Vidya Bhawan started off as a small middle school with only four classes, way back in 1931 when the percentage of literacy in Mewar State was only 4.9.
The school was allotted a plot of four acres the larger part of which was rocky, uncultivable and widely overgrown with cactus bushes. Although this plot was at that time useless and desolate, it lay in wild, healthy and picturesque surroundings about a quarter of a mile from Fatehsagar Lake.
Vidya Bhawan drew its inspiration from the tenets of the Boy Scout Movement with an emphasis on community services.
Founded at a time of great national ferment, when India was at the height of her struggle for political self government, Vidya Bhawan could not but be affected by the social climate in the country. However, the founders of Vidya Bhawan chose social reconstruction, which they felt was of as great value for national freedom and regeneration as (though less spectacular than) the political struggle.
In keeping with the progressive character of the effort Vidya Bhawan was probably the first to introduce co-education in feudal Rajasthan. It also aimed at shifting the emphasis from book learning to character formation. Physical, aesthetic and moral education still forms an integral part of the educational programme at Vidya Bhawan. A psychological laboratory exists for gauging the mental and physical capacities of the children, a concept which initially created problems of its own as parents brought their difficult children to Vidya Bhawan after having used all manner of harsh methods to improve them.
A system of student self government is endorsed by Vidya Bhawan and its emphasis in community life translates into camps. The spirit of Vidya Bhawan expects and encourages students to take responsibility for working with their hands and taking up manual work such as dish washing, cleaning and developing their surroundings, tending gardens, working on machines and looking after agricultural farm and dairy.
The emphasis on mutual co-operation finds representation in a unique feature of group activity where Vidya Bhawan tries to eschew individual competition as far as possible. There were no individual prizes for achievements in studies, games, athletics or cultural activities in the school. Nor are there any competitive scholarships.
Vidya Bhawan today is a sprawling complex of institutions with large and spacious grounds. Apart from the four schools, Vidya Bhawan includes a Teachers Training College (IASE), a Vidya Bahwan S.T.C., a Vidya Bhawan Gandhiyan of Educational Studies, a Rural Institute which was set up with the objective of providing courses in higher education related to the needs of the rural community, a Krishi Vigyan Kendra which organises research and vocational training courses in agriculture and allied fields for practising farmers and farm women to enable them to usefully employ themselves and improve the productivity of their resources and increases their options and a Polytechnic along with a Community Polytechnic wing to produce Engineers and to reach technical training to villages in a simple and comprehensible manner. It now also has an Education Centre to co-ordinate and consolidate experiences of Vidya Bhawan in education, bring fresh educational ideas conduct research and innovate in education and a School for Citizenship that orient, prepare and motivate the elected representatives to understand and perform their task with care and confidence and support them in this effort.
It is supported by many public and private institutions as well as individuals. It strives to provide quality education and development to all. It is keen to learn and analyses its work and tries to continuously learn from experience.