JBCN Education, a pioneer in the K-12 education segment in India, is creating pathways for its students into the global arena by introducing unique learning initiatives in its curriculum. Leveraging its international collaborations across several schools, JBCN encourages learners to explore and embrace different cultures and nationalities.
JBCN has rolled out this initiative across various levels (viz. pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels) to promote the spirit of internationalism; for instance, the pre-primary students celebrate various festivals across the world. This gives them an in-depth understanding of different cultures, while helping them appreciate the similarities and contrasts, compared to celebrations in India. They also engage in sessions with educators and peers on different themes such as arts, crafts, music, and storytelling. So far, guest teachers from Singapore, Ghana, Greece, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, UAE, Egypt, and Romania have interacted with the young learners.
Students of grades II to V participate in learner exchange programmes with overseas students which enables them to understand different cultures and exposes them to diversity, thereby helping learners exhibit a higher degree of cultural awareness. The collaboration has led to letter and greeting card exchanges, bringing back the concept of pen pals, virtual global dialogues on important topics, and even masterclasses. Some of JBCN’s transcontinental partners in this exchange include schools such as Charlotte DeHart Elementary School (USA), Ursula Taylor School (U.K.), Orchard Primary Academy (U.K.), Riverside School (Kenya), Manavgat Koleji (Turkey), Kau Yan School (Hong Kong), Fairview International School (Malaysia), and Taipei Wanfu School (Taiwan).
At the secondary school level, JBCN has facilitated two long-term collaborations. One with Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Kazakhstan for cultural exchange, Model United Nations (MUN), science projects, joint lessons, faculty development, and more. The second initiative, called EUMIND, is a yearlong collaborative research project on human rights with its partner school Lyceum Oudehoven in the Netherlands. Apart from this, JBCN also organises competitions, webinars, workshops, and guest sessions that witness participation from schools worldwide. For example, the latest competition on coding and entrepreneurship saw participation from schools across more than 15 countries. In a recently held masterclass, Michael Sturm, adviser to the directorate general of international and European relations of the European Central Bank, interacted with the students on the functioning of the bank. The interaction had JBCN learners enquiring about the responsibilities and monetary policies of the ECB during the covid crisis.
Commenting on this, Kunal Dalal, managing director of JBCN Education, said, “Inculcating the concept of internationalism and collaborating with various schools worldwide is a great initiative for our learners as it brings them the required global exposure. We have collaborated with over 20 schools across various countries and a host of speakers worldwide. Our take on education has always been progressive, and we aim to equip our learners with all the right skills to make them future-ready”.
JBCN boasts four international schools in Mumbai. It was ranked as a top international school in EducationWorld’s 2021-22 nationwide school survey and a 2021 Times survey of the best schools in Mumbai. Recently, JBCN Schools’ graduating students from the 2021-22 IBDP and A levels batch received a record number of scholarships amounting to more than USD 2.5 million from prestigious universities in the U.K. and North America such as the University of California (Berkeley), Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Boston University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College, Kings College & The University College London, University of Edinburgh and The University of Toronto, The University of British Columbia in Canada to name a few.
JBCN’s achievements in the field of education and its commitment to promoting progressive education are a testament to its efforts in nurturing mindful global citizens of tomorrow.
Also read: JBCN International School students receive US$ 2.5 MN+ scholarships
