The Business School at Sri Sathya Sai University – Part 5


Practice of Educare in The Management Education at Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Learning

The faculty members at the Institute incorporate the relevant values in the daily lessons of their respective courses through direct and indirect means and methods. The Institute provides the congenial environment for education in general with particular reference to Educare (values-oriented education). All the following components, together and individually, play an important role in the formation of the integrated personality of the students of the Institute: 
  • Institute Campus and Scholastic Inputs 
  • Residential Hostel Inputs for Personality Development
  • Ashram’s Contribution in Values Orientation

There is a non-linear relationship among the three components of Educare in management education and the influence among them is mutual but not exclusive. This has been depicted in the figure below:

Important Components of the Sri Sathya Sai Values-Based System of Integral Education

THE INTELLECTUAL DIMENSION

Institute Campus and Scholastic Inputs

The Institute takes care of the head (disciplined thinking and intellect) of the students. It updates the data storehouse of the adult-ego state of the students by continuously exposing them to a variety of learning experiences. Values-oriented education fructifies only when teachers walk the talk. As is the teacher, so is the taught. It is to be recognised that in all educational activities, and particularly in the area of values promotion and dissemination, what counts most, is the Guru – the Teacher. Faith can move mountains and more so when it is the faith of committed teachers who can be the best guides, friends and philosophers to students. 
The Four Campuses of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
The Institute has a team of well-qualified, experienced, selfless, highly committed and hardworking teachers prepared to stretch to any extent not only with respect to their job-description duties but well beyond that. They consider taking care of the students as their sanctified duty. The teacher-student ratio is very favourable and the relations between students and teachers are very cordial and warm. The teachers pay personal attention to the problems of each and every student. They work for Baba and consider work (teaching) as worship. The students who join the Institute are prepared to undergo the strict academic schedule and rigour and discharge the assigned jobs with sincerity, devotion and dedication.

The students of the Institute follow a uniform dress code (white trouser and shirt for male students and designated saris for female students). Every morning, they walk silently to the campus of the Institute and arrange their footwear in neat arrays before entering the prayer hall at 8:45 a.m.  On arrival in the campus, the students and faculty members are greeted and warmly welcomed with ‘Thought for The Day’ written (with washable markers on a white board in good handwriting) by a group of students who volunteer to do it by turns. This is a regular feature. Quotations from the sayings, books and talks of the Revered Founder Chancellor, other sages, saints, seers, scientists and leaders relevant to the occasion are written. These thoughts are deeply inspiring and create the appropriate mood for the academic day. 

Example for the Thought For The Day displayed on the College Notice Board

“Every student should prepare himself to serve as an ideal for the community. There should be no discord among your college mates and no room for hate or ill will. You should discharge your duties and please your parents by your conduct. Strive to bring credit to your educational institution. Above all, try to earn the grace of God by being helpful to your fellow-beings. Only these constitute true education.”
- Sri Sathya Sai 
December 29, 1985

There are Bhajans / congregational chanting or a talk on spiritual, moral, ethical issues by students / teachers from 9 to 9.20 a.m. Thereafter, the students go to the respective classes. From 9.20 a.m. to 12 noon there are three classes. They break for lunch from 12 noon to 1 p.m. There are three classes / laboratory sessions / workshop sessions from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thereafter, the students go back to the hostel and have light refreshments and after a brief rest prepare to go to Ashram / Mandir for Darshan and Bhajans. The Institute works for six days a week (Monday – Saturday) and there are 36 hours per week.
Moral Class at the Brindavan Campus of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Morning Prayer and Moral Classes

 During the morning session in the Campus, there is a prayer session on all weekdays except on Thursday, when the students have a moral class (class dedicated exclusively for values-oriented intellectual inputs) for an hour. There are Bhajans on three days of the week and there are short talks on various topics (unity of religions, spiritual, social and intellectual themes, lives of great people, etc.) given by select students and teachers on the other two days. This provides the student speakers an excellent opportunity to have good practice in public speaking, and the audience an opportunity to gain knowledge about various topics.

Awareness Courses

 One of the special features of the Sai Institute is the Awareness Course. Students in the Institute come from different regional, cultural and social backgrounds. The Awareness Programme serves as an equalising and blending process that brings them all to an Institute known for its noble value systems. Awareness Courses constitute an essential component of the integrated course structure. This programme is based on the true needs of the students, exposing them to great spiritual, inspirational, cultural and scientific ideas and developments of humankind and acquainting them with the realities of this global village we all live in. The Awareness Programme purports to highlight the importance of the five basic human values: Satya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace), Prema (Love), and Ahimsa (Non-violence), and their relationship with the development and blossoming of the human personality. 
Awareness Class at the Prasanthi Nilayam Campus of Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
The three principal objectives of the Awareness Programme are the link between general knowledge and spiritual knowledge, practical knowledge and skills, and implementing noble ideals in daily life. The Awareness courses span over all the ten semesters of the Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes in the Institute. The course introduces the students to the broad sweep of general knowledge in important fields of human learning and then helps them to integrate this knowledge with the basic human values and spiritual philosophy. The course content of this course at the Undergraduate level constitutes – philosophy of education, unity of religions and faiths, ethos and values and their relevance in the current milieu, life and its quest, and study of Indian classics such as the Ramayana and the Bhagavatam. At the Postgraduate level, the focus is on exposing the students to the practical aspects of spirituality, enabling them to use the spiritual principles as stated in the ancient scriptures of India and the world at large, for dealing with the problems of the modern global society such as global warming and climate change, poverty, illiteracy, terrorism, religious fundamentalism and the like.




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