City Montessori School (CMS) as a Role Model School for the 21st Century Creating a New Paradigm

- Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, educationist and

Founder-Manager, City Montessori School, Lucknow

A human being has three realities - material, human and divine or spiritual :-

Sadly, modern schools today impart only material education to children, and ignore the other two other realities or dimensions of humanity beings - human and divine. Man is a material being, man is a social being and man is a spiritual being, and a fine balance of the three realities is absolutely essential in the life of man.

In days past, when there was unity and love in societies, a child received all the three types of education in a balanced manner right from early childhood. This had a positive impact on the character of a person who thought of his profession as an act of service to God.

Make the child a gift of God and the pride of mankind :-

If modern schools give only material knowledge of subjects to a child and the education that enhances his human and spiritual qualities is ignored, then the child will develop into an imbalanced person. In fact, a child who does not receive human and spiritual education, becomes a source of darkness for his family and the world instead of becoming a light of the world. Modern schools, therefore, must seek inspiration from the schools of the past, and strive to make every child a Gift of God to Humanity and a Pride of the Human Race.

The early schools were concerned about how to become a good human being :-

From 1850 onwards, there was rapid development in the field of commerce, trade and consumerism on the back of the Industrial Revolution which also resulted in countries competing fiercely with one another to earn higher profits and maximizing their benefit. A negative fallout of this competition was the high importance that was given to material education at the cost of the human and spiritual aspects of education. Ancient school systems like ‘Gurukuls’; universities like Nalanda and Taxila; and more recent ones Shanti Niketan, laid a lot of stress on balanced education of the realities of life - material, social and spiritual. It was with this vision and spirit that CMS has been working tirelessly for the last 63 years in the best tradition of Indian culture and ethos.

CMS Giving excellent knowledge of all subjects to each of his children :-

CMS is also well-known for the high academic achievements of its students and the excellent subject knowledge that is given to them by their extremely competent and brilliant teachers. As in previous years, the academic session 2020-2021 saw CMS students carrying forward the tradition of securing the highest marks in the country, thus bringing glory to CMS and to Lucknow. 40 of its ISC students scored 99.75 marks in the boards, a feat that is simply unmatched by any school in India. Underscoring the fact that CMS is the best academic institution not only in Lucknow but also in India, this year a total of 6153 students were assessed by the ISCE and ISC boards. 4439 students of these students scored between 90 and 99.75 percent with 126 students scoring above the 99 percent. Every year, scores of CMS students get scholarship offers from prestigious universities in India and abroad besides selections in various engineering and medical colleges.

How does CMS is develop a worldview in every student :-

The motto of CMS is ‘Jai Jagat’, the literal translation of which means ‘Glory be to the Whole World’. To mention one of its creative and enduring interventions, CMS has been organizing the International Conferences of Chief Justices of the World every year since the last 21 years. In this conference, CMS students get opportunities to interact with the highest legal luminaries and statesmen from the world and ask them questions on the key issues that concern them and the planet. Students from CMS learn to be law-abiding and disciplined right from the very beginning through such innovative, experiential learning opportunities.

Various academic subjects offered by our school :-

Every year, CMS organizes 20 international events which include olympiads and competitions; formal and
no-formal engagements for promoting and encouraging not only academic excellence but also cross-cultural understanding and world citizenship. Thousands of students and their educators from India and abroad come together in a unique expression of unity and solidarity towards the vision of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’. Every year, hundreds of CMS students travel to almost every part of the world as students, contestants and participants at international programmes, carrying and spreading the message of unity, peace, compassion and sensitivity towards the environment.

It is also noteworthy that at every cultural program conducted at CMS, children perform the World Unity Prayer, during which they wear a World Citizen’s dress, carry the national flags of all the countries of the world and pray for peace in their country and in the entire world. Through the World Parliament organized by CMS, children seek solutions to world-wide problems and inspire world leaders to take action in the larger interest of all the people of the world. It is through efforts like these that children at CMS have been encouraged to develop a worldview and inspired to become responsible citizens of the world since the last 63 years. It would not be hyperbolic to say that CMS education has, over the years, developed into an ideal school model for the 21st century. It is no surprise then that educationists from all over the world try to replicate the very thoughtful, sensitive, practical, effective and successful pedagogical approach of CMS.

Basic teachings of all religions are articulated at CMS :-

CMS believes spiritual education, which is also referred to as divine education, should be given the same importance as material and human education because the knowledge of God is not for the followers of any particular religion but for the entire humanity. CMS thus encourages students to appreciate the basic teachings of all religions and study the holy texts of religions other than their own so that they understand that there is but One God who looks after all his children i.e. the people of the world, irrespective of the faith they have.

Education is the most powerful weapon by which change can be brought in the world :-

We thus believe that the greatest of all possible services rendered to the Almighty God is the service of
(a) the education of children, (b) the formation of their character and (c) to create in their hearts undying love for God. Education is the most powerful weapon by which social change can be brought in the world.

In the 63 years of CMS’s existence, hundreds of thousands of students have passed through its hallowed portals. They have become global citizens and are working to change the world through their actions. They are spreading the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘Jai Jagat’ wherever they are and making the world a better place for themselves and future generations.

Humanity has learnt from the Corona pandemic that it is only through unified action by all nations of the world and the creation of a World Parliament, a World Government and a World Court of Justice, that we can rid ourselves of the certain catastrophes that we face. It is now time to realize our dream of One United World.