A modern new school in rural India, expected to be completed
by 2020, turns the traditional education
model on its head–focusing instead on cultivating happy students and
compassionate people. The primary goal is
to teach chidden how to be happy. Learning skills comes next. Preparing
for standardized tests is not part of the curriculum.
The founders come from an entrepreneurial background, not
the world of education, and saw an opportunity to approach the idea of a school
in a radically different way. The inspiration for the school came from a long running
Harvard Study that has tracked people over the last 80 years, which
found that strong relationships are key to a happy life.
“The students will also be taught how to live a happier life
using philosophy from resources like the Vedas, ancient Hindu texts. “I think
from a Western context, you tend to believe that the environment controls your
happiness,” says cofounder Kiran Reddy. “So you attempt to control your
environment. In an Eastern philosophy, you tend to believe that you control
happiness through your mind–in how you perceive things, so you can disconnect
the environment from your happiness. Ideally, that’s what we want to teach the
kids.”
No comments:
Post a Comment