History

Our Maa Shravanvani School started off in 1974 with only a handful of students in a single classroom with the charity of Smt. Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Charitable Trust. Shri Suryakant Parikh, the then-Director of Vidyamandir, refused to give in to widespread scepticism about special education and worked tirelessly to establish a proper school for the hearing and speech impaired. Inclusive education was unheard of when he advocated his ideas on special education. He had instructed his teachers to use the universal sign language to teach the students the same content that the regular schools adopted. They helped students learn maths, languages, sciences, art, crafts, music, dance, drama, and even social etiquette using appropriate teaching-learning materials.

In 1981, the late Smt. Kantaben Gandhi's estate executors sponsored the establishment of Smt. Kantaben Nanalal Gandhi Secondary School for the Hearing and Speech Divyang that was enshrined in the Maa Shravanvani School.

After admission, we provide free hearing aids to all our students after testing their hearing. From nursery to Grade 3, our students receive auditory and speech training, and they learn through various sense-enhancing activities. Post that, our curriculum relies more on practical experiences, tours, and visits. We try to prepare them for normal Gujarati medium schools through regular medical examinations, auditory training, and occupational and speech therapies. Children who are unable to hear usually end up being unable to speak, but the expertise of our educators makes our students confident enough to develop their speaking ability. In addition to that, our vocational classes enable them to be financially independent in the future.

Capacity:
144 students and 26 staff members

School Hours:
Mon. to Fri. - 11:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
Sat. - 06:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

Principal:
Mr. Prahladbhai D. Pandya
Mamtamandir,
Opp. Shashivan, Dairy Road, Palanpur-385001.
Ph. 02742-252467
schoolforhi@vidyamandir.org