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Whole Education


Whole education can be understood only if there is clarity and unanimity on what the purpose of education is? For example, if the purpose is to provide good careers, then scoring high marks in examinations becomes the objective. At Indus, we believe that the purpose of education is preparation for life, to prepare students to succeed and be happy in life, and become responsible and informed citizens. The greatest challenge schools, teachers, and parents face is that, how do we prepare children for a future that is unknown, uncertain, and chaotic? One thing is clear: the 3 Rs, alone are not the answer. Although academics are important, but by these alone we cannot achieve this objective.

The central idea at Indus is leadership. To be able to lead oneself effectively, a leader has to be self-aware. To be aware is not a game of SWOT analysis. To be aware is to be aware of the many selves each one of us possesses. Only an "aware" person can realize her full potential - to become what one is capable of becoming. "What a man can be, he must be."

Traditionally, whole-education is considered to be a mix of academics and extra-curricular activities. This is indeed a narrow understanding of this educational concept. In its wider meaning it encompasses four key aspects.
  • One, Whole-education, does not come at the cost of academic excellence. We realize that an individual's cognitive capabilities play a key role in leadership, critical thinking, decision-making, problem-solving, logic, and reasoning.

  • Two, IQ by itself does not make a person successful. It is now a well established reality that IQ, per se, is responsible for just about 11 percent for our success in our lives. 89 percent comes from social, emotional, spiritual, and aesthetic quotients.

  • Three, science affirms that IQ is not the only form of intelligence. Human beings possess multiple intelligences - logical and mathematical, linguistic, musical, kinesthetic, spatial, inter personal, intra-personal, and natural. To be whole, curricula in schools need to develop these intelligences in a child to the maximum extent possible.

  • Four, whole-education is incomplete till a student possesses survival skills and competencies for the 21st century. These are character (this includes values), critical thinking; (asking questions, how to think, and problem solving), creativity; written and oral communication, and collaboration.


  • It is only through whole-education that a child can identify her passion. The biggest mistake most of us make is to go through life doing what we are not passionate about. We may have money; titles and fame; but life means much more than that.

    Life is always a balance between the head and the heart. The head is reason; the heart is whole-education, a whole mind. The head is like mathematics; it tells you how to go. The heart tells you where to go.

    I wish to congratulate Mrs. Sarojini Rao for her leadership and vision in designing whole-education in Indus. The journey has not been smooth because the biggest challenge has been to get the right balance between academics and non-academics. Indus is an all-inclusive school. We continue to keep balance; even as we extend our horizons, stretch our goals and add quality to our achievements.

    (This is the essence of the message brought to newly elected Leaders of The Indus Student Council at Bangalore, by Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray (Retd.), CEO of the Indus Trust on the occasion of The Ceremony of Investiture on January 26th, 2012)

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    Date: 03/29/2024

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