In India, school attendance is officially compulsory. In practice, however, many children either do not attend school at all or only for a few years. Government schools are often poorly equipped, teachers are underqualified or entirely absent, and children from lower social classes or castes face discrimination. In poor families, children are often required to help with work, and compulsory education is rarely enforced. Girls are particularly disadvantaged and often drop out after just a few years.

Families who can afford it usually send their children to private schools. Poor families do not have this option. In the state of Bihar, the primary school attendance rate is below 60%.

The Shanti India School in Bodhgaya, Bihar, offers these children a good, free education based on the official curriculum, all the way to secondary graduation. Demand for the school is high, and only a small fraction of applicants could be admitted in recent years.

A newsletter provides regular updates on school life, which we are happy to provide on request. The newsletter also introduces individual families, who often live in makeshift huts made of plastic sheets with a single room. Parents work in low-income jobs (such as day laborers, street vendors or garbage collectors). Many families struggle with social issues like alcohol abuse, domestic violence, absentee fathers, and other problems. Without this project, the children would have no realistic chance at receiving an education.

During the summer months, when temperatures can reach nearly 50 degrees Celsius and work is scarce, the school distributes free meals to the poorest families. In some cases, it also helps arrange medical treatments.

The school operates under the blessing of the Buddhist monk Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Bodhgaya is the place where, according to tradition, the Buddha attained enlightenment. Today, the majority of the population in Bodhgaya is Hindu.

To become less dependent on donations, the school community is currently building a second school building where children from higher-income families will receive education in exchange for tuition fees: the Blue Lotus International Academy. The Academy has already shifted to its under-construction building since January 2025.

Additional income is generated through the operation of a guesthouse in Bodhgaya: the Tara Guest House.

Our board members Volker and Johannes visited the school in 2023 and were convinced by the concept.

Regardless of personal impressions, our board carefully and objectively reviews the use of funds and the financial management of the school’s administrative body (Shanti India Charitable Association) to ensure that donations are used effectively.

We are aware that a project like this cannot solve the structural problems of Indian society. But for every child who is able to attend this school, it is a true blessing.