Initiated in 2003 by Paragon Charitable Trust (PCT), Muktangan is a pioneering educational programme offering low-cost, high-quality English medium education to the economically disadvantaged sections of society. Muktangan is founded and spearheaded by our Trustee, visionary and educationist Ms. Elizabeth Mehta and based on her 40 years of educational experience in India with its inherent issues and challenges and with full awareness of the needs of child development and best international educational practices.

The Muktangan educational model has transformed the educational scenario of socio-economically challenged communities of Mumbai by creating a cadre of teachers through training women from this community who earlier had no career prospects, and who are now running Preschools and a Municipal English Medium Primary School having 480 children. All this has been accomplished within a short span of 4 years, starting from scratch in 2003 with the first batch of teacher trainees and preschool at first and now having reached up to Standard IV with one higher standard added each year.

Muktangan differs from other schools in its child-centered ideology, its innovative classroom layout and curriculum, its low student-teacher ratio and its integrated teacher training programme with its reflective practices. Coming from the same community of socio-economic background, there is great affinity and bonding between the teachers and the children. Teachers each having between 6 and 12 children sit in small circles, all sitting at the same level with frequent personal interactions. The teachers view themselves as facilitators and respect fully the child’s inherent desire to learn and innate capabilities of self-learning. All lessons are planned daily, reviewed and conducted to provide experiential learning to every child.

Muktangan has proven to be an effective and relevant educational model. It impacts holistically the community and the educational development in Mumbai.

The education and teacher training provided is completely free with some parents contributing of their own free will and according to their means. All resources needed for the teacher training, the school and the children are provided free.

Recognizing the relevance and effectiveness of the educational model, the BMC has this year entrusted to Muktangan 6 more preschools to be run with the Muktangan pedagogy, impacting additionally 480 children. This augurs well for the spread of the Muktangan model to other schools and also possibly for these 6 preprimary schools to expand vertically into primary standards from June ’08 on the lines of the first model school

The Muktangan model is also being adopted by other NGO’s who have had/are having women from the communities served by them, undergo Muktangan teacher training and then starting Muktangan model Preschools in their respective locations.