an under-served group with special sexual and reproductive health needs, and advocates special programmatic attention to addressing this sub-population.

• . The National Health Policy 2000 recognizes the need to raise awareness among school and college students about health-promoting behaviours

•  The National Policy on Education 1992, emphasizes that educational programmes should actively motivate and inform young people about family planning and responsible parenthoodMechanisms need to be in place to plug sloop holes in policy / legal formulation and implementations to extract the best out of the highly thoughtful laws.

Description: The chapter based understanding of reproductive health was use to arouse the issue of teenage pregnancy through a discussion which was observed by link school on skype.
Teacher's Responsible:

• Ms. C. Raj
• Ms. Anubha
• Ms. Smriti
• Ms. Priti Ojha
• Mr. S. Saxena

Classes: IX to XII

Students interacting through Skype

Evidence of Skype Observation

 Group Discussion Video

Pictures of Group Discussion

Judgement Sheet

Best Speaker

Feedback Forms

Parent

 Student

Teacher

Activity 2: (July-November 2013)

The science of Spirituality

Chanting and meditation, which are taken as attributes of spirituality have an innate scientific value.

Chanting means positive effect

• It creates an aura which purifies the surroundings and uplifts the mind.

• The positivity spontaneously stimulates the brain to secrete good hormones to make the mind act in most creative manner.

•    The rhythm in chants creates a subconscious imitation of the chants in the mind.

• The “udat” (rise), “anudat” (fall) and “pluta” (phonetic) of sound keeps the mind focused to speech preventing wandering of mind and help in developing the art of concentration

Meditation is the art of connecting with one’s own self.

• Meditation cannot be done, it happens. And it takes a lot of practice to make it happen. Our students are at the initial level of learning the art of meditation.

• The first step towards meditation is purification of mind which can be gained by “Shravan” (to listen to positive things).

• The next step is “Manan” where one is supposed to ponder on the “listened” and logically analyze it.

• At a still higher level, “Nidhidhyasan” makes one get established in the positive listening and thoughts.

• This leads to the “happening” of meditation in life.

The above process of chanting and meditation helps the students to be calm, quiet, focused, alert, aware, and controlled and help improve on the characteristics that a good learner should possess. . 

 
Description: Meditation and spirituality to control the mind and restrict deviation of youth at their tender age.
Teacher's Responsible:

• Mr. Anand
• Ms. C. Raj
• Ms. Anubha
• Ms. Rekha
• Ms. Asha Sahi
• Ms. Smriti

Classes: IX to XII

Value Education Teacher Mr. Anand teaching the value "Chanting and Meditation"

Progress Sheet

Chanting Assessment Sheet

Most Improved Student

Award of Most Improved Student

Feedback Forms

Parent

Student

 Teacher

Swami Ji