Welcome To Villa Theresa School

We, the Franciscan Family of Villa Theresa trust in the innate goodness of people and their capacities to transcend human limitations as they move on this journey through life. Our vision is to build a just society where people live with dignity, equality, freedom and co-responsibility. It is based on our firm belief in students’ potential to overcome cultural and social biases and to transform themselves into dynamic agents of nation building, capable of mobilizing and transforming the society.

Holistic growth of students is the core principle of our school and therefore the essence of all its interventions, programmes, processes and systems. We focus students needs (spirit, mind and body), priorities and aspirations, with due respect to their knowledge and capacities. The institution is run as a process of ongoing learning between students, staff, parents and together creating a better earth.

We strive to bring change and transformation in a holistic way with due respect to each one’s unique culture, beliefs, traditions and indigenous knowledge which are directly linked to their nature and attitude to life. Our idea is not to limit what people are doing but to build on it and initiate innovation to become agents of change.

The participatory learning methodology enables them to take lead in organizing meetings, exposure and exchange programmes and to hold festivals together. Due recognition is given to the knowledge people have, creating platforms to share and strengthen their capacities by facilitating a student centered learning. A gradual shift from teaching to a facilitating mode is happening over a period of time in order to bring out the best in all. More open communication, peer learning, and creating spaces for experiential learning are the most important elements of our education approaches. A key learning from this process is that communication and facilitation skills must be further developed and strengthened. We feel that there are many possibilities for this, given the fact that there is trained and dedicated staff and experienced parents (P.T.O executive members) and experts who are willing to play a big role. With improved skills, learning and training abilities, the status of women is improving and this holds good for families and society at large. The openness of our partners to engage in this process is tremendous.

Sr. Emy Rodrigues