Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER)

From Auroville Wiki
Revision as of 08:18, 2 June 2015 by Kristen (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
File:SAIIER logo alpha.png

The Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research (SAIIER) promotes and coordinates most of the educational and cultural programmes in Auroville, with the intent of keeping them focused on Auroville’s aims and ideals. SAIIER also acts as a financial and administrative umbrella for those programmes. It receives funding for this purpose from India’s Ministry of Education, the Foundation for World Education (USA), Stichting De Zaaier (Holland), and various units and individuals from within and outside Auroville.

History and Philosophy

SAIIER was founded on 28th February 1984, to coordinate and further develop educational research in Auroville through many experimental fields. Over the years SAIIER has evolved into an umbrella organization that has sponsored diverse research units and nurtured several educational initiatives in Auroville. The experiment itself is an attempt to work out, give content and practical shape to the vision of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother on the future evolution of humankind.

Sri Aurobindo foresaw that great changes were coming upon humanity – changes of an evolutionary nature. On the one hand, the development and exercise of the mind, the mental faculty, would lead to great discoveries in science and result in increased technology. On the other hand, the human race would progressively find itself unable to effectively deal with, let alone master, the gigantic structure of civilization and life that would thus get built up. When times of crisis arose, such as we have been living through of late, it simply would not know how to proceed further.

Sri Aurobindo and The Mother foresaw the need to create a laboratory for manifesting “an actual human unity”, which is Auroville. The agenda set for Auroville by The Mother is based on a deep vision of the goals of human existence, the processes at work in human life, the forces at play that affect it, and the present direction of these forces. In Auroville we aspire to materialize this vision. One of the key elements of the vision is that no lasting change can be effected in human affairs unless there is a radical change in consciousness. It is necessary that human consciousness be centred in the inner psychic and spiritual parts of the being, if lasting peace and harmony is to be realized.

Centre for Research in Communication and Publications

Crcp.jpg

The Centre for Research in Communication and Publications (CRCP) was a centre for work related particularly to publications, but also to communication through such media as slide-shows and exhibitions.

The CRCP made significant contributions towards the realisation of SAIIER’s major publications, such as The Aim of Life (both in English and Hindi), The Good Teacher and The Good Pupil (English) and quite a few smaller publications, all of which were typeset and printed in close cooperation with Auroville Press[1].

Scope

Education for human unity is SAIIER's unending project. Included in this are many sub-themes: education as an unending process, education of the integral personality, the uniqueness of each being, and freedom and opportunity for each person to pursue his or her own path.

One way of categorizing projects under SAIIER has been:

  • Experiments in objectives, content and methods of a new system of education
  • Experiments in fine arts
  • Experiments in village extension work
  • Experiments in physical education
  • Research on special themes, such as Indian Culture, Evolution and Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem, Savitri.

The various fields under SAIIER are composed of a number of units, which are quite autonomous in their functioning. The Auroville schools are represented by the Auroville School Board that meets monthly to attend to common issues. An all-SAIIER meeting is held twice a year. The administrative work of SAIIER is coordinated from a central office next to the Auroville Foundation building.

Institutions and projects supported by SAIIER

Auroville Schools

Outreach Schools

Services

Centres and libraries

Activities and research

  • Aranya environmental education programme
  • Aurofilm
  • Aurohamsadhwani
  • Auroville Nature Camp
  • Auroville Theatre Group
  • Botanical Garden environmental education programme
  • Eluciole Circus
  • Hindustani Vocal Music
  • House of Mother's Agenda
  • Kalabhumi music
  • Kalabhumi arts
  • Mira Women's Group
  • Odissi Dance
  • One Asia
  • Rainbow Child
  • Science Fair
  • White Peacock
  • Youth Camp
  • World Game - creations in the sandbox

Publications

Periodicals

Books

See List of books and booklets published by SAIIER

Contact

  • Phone: 0413-262-2210 or 262-2982
  • E-mail: saiier@auroville.org.in

References

  1. ↑ http://old.auroville.org/education/edu_centres/saiier_crcp.htm, accessed 3 Jan 2015
Retrieved from "https://www.wiki.auroville.org.in/w/index.php?title=Sri_Aurobindo_International_Institute_of_Educational_Research_(SAIIER)&oldid=8163"