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Today, the role of a school is not only to pursue academic excellence but also to motivate and empower its students to be life long learners, critical thinkers, and productive members of an ever-changing global society. A school must try to provide its students with an atmosphere for multifaceted development, where children are encouraged to channelize their potential in the pursuit of excellence. This can only be possible in a holistic, student-centric environment. The talents, skills, and abilities of each student need to be identified, nurtured, and encouraged so that he/she is able to reach greater heights. Students need to be provided with a platform to think, express, and exhibit their skills. It is necessary to empower them to negotiate several issues that confront them, with the teacher being a facilitator.
We often make the critical mistake of considering children, regardless of their age, class, ethnicity, or background, like a blank notebook that is yet to be written upon. In doing so, we often fail to realize that each child has his/her own individuality, special skills, and talents. Therefore, a good educational system is one that helps a child to nurture his/her talents and overcome shortcomings by providing appropriate, all-encompassing education. This enables the child to develop his/her personality and equips the child to face the challenges of life. As Anthony J. D’Angelo once said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you’ll never cease to grow.”
At the IPEM International School, our approach to learning is child-centric, encouraging activity-based learning and inculcating a scientific temper and a spirit of free enquiry. In our curriculum, the student is the primary focus, and each child is involved in the learning process. Albert Einstein said that “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Hence, the purpose of the education received by our children is to replace an empty mind with an open one. We motivate our teachers to provide an atmosphere for discovery, where students are encouraged to be creative and curious, instead of routinely loading the children with academic burden. We are thus constantly improving our teaching methodology so that it turns learning into a combination of classroom study, research, and scientific discovery.
According to Amos Bronson Alcott, a reformer, teacher, and philosopher, “Observation more than books, experience more than persons, are the prime educators.” While academic excellence is our major thrust, the school is also devoted to prepare our students for life, groom them to face the challenges of tomorrow, and encourage them to be socially relevant. We encourage each child to develop in their special field of interest so as to best showcase their particular type of talent. We constantly endeavor to always live up to this ideology and inculcate this into every thing we do, with the aim that we will be able to ensure that the children grow to their full potential, while constantly being groomed to pass out as men and women competent to bear responsibility in all walks of life. In the words of John Dewey, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
At present, like all schools, we are faced with the challenge of developing a good sense of discipline and moral values within the ever-changing social norms of society. Children these days are much more sensitive; they possess very high self-esteem and believe in independent thinking. Therefore, we ensure that the approach to motivating and getting the best out of the children is based on the positive reinforcement of good work and good behavior. Our educational philosophy is centered on praise, encouragement, enthusiasm, and affection, rather than criticism, fear, and punishment. We constantly work to develop a sense of discipline and good moral character, where all students are expected to conform to high disciplinary standards and to develop values of tolerance, fair play, compassion, integrity, and fortitude. This is imperative because as Rose F. Kennedy, mother of John F. Kennedy, once said, “Neither comprehension nor learning can take place in an atmosphere of anxiety.”
I am confident that the IPEM International School will always be a beacon of light, guiding the destiny of its students and radiating kindness and compassion as it soars high in its pursuit of academic excellence and in the fulfillment of the school motto: “Educating for Life.” This year has been a very significant year in the history of the IPEM International School as our very first batch of Class X students appeared for the ICSE examinations, and with the grace of God, all of them passed with flying colors. Most of our students secured an aggregate 60% and above, with the majority securing an aggregate of 75% and above. I am extremely proud of our achievement, and I am grateful for all the hard work invested by our teachers and students. It is also a matter of great pride that our school will now be introducing Classes XI and XII (ISC). I would like thank all the members of the IPEM family as this would not have been possible without their support and commitment.
It is through the ceaseless dedication and commitment of many people that the IPEM International School has succeeded in realizing so many of its goals. To begin with, I would like thank our Chairman, Mr. D.K. Chetsingh, for his invaluable support and guidance, and all the members of the IPEM board, for helping us in all our endeavors. I would also like to extend my gratitude toward our Assistant Director (Academics), Mrs. Serene Liddle, Vice Principal, Mrs. U. Eusebius, and all the Coordinators as well as staff members. Last, but not the least, I would like to acknowledge the work of the Editorial Board. Yet again, they have successfully prepared this event-filled magazine that chronicles another wonderful year at the IPEM International School. I would also like to thank the parents of our students for always having bestowed their faith and confidence in us.
I would like to end with the words of Albert Einstein, who once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.”
A school is always a world in miniature, where one receives education for life; it is a place where effective, meaningful, and joyful learning takes place. It is here that we begin to learn life’s lessons: to humbly accept challenges; to boldly face competition, defeat, and failure, alike; and to rejoice at victory and triumph. However, the truth is that education is a never-ending process, and like life, it is a continuous and fascinating journey, not a destination. The challenges of tomorrow’s world involve complex issues like energy, environment, technology, economics, and equity. Consequently, yesterday’s methods are no longer relevant for solving all of tomorrow’s problems. I believe that what will drive success in today’s world is an innate understanding of inter-connectedness and inter-dependencies, both of which form the underpinnings of a truly global village. It has, therefore, become imperative that children be empowered with cognitive and experiential skills that can help them develop into global citizens and overcome the challenges of tomorrow.
Today’s students must learn an entirely new skill set, one that enables them to embrace interconnected concepts, think independently, work collaboratively, act decisively, communicate unambiguously, and influence positively. Thus, at the IPEM International School and College, it is our constant endeavor to provide an atmosphere where students are encouraged to be curious, to explore, to discover, to interrelate, and to embark on a lifelong journey of learning. As we enter into our tenth year of existence, it gives me immense pride that the IPEM International School and College has today become a symbol of progressive and quality education. In our school, children imbibe holistic education, realize their full potential, and evolve into well-rounded individuals. With their skills honed, they are thus equipped to lead and face any challenge that life may throw at them.
In this sense, our school motto, “Educating for Life,” captures the very essence of our spirit. Moreover, much of our success has come from the unparalleled commitment of our students and teachers, who have devoutly upheld our school motto. We believe that the purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one. In addition, we are of the conviction that planting the roots of values is one of the most important aspects of school education. In this regard, Ralph Waldo Emerson has aptly said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us.” At the IPEM International School and College, teaching is a passion and a calling. We strive to provide our students with wings of ambition, so that they can soar like eagles, excelling in their professional aspirations. However, we also ensure that we provide them with enough self-belief and grounding so that they remain beautiful, humble individuals, even as they touch the skies.
What distinguishes us from the others is the genuine love and concern that we have for each child. We work constantly to provide an atmosphere that makes school an enjoyable experience for all students. To this end, our state-of-the-art infrastructure and a calendar filled with multifarious activities that combine learning and fun, makes every IPEMite a unique learner. A wise man once said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire!” We look forward to lighting the fire in our children that leads them on to wisdom and truth for the greater good of humankind, as we celebrate our tenth anniversary on July 5, 2014.
 As I look back on the day when the school started, July 5, 2004, as a primary school with a group of 108 students and 15 teachers, my heart is filled with joy at our accomplishments in this short span of time. To be honest, the nine years seem to have gone by too fast, but it is incredibly heartening to see that the IPEM International School and College has grown from a primary school to a school and college, with over 1,400 students and more than 90 staff members. In terms of infrastructure, the school has expanded from just a couple of classrooms in 2004 to over 45 classrooms. Today, we can also boast of state-of-art computer and science laboratories as well games rooms and a well-stocked library. The new additions to our infrastructure during 2012–2013 were a new and improved library, new physics and biology laboratories, a pre-primary swimming pool, and a new basketball court. Aside from infrastructure and size, we have also progressed much in performance. Every year, some of the top scores in the ICSE examinations are achieved by our students, and each passing batch, breaks old records and raises the bar higher. This year, Ausaf Ahmed made us proud with his brilliant performance in the ICSE examinations, scoring 95.4%, which was the highest aggregate by an IPEM International School student in these examinations thus far. In addition, in the ICSE 2013 examinations, our students obtained the highest scores in Allahabad in Economics and Computer Applications; the second highest, in Science and English; and the third highest, in Mathematics, Commercial Studies, and History/Civics/Geography.
As I put to paper all the laurels and achievements, the truth is that none of this would have been possible without the support and dedication of my team: the IPEM International School and Head Office staff. I would also like to take this opportunity to appreciatively acknowledge the efforts of our Assistant Director (Academics), Mrs. Serene Liddle, Vice Principal, Mrs. U. Eusebius, and Coordinators, Mrs. S. Jacob, Mrs. N. Chiragdin, and Ms. A. Chaturvedi, all of whom have worked tirelessly with zeal and commitment for the fulfillment of our goals. I am also grateful to all the Members of our Governing Body and Society, whose wise counsel and support is undoubtedly the cornerstone of our successes, and my sincere gratitude to our Chairman, Mr. D.K. Chetsingh, and our Vice Chairman, Mr. Rajnath N. Shukla for being a constant source of encouragement. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the parents of our students for always having bestowed their faith and confidence in us.
May God bless you all!
Dr. Sumit David Liddle
Director & Principal, IPEM
(As published in the 2012-13 Edition of the School Magazine)
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