August 2011

Creative freedom or Academic rigour?

“Break the mould schools”, that have moved from educational orthodoxy to progressivism have been on the increase in Indian metros. While most schools have stuck to educational conservatism and prioritized “the tools of power and authority”, which are the 3 Rs, putting Numeracy and Literacy above discovery of nature and culture, there is a slow but growing recognition and preference for “right- brained” Skills and creative inputs into our educational approach. The Arts and Athletics are treated with far more respect and the effort is to place them on the same platform as academics. Technology fits in to facilitate and service the process, and is given due importance.

At Indus, we have always believed that education is the key to unlock inner potential of a child or adult. It stands to reason then, that learning should never end, our education is never complete. We aim to develop the complete range of a child’s personality, from the physical, to aesthetic, to cognitive to emotional and spiritual. In short, we focus on Whole education to develop a healthy balance between reason and emotions. This healthy balance lies at the core of all our academic and co-curricular planning. The prioritization of disciplines and it’s emphases on academics provides the skills 21st century adults will need and the attitudes that will bring them opportunities for transformational leadership.

The essential attitudes we promote are appreciation, commitment, confidence, cooperation, creativity, empathy, integrity, respect and independence, to name a few.

Our core values of Love, Empathy, Respect and Discipline are the bedrock of such attitudes. They are engendered and nurtured not only through theory and discussion, but the promotion of the visual and performing arts, through sports, both for the individual and the team. These are the means and ways that shape the profile of the IB learner, who is seen as a knowledgeable thinker, an inquirer, risk taker, an open-minded, caring, well balanced , reflective and caring human being.

This tall order for educators and schools can only be achieved by bringing about and maintaining a fine balance between the Arts and the Sciences, right brained and left brained challenges and accomplishments. We aim to reconcile body awareness with emotional growth, environmental awareness with knowledge that is gained from the outdoors as well as books and the Internet. Living as we do, in the Conceptual Age, learning must be continuous, relevant and adaptive.

Whole education must prioritize academics and the core knowledge that is the enabling competence. General knowledge and awareness of scientific facts, historic events and of geographical phenomena and such, makes students competent for life. Highly skilled intellectual competence gained from knowledge of facts must be the foundation for solving real-world problems through imaginative and innovative ways.

But as a school, we are also artistic edupreneurs. We believe in harnessing the individual creativity, curiosity and aesthetic potential of each child. Then, there is the social and spiritual quotient latent in us all, which will not be denied! This must be nurtured and trained, all the while keeping track of individual freedoms, intra personal and interpersonal growth. There is requirement then, for children to be systematic and logical. They must also be creative, and intuitive and complex, to survive and thrive in tomorrow’s world. While they must have knowledge of the world and of life, they must also be assisted in developing a n appreciation of life and the world and a develop a higher purpose in life, which is the stepping stone for leadership.

With warm regards,

Lieutenant General (Retd) Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM
Chief Executive Officer
Indus Trust