Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation

The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation is a non-profit organisation that operates single-teacher schools in underdeveloped parts of India, with over 2,100 schools as of April 2008.
It is associated with Hindu nationalist movements.
Activities
The schools are primarily organized in small villages among India's tribal groups. The local youth who are trained to operate the schools are social workers and teachers, teaching sanitation and health care, literacy and Hindu nationalism.
In most of the schools reading and learning materials are scarce and there is strong emphasis on Hindu teachings.
The major concept behind the schools was formulated by the reknowned spiritual leader and social reformer, Swami Vivekananda, who highlighted the importance of delivering education to rural and tribal children.
Political ties
Ekal Vidyalayas are run by the Friends of Tribals Society (FTS).
The FTS claims that by 1995-1996 it was running 1,200 schools in Jharkhand.
Boards outside Ekal Vidyalaya schools in Assam say they are run by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
The FTS was receiving grants from the government, including public money for the education of tribal children.
The FTS appears to be associated with the Hindu nationalist organization Sangh Parivar and the related Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The emphasis on social work and high moral standards for the teachers earns them respect in their communities. The lack of teaching infrastructure and textbooks, and the fact that teachers sometimes continue to receive their salary after their schools have closed suggests that the primary goal may be to recruit a loyal cadre of Sangh Parivar members.
The RSS has been persuading people to "go back to their roots in Hindu culture," which has translated into votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the last few elections.
The charity is active in several countries.
For example, an event in September 2009 in San Diego raised approximately $14,000.
EVF Australia was set up in 2004 and as of March 2006 had sponsored 85 schools.
In 2006 the National Hindu Students Forum (UK) selected Ekal Vidyalaya as the main recipient of fundraising during its annual Sewa Week drive.

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