Founding, educational system and culture of Vidyatree Modern World College

Right from the day the school was founded in 1979 it had these Vidyatree Modern goals:

• Learning without cramming
• Excellence without stress
• Discipline without fear
• Empathy without conditions

The first two statements above, aim at stress free learning and love for learning – for this the teachers have been regularly trained in numerous modern methods and best teaching practices, which create stress free learning in the classroom. One of the most important teaching modules has been the book ‘Mathematician’s Delight’. 

The ‘Mathematician’s Delight’, though primarily focussed on Mathematics, talks about  stress free learning, creating interest, understanding and confidence among children for all subjects. Vidyatree Modern World College, has been that rare school where most students were never afraid of learning mathematics, and in fact mathematics has been one of the favourite subjects for a majority of students.

The second two statements above aim at stress free relations between the teachers and the students. For this the teachers and the students are oriented through various activities, specifically: imbibing the meaning of the morning prayer, Vipassana meditation, class agreements, student participation in school administration through the house system and understanding the educational approach of Carl Rogers.

Freedom from chronic stress in learning and chronic stress in relationships, has created a very positive and nurturing environment for children at VMWC. This environment has directly resulted in a high self confidence and high resilience among all students.

The credit for the Vidyatree Modern goals goes to the founder’s teacher Shri  J Krishnamurti (1895-1986), a leading neo-Buddhist of 20th century, who taught in the Samkhya tradition as of Patanjali’s Yogasutra. The founder of the school Shri Rakesh Kapoor also wrote a book on Yogasutra, called ’Total Presence of Mind’, (Rupa, India, 2005) which has been endorsed by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

The school has been always been very progressive, adopting the best and latest in the world of education, always endeavoring to do the best for student development. VMWC students have always achieved very good ISC results and have settled well in life – generally in leading positions in businesses and organisations.

In the continuous desire to do better for children’s development, the founder came across the International Baccalaureate (IB) educational system which closely aligned with the Vidyatree educational system. More and more leading schools in India are getting authorised for this educational system, headquartered at Geneva.

With just 25 students per class, the IB program with its unique inquiry based learning methodology aims at a more systematic and intensive approach to building lifetime capacities in children – including five skills (research skills, self learning, independent thinking, social skills, communication skills & self management skills); it also aims at building ten attributes (inquirer, knowledgeable, thinker, communicator, principled, open-minded, caring, courageous, balanced, and reflective).

The IB program strengthens the Vidyatree program’s goals and makes it more systematic. Additionally the continuous development of teachers through international training, creative lesson planning, individual attention methods and continuous supervision, makes for best possible teaching-learning. It provides a more intensive framework for stress free learning, love for learning, stress free relationships and no fear of any subject. The mission of ‘Education for Life’, is being more systematically and intensively carried out for each child, because just 25 students per class, large rooms, better facilities and use of latest technology in teaching, learning and its supervision.

Please see the list of top schools in India opting for IB at www.ibo.org
VMWC is currently authorized for the IBPYP and hopes to also implement the IBDP, as soon as finances allow, though ICSE and ISC shall continue to run.

Vidyatree Foundation had got done a research on ‘Stress among school going children’, in 2015, under the supervision of Dr. Vivek Agarwal MD, Professor, Child Psychiatry,  Department of Psychiatry, King George Medical University, Lucknow. The research was done among school going children in the city of Lucknow and also among students of VMWC who study in the IB Program. This documented research is very important in showcasing reasons regarding what makes VMWC teachers and teaching superior and the development of VMWC children superior than most other schools.