How the Journey Began

The UN Sustainable Development (SDG) Goal 4 aims to ensure ‘inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. In India, the Right to Education Act 2009, the National Policy on Education, the National Curriculum Framework and Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan are among the few policy documents which have shaped the course of education in the country. While we are close to achieving the goal of universal education, we cannot neglect the disconnects prevalent within the mainstream system that sowed the seeds of Muktangan.

Our founding trustee had one question in mind “Is it possible to create a learning environment for both children and teachers? ”It is with this question that the “Muktangan model” was developed to demonstrate the best practices in education through an inclusive, student and teacher friendly, community-based system within mainstream schooling. Since its inception in 2003, Muktangan has now grown into a unique model delivering holistic education to over 4000+ children from underserved educational communities, livelihood opportunities to 800+ community members through our pre-service teacher education programme and employment opportunities to 600+ teachers and teacher educators in the 7 Muktangan run Municipal schools in Mumbai. Our ‘total schools’ approach’ provides holistic learning keeping in mind 21st century skills which are so essential for young learners of today. We are also working in partnership with various stakeholders in urban and rural areas as knowledge partners to deliver integrated solutions to education. Through our outreach projects, we have reached out to and impacted 75000+ children and 5000+ teachers and teacher educators.

Vision Icon

VISION

To create an inclusive and an empowered world that enables everyone to live in harmony with a right to freedom of expression, respect and with integrity

MISSION

To encourage and support communities, through networking, to reflect and evolve sustainable, learner-friendly, holistic educational programs, drawing on the learnings of the ever-upgrading Muktangan model

CORE VALUES 

We believe in Critical and Independent Thinking, Respect, Openness to Change, Reflectiveness, Equity

Every Name Has a Story to Tell

The spirit of our community engagement goes way back to the beginning of our journey. The name “Muktangan” was coined by the first batch of 8 community members who were trained as pre-primary teachers. This name beautifully encapsulates our core value “Freedom in the aangan” symbolizing that every individual- child, teacher or teacher educator can flourish and widen their horizons within the comfort and security of the institution.

  • Mukt: freedom
  • Aangan: Aangan means the threshold of one’s home where interactions occur between the inner and outer world in mind, body and spirit
  • Butterfly: freedom to fly/ growing through metamorphosis
  • Sun: Energizing life and learning
  • Dotted circles: Inclusion and openness to learning
  • Colours: green and yellow: learning and growing as in nature

Trustees

Board of Advisors

Our Co-CEOs

Dymphena Dias

Previously a teacher of Language and Social Studies at the Bombay International School, Dymphena holds a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Education. Dymphena connected with Muktangan’s Founder Liz Mehta during their time as co-students at the B.Ed. She has been associated with Muktangan for over 20+ years, as a teacher trainer for English proficiency and later as Department Leader for Social Studies. Today Dymphena heads the programmatic aspect of Muktangan and is deeply involved with Program Sustainability.

Keshav Satose

Fulfilling the role of Director HR and Administration, Mr. Satose over a career spanning 35+ years associated with the Paragon Group acts as primary liaison with the local MCGM authorities. At the Muktangan Education Trust, he oversees all HR maintenance functions, Muktangan schools’ administration and programme logistics

Partners

Awards

Muktangan’s Founder Trustee-Mrs.Elizabeth Mehta, was awarded The Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2015 in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List, for her exemplary work in education through the years and for setting up the Muktangan Schools Network in Mumbai, India.

We were felicitated in 2019 for 'Quality Teacher Development' by The Reliance Foundation and the Center for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA) at the launch of CENTA's 5th Annual Teaching Professionals Olympiad.

Awarded India’s most committed NGO working in the space of Early Childhood Development (ECA-India-2014)

Mariya Fruklen
CEO, Toronto

Platinum Seal award winner awarded by GuideStar India, 2021

Mariya Fruklen
CEO, Toronto

Rated as one of India’s Top 10 NGOs to work for, by Great places to work (2015)

Mariya Fruklen
CEO, Toronto