From a tiny candle, lighted 22 years ago, Tagore Public School has grown into a beacon, beckoning all those who are interested in a good education. Students are knocking at its doors, not only from the city and suburbs, but from other parts of India as well. The time has come, perhaps, to understand the changing role, encouraging school. From being a mere dispenser of knowledge, it is now assuming a more vital role, encouraging students to develop a ever widening perspective, and to look beyond themselves. Citizenship is now an important part of our curriculum. The growing awareness and concern for environmental issues, coupled have brought a new urgency to our understanding of our place on an ever shrinking globe. Global citizenship is an essential part of learning for young and old alike. In my opinion. We can no longer afford to isolate over selves from the monumental changes that are sweeping the world. |
We are making a beginning by encouraging our students to look outwards into their local communities, in an effort to raise community awareness. The community is increasingly being seen as an essential resource for learning. By education those in such a way that empowers them to take active roles in their local communities, to be able to make informed choices and to critically evaluate what they see and here, they gain a sense of responsibility towards their environment. Study has revealed that when children learnt about energy saving in school, this had a greater effect on energy saving in the home than did keep the campus clean has resulted in their refusing pamphlets distributed at the school gate, thereby reducing to a great extent the quantity of litter on the road just outside the gate. It is little acts like this that go to make a good citizen.
I should like to dwell on some other areas in which we are tying to sensitize our students. It is a daunting task, but even a few successes are positive indicators. One of them is courtesy and respect, not only for authority, but also fore one another. They are taught that co-operation must replace aggression that while development of individual skills is very important, use of those talents and skills for the benefit of the community is equally important. To this end, most of the activities and projects organized by the school are based on team work rather than on individual achievement.
It is our aim to make students understand that their value as human beings is in their ability to give rather than to take. Instances of altruistic behavior are encouraged and highlighted; the are urged to practice compassion and magnanimity, without always expecting to be rewarded for their effort. We are also tradition, but also to cultures other than their own, in different parts of the world, with a view to developing in them an understanding and appreciation of human society as a whole. We expect in this way to develop better human relationships, and ultimately, goodwill among the nations of the world. We have a vision, a dream for a happy, tolerant, humane society, for the realization of this dream; we seek the active participation of the community at large, so that together we may shape our young children for a better tomorrow, by providing for them safe and caring environs to simulate healthy growth.
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