The holistic approach to education that SSSIHL imparts is based completely on the life, teachings and direct precepts of its Revered Founder Chancellor, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Given below is a brief introduction to the university’s Vision, Mission, and Philosophy as laid down by its Revered Founder Chancellor.
This culminated in defining the Core Purpose of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed to be University), which is highlighted at the bottom of the page.
The Sai educational institutions have been established not merely to enable students to earn a living but to make them acquire good traits, lead ideal lives, and give them ethical, moral and spiritual strength. I have established them with a view to inculcate love and teach good qualities to students. They will learn here humility, discipline and faith.
I have established these institutions to impart spiritual education as a main component and worldly education as a secondary one. Education should enable one to cultivate good qualities, character and devotion. The teaching of the university curricula is only the means employed for the end, namely, spiritual uplift, self-discovery and social service through love and detachment.
This will be a Gurukula – a place where teachers and taught will grow together in love and wisdom – and like the ancient system of education, it will develop in its students a broad outlook and promote virtues and morals, which serve to foster noble ideals in society.
This Institute will be a temple of learning where youth are shaped into self-reliant, contented and enterprising heroes of action and self-sacrifice, for the purpose of serving humanity.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Revered Founder Chancellor, SSSIHL
To assist generations of students to acquire Self-knowledge (Atma Vidya) and Self-confidence (Atma Vishwas), so as to cultivate Self-sacrifice (Svartha Tyaga), experience Self-satisfaction (Atma Trupti), and earn Self-realisation (Atma Sakshatkara); thereby moulding them into leaders who will benefit society.
To mould well-rounded holistic individuals—professionally sound, physically fit, emotionally balanced, socially responsible and self-aware—who embody noble values and a right attitude, through Educare (Values-based Integral Education) that caters to the physical, intellectual, emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions of the human personality.
Bhagawan Baba has designed the system of Sri Sathya Sai Values-based Integral Education in such a manner that between the time an 18-year old student joins the university and when she or he graduates (at the age of 21 or 23) there is a deep inner transformation that takes place. This concept is very unique at the university level.
As shown, the ‘Sri Sathya Sai Values-based Integral Education’ diagram forms the basis of the system of Integral Education at SSSIHL.
The base is the concept of a modern gurukula that sustains all relationships and activities at SSSIHL. It is responsible for creating and sustaining the congenial environment necessary for the teacher-student interaction to grow and develop.
Adherence to discipline and appropriate behaviour are the two important aspects that encompass all interactions.
The five human values of Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence form the undercurrent of all the dimensions of integral education.
These dimensions are: Intellectual, Physical, Cultural, Devotional and Service. The key activities for each of these dimensions form the basis of most of the time that students spend at SSSIHL.
The outcome of the system of Values-based Integral Education at SSSIHL are threefold. It prepares all graduates to be: