A Joyful Education

Vardan Kabra, head of Fountainhead School, talks about his efforts towards re-defining education in India

What motivated you to start Fountainhead School?
I have wanted to do something different for as long as I can remember. Having studied in many different schools, I thought that education can be much more exciting and joyful. By the end of the 2nd year in IIM-A, I had decided to venture into education with Ankita who was my batch mate. Our aim and intention has been to make a huge change in the way education is perceived and delivered in India and we believe that we have made a good start.

Having studied at both IIT-Bombay and IIM-Ahmedabad, do you think your education has played an important role in your life?
At one point of time in my schooling, around Grade 7 or 8, I was quite excited about science. But by the time I got to IIT, all my excitement about science and therefore engineering had died due to the teaching and examination patterns. The teaching at IIT-B was not inspiring either. However, IIT-B offered a great platform for overall development – I engaged in sports, arts and organizational activities in a big way at IIT-B, which helped me grow into a well-rounded individual. I also realised that my biggest strength lies in leadership. At IIM-A, the course, while being hugely demanding, was quite exciting as learning was primarily through the case study methodology. I also did a lot of organisational behaviour and self-exploration sort of courses at IIM-A, which have been invaluable to my attitudes and skills sets today.

Fountainhead School is an IB World School, what are the advantages of this Board?
IB students become active learners. All courses encourage students to understand how they learn, connect learning, and apply learning. The inquiry based approach develops skills and attitudes needed for a rapidly globalizing world. It challenges students to think out of the box, take challenging projects and connect it with real life applications. IB is a learning process for both teachers and students as it gives freedom to question teachers and curriculum which prepares them for higher education and challenges in life.

Tell us about the Student Support Services offered in your school.
The Student Support Services (SSS) at Fountainhead are based on the belief that every child is unique in his/her learning styles and needs. We provide Psychological and Behaviour Counselling through our in-house counsellors who help children and parents with emotional or behavioural issues, which may or may not be related to their academic performance. We also have special needs departments which currently consist of five specialists who work primarily on a one to one level with students requiring special attention. There is also Additional English Language Support (AELS) available for students who require English language support.

Fountainhead School has some compulsory arts programs such as visual arts, music and drama. How do these programs benefit students?
Regular participation in the arts develops self-confidence, self-discipline, persistence and the knowledge of how to make multiple revisions to create high quality work. Through arts children learn about their world, they explore different perspectives, work together, explore culture and beliefs and can explore the feeling of success. We also promote and coordinate physical activities and sports through various tournaments. In addition, we have a ‘Leader in me programme’ which is adapted from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey.

Volume 2 Issue 4