JBCN Education has been a pioneer in the Indian education space for over three decades, managing over 14 educational institutes at pre-school, national and international schooling levels across curricula such as IB, CAIE, and ICSE. The institute has four international schools in Mumbai.
Founded by veteran educator Mrs. Pinky Dalal, JBCN Education is one of the first progressive schools in India that emphasizes the need for learning beyond the classroom. Recently, JBCN International Schools' graduating students received a record number of scholarships worth USD 2.5 million from prestigious universities overseas.
The Outlook team caught up with Kunal Dalal, Managing Director at JBCN Education, to get his perspective on the future and evolution of Education in India and understand more about the institute's unique initiatives that are creating stellar pathways for its learners.
Here are the excerpts:
Q1: How do you think imparting Education has evolved over the years?
A: Earlier, our academic programmes were largely driven by learning information and reproducing it versus the present, which is about understanding and analyzing the information available.
At JBCN, we believe in learner centricity and empower our learners by giving them greater control over their learning path. This flexibility enables them to make the right choices about their courses and helps them enjoy the process, resulting in higher in-classroom engagement.
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Another aspect of Education in the past was its sole focus on exams. Now it is just one of many parameters that define how a learner's journey progresses. In short, learning has evolved from just 'educating' to offering 'Edu Creative' experiences which go much beyond the typical classroom learning.
Q2: What is the correlation and impact of classroom learning environment on students' mental hygiene?
A: The learning environment has a massive impact on the child's long-term mental health and growth. At JBCN, we provide a positive and healthy learning environment for our learners, enabling them to achieve their true potential. We believe every child is unique and can grow holistically in the right environment.
I believe we have taken a step forward by designing infrastructure that keeps the learner at the centre. It enables learners to feel comfortable and inspires creativity. For example, our classrooms have breakout spaces which are designed keeping in mind the socio-emotional needs of the learners. We also have different seating arrangements and easily movable desks that give learners the freedom to learn in the most conducive way.
In addition to the infrastructure, we also have robust support systems such as an expert enrichment cell consisting of senior counsellors, special educators, and child psychiatrists in all our schools, who provide constant support to our learners, all of these initiatives help create a healthy and happy learning environment for the child.
Q3: Why is it important for schools to impart learning in support of equality, involvement & diversity?
A: There is a lot of focus on learner leadership, where learners take responsibility and run events for schools. Learner leadership is made more inclusive through different academic and sports leadership opportunities. One such learner-led initiative is Prismera, an event that focuses on gender identity and expression. Further, various clubs such as The Product Development Club, Filmmaking and Fashion Club are run independently by our learners. This year, for instance, the learners of the filmmaking club presented a short film which was inspired by the life of Frida Kahlo; the entire project was conceptualized, scripted and directed by our learners.
At JBCN, we champion involvement through our one-of-a-kind mega-event, 'Inspire Us'. It's a competition where all our students across different age groups compete in 160+ events depending on their interests and score points for their houses. We also have a range of mini-events from theatre to robotics, graffiti and stand-up comedy. We also give a lot of importance to internationalism as the world is heading towards a future where collaborative learning will be the norm; our learners have to be comfortable working with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. To be globally competent, learners must develop traits like intercultural literacy and social and emotional ability to collaborate and understand people from different countries.
Our programme encourages learners to interact with peers, faculties, and industry leaders from across the globe, where they get the opportunity to know each other, exchange ideas and make friends resulting in them being comfortable with the concept of cultural diversity.
As a part of the Entrepreneurship focus, this year, we also launched our maiden entrepreneurship event, 'enterpRISE 2022', which aimed to foster a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity and problem-solving skills. We had learners from various schools in India and across the globe participate in the event.
Q4: How is JBCN creating international pathways for students and nurturing them into global citizens?
A: We have rolled out multiple programs such as learner exchange programs, virtual global dialogues, workshops and competitions. So far, we have managed to facilitate interactions from over 16 countries.
In terms of placements, our career counsellors work closely with learners from Grade 8 onwards, encouraging them to start planning their future. The learners' strengths are assessed through psychometric tests, workshops, and continuous interactions. Our aim is to help them make more informed educational and career choices. We encourage our learners to explore different career options, analyze their interests and fortify their strengths.
Group sessions and workshops are conducted throughout the year, supplemented with individual one-on-one and family meetings, allowing us to craft each learner's academic pathway.
As a result, our learners from the 2021-22 IBDP and A levels batch have received scholarships of USD 2.5 million+ from universities in North America and the UK, such as the University of California (Berkeley), Boston University, Oxford University, and The University of Toronto to name a few. Our track record in international university placements is a testament to our efforts in nurturing global citizens.
