"This site is under construction and will be up and running soon. We are currently in the process of becoming incorporated and obtaining the 501(c)3 status. Our team at Northwestern is continually expanding and we have made contacts with students at Berkeley for web design help. Please email us at sripathshala@gmail.com with questions and comments or if you would like to learn how you can get involved. Thank you for your interest in Sri Pathshala. "

To address the vast disparity in literacy rates between girls and boys in Indian society, we have developed an incentive structure to encourage rural Indian families to provide equal opportunities for their female children. Building on a micro-credit based model, we propose an innovative credit based education system that will, in the short run, increase the longevity of girls' enrollment in school and, in the long run, provide social and economic opportunities that will stem the tide of gender bias in Indian society. We need your support to propel us towards our goal of bringing social equality to India.

Meaning of name: "Sri" is an honorific prefix used in Indian names to confer respect. In actuality, it refers to the universal mother and consort of Lord Vishnu, Laxmi. Laxmi represents wealth, light, wisdom, fortune, and beauty. "Path" literally means lesson, reading, or recitation. A "shala" is hall or school. In Vedic times, the "pathshala" would be where students learned not only the scriptures and sciences, but also where they learned the lessons of life.
In the context of "Sri Pathshala," "sri" is meant as a term of respect and esteem for women and represents the aforementioned qualities that we hope to cultivate with our program. "Pathshala" represents the school where these girls will gain the skills and knowledge to live up to their true potential.

© Sri Pathshala.