krishnamurti foundation india
advar, chennai, india
About Krishnamurti Foundation IndiaKrishnamurti Foundation India (KFI) is located in Adyar, Chennai, India. The school has been active as a boarding school since 1973 with junior, middle and senior school programs offered to boys and girls. This particular Krishnamurti school enjoys a close connection with nature as the premises border a garden with ancient trees and vast spaces which communicate a sense of beauty and silence.
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Physical Composition & Location
The grounds allow students to participate in a wide range of activities to strengthen intellect, physical skills and appreciation for the arts. In a large outdoor forum, students will gather for weekly assemblies. There are a number of outdoor sports areas for basketball, soccer, volleyball and track activities. Although the sports areas are composed of compacted dirt turf largely, they are well used during sports days, tournaments and athletic events. The school uses indoor spaces to build an appreciation for aesthetics and art through architecture, a festival of drama and dialogue and memorial presentations for deceased members of the community.
Demographics & Staff
The school has about 350 students and 35 teachers, which allows for a high level of teacher-student interaction. The admissions process is rigorous as the school is in high demand in the area. There are 10 days in February in which all applications are made and reviewed. These are followed by meeting dates at which attendance is mandatory for both applicants and parents.
Teaching staff is encouraged to engage in self-reflective practice as evidenced by the Journal of the Krishnamurti Schools, which publishes regular issues for Krishnamurti schools worldwide. In a recent issue, one teacher wrote a reflection on the importance of guiding students in asking questions through preparation, management and feedback. Many other teacher reflections on what it means to educate holistically can be found here.
Teaching staff is encouraged to engage in self-reflective practice as evidenced by the Journal of the Krishnamurti Schools, which publishes regular issues for Krishnamurti schools worldwide. In a recent issue, one teacher wrote a reflection on the importance of guiding students in asking questions through preparation, management and feedback. Many other teacher reflections on what it means to educate holistically can be found here.
Holistic Curriculum
Jiddu Krishnamurti set the vision for Krishnamurti schools:
The purpose, the aim and drive of these schools is to equip the child with the most excellent technological proficiency so that he may function with clarity and efficiency in the modern world, and far more important to create the right climate so that the child may develop fully as a complete human being. This means giving him the opportunity to flower in goodness so that he is rightly related to people, things and ideas, to the whole of life. To live is to be related. There is no relationship to anything if there is not the right feeling for beauty, a response to nature, to music and art, a highly developed aesthetic sense.
Jiddu Krishnamurti was a renowned speaker and writer on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His focus was on breaking down preconceptions and entering into free and positive relationship with others. Three primary principles are stated in educational aims of Krishnamurti:
1. Global Outlook: A view of the human person free of prejudice and holistically focused.
2. Concern for Man and the Environment: Humanity is part of nature; only the right education, and deep affection between people everywhere, will resolve environmental challenges.
3. Religious Spirit: The religious mind is in communion with people and nature. This is the foundation of relationship.
At KFI, students are assessed in a non-comparative way with feedback communicating possibilities for growth. Although there are reports sent to parents twice a year and exams for the oldest students, conversations form the most valuable feedback and assessment for students.
The purpose, the aim and drive of these schools is to equip the child with the most excellent technological proficiency so that he may function with clarity and efficiency in the modern world, and far more important to create the right climate so that the child may develop fully as a complete human being. This means giving him the opportunity to flower in goodness so that he is rightly related to people, things and ideas, to the whole of life. To live is to be related. There is no relationship to anything if there is not the right feeling for beauty, a response to nature, to music and art, a highly developed aesthetic sense.
Jiddu Krishnamurti was a renowned speaker and writer on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His focus was on breaking down preconceptions and entering into free and positive relationship with others. Three primary principles are stated in educational aims of Krishnamurti:
1. Global Outlook: A view of the human person free of prejudice and holistically focused.
2. Concern for Man and the Environment: Humanity is part of nature; only the right education, and deep affection between people everywhere, will resolve environmental challenges.
3. Religious Spirit: The religious mind is in communion with people and nature. This is the foundation of relationship.
At KFI, students are assessed in a non-comparative way with feedback communicating possibilities for growth. Although there are reports sent to parents twice a year and exams for the oldest students, conversations form the most valuable feedback and assessment for students.
Personal and Leadership Development
Students are expected to contribute to the learning community by taking turns with communal chores, profiling their art to improve the aesthetics of the school and participating in ongoing activities and leadership projects. Community contributions (e.g., gardening projects) are undertaken based on personal preferences and abilities. Furthering the goal of breaking down stereotypes and preconceptions, younger students take a culture class in which they learn about subjects of fear, pleasure, hurt, responsibility and media awareness. In the older grades, the focus is on individual initiative and taking responsibility. Each class takes a silent retreat once a year so that students are given the space for reflection — a key component of leadership and personal development.
To learn more about KFI, please visit http://www.theschoolkfi.org/.