A new school in Singapore is seeking to make affordable education, personalised learning and character development part of the same journey, guided by Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s message: “The end of education is character.”
Sri Sathya Sai Global School (SSSGS), which currently offers Grades 1 to 8, was established during the Birth Centenary of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and reflects his principles of “Love All, Serve All” and “Help Ever, Hurt Never”.
The school was formally inaugurated on Aug 23 by Mr R.J. Rathnakar, Managing Trustee of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust in Puttaparthi, India. The programme began with universal prayers by children.
In his inaugural address, Mr Rathnakar emphasised the larger purpose of education, particularly character-building and developing a spirit of service from a young age.
SSSGS was established in response to what its management says is demand from parents for reasonably priced education combining academic continuity with individual attention and emotional well-being.
“Parents repeatedly tell us they are looking for three things together: academic continuity, individual attention and a child who remains happy and grounded,” the principal said.
The school has attracted around 80 students across its current and confirmed intakes in about three months, against a capacity of around 200. Classes are capped at a teacher-student ratio of 1:20.
Its educational model has three interconnected elements: an NCERT-aligned curriculum provides the academic foundation, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guides teaching methods, while Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vahini integrates values with everyday learning.
Vidya Vahini, an initiative of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, provides lesson plans, educational content, digital teaching aids and teacher training. This allows values to be incorporated into subjects such as Science, Mathematics and English rather than taught separately.
UDL, meanwhile, recognises that children learn differently. Concepts can be explored through visual material, listening, discussions, experiments, presentations and problem-solving.
The NCERT curriculum also provides academic continuity for internationally mobile Indian families, while being enriched with Singapore’s multicultural context, digital literacy, communication skills and CEFR-oriented English competencies.
Affordability is central to the model. “The objective is simple: less dependence on tuition outside school, more meaningful learning inside school,” the management said.
Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-Violence form the school’s core values. Students encounter them through stories, classroom discussions, teamwork, projects, sport, service and everyday interactions.
The approach is described as “Head-Heart-Hand”: understanding a value, internalising it and putting it into practice. Children are also encouraged to ask questions, attempt difficult tasks, acknowledge mistakes and disagree respectfully without fear of humiliation.
Around 20 teachers serve the school across core and specialist roles. Its students include children from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalee and other Indian backgrounds, alongside Singaporean and Sri Lankan families.
SSSGS eventually hopes to expand to Grades 9 to 12, subject to approvals, and develop a larger campus with stronger laboratory, technology, language, sports, arts and leadership facilities.
But its management says the ultimate measure of success will not be buildings or enrolment numbers.
Its goal is to nurture young people who are knowledgeable and confident, but equally empathetic, grounded and conscious of their responsibility towards others – making the school a living expression of Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s belief that education should ultimately build character.
