The Riverside School, an independent international school in Gujarat, clinched the World’s Best School Prize 2023 on Saturday for its student-centered education approach. Based in Ahmedabad, the school secured the USD 50,000 prize in the “Innovation” category, among four other global winners.

Awarded by an expert Judging Academy, the winners across Innovation, Community Collaboration, Environmental Action, Overcoming Adversity, and Supporting Healthy Lives shared a total of USD 250,000. Founder of T4 Education and the World’s Best School Prizes, Vikas Pota, praised The Riverside School’s remarkable influence on countless lives and encouraged educators and governments to take note of its pioneering work in addressing contemporary challenges.

With its “I CAN” pedagogical model and the Feel, Imagine, Do, and Share (FIDS) program, Riverside has consistently ranked among India’s top 10 schools since 2004. Inspired by the founder’s son’s academic struggles, Riverside utilized “Design Thinking” to foster a culture promoting agency, engagement, and creativity in teaching and learning.

The school’s FIDS program has extended beyond its walls, reaching 2 million children through the Design for Change School. Moreover, Riverside has conducted workshops to train over 1,000 government school teachers in implementing the FIDS framework.

The Riverside School has established the Riverside Learning Centre, focusing on educational research and training, standardizing 20+ years of I CAN processes and practices using design thinking in education and FIDS.

Its impact on education through a student-centered approach, an innovative pedagogical model, and the broad dissemination of the FIDS program have empowered students to become globally aware and active citizen leaders. The school plans to use the prize to expand the FIDS program’s digital learning content and support educators globally.

Among the other winners of the 2023 World’s Best School Prizes are schools from Colombia, South Africa, Jerusalem, and Brazil, recognized for their achievements in various categories. Additionally, a new Community Choice Award was given to Escola Municipal Professor Edson Pisani in Brazil, securing the most votes in a public poll. The award entails membership to T4 Education’s Best School to Work program, endorsing a school’s culture to attract and retain excellent teachers.

The World’s Best School Prizes, inaugurated in 2022 by T4 Education in collaboration with Accenture, American Express, and the Lemann Foundation, have opened applications for the 2024 edition. The deadline for applications is in February next year.

Source: PTI

Also read: Leaders who can revive Indian Education – Kiran Bir Sethi