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nificant learnings for us in this day
and age,” says J a y a s h re e N a m b i -
a r, an alumna of Madras University
and Central University of Hyderabad
and currently secretary of The School,
KFI, Chennai (estb.1973), the sole day
school of the foundation which has
380 students mentored by 38 teach-
ers on its muster rolls.
Although Krishnamurti’s educa-
tion philosophy was revolutionary
and propagated a sharp turnaround
from the facts cramming and regur-
gitation pedagogies of the 19th and
20th centuries, it was not entirely
novel. Several 20th century educa-
tionists including Maria Montessori,
Rudolf Steiner, and Bertrand Russell
had propagated the virtues of intro-
spection, self-discovery, and joyous Dr. Jayaram Suryanarayan: dimensions beyond academics
learning with limited success. they have deeply embedded a new “In KFI schools and institutions, we
H OWEVER ONE FACET OF culture of environment conscious- are acutely conscious of dimensions

ness and harmonious co-existence
Krishnamurti’s educa-
beyond academics and share our deep
tion philosophy which
differentiates him and with nature in the curriculums of KFI concern for environment conservation
and sustainable development with
schools. Almost all KFI study centres
establishes him as a visionary seer and schools were initially established students. Therefore, the curriculum
was his prescient advocacy of nature on barren, fallow land sites in rural also focuses on bio-diversity protec-
conservation and sustainable devel- wildernesses for which there were few tion, land-care, waste disposal, study
opment in the early years of the 20th takers. But over the years, they were of water bodies and other related is-
century. It is pertinent to recall that nurtured and greened by teachers and sues. It’s noteworthy that in The Val-
the post-World War II years experi- pupils into flourishing and sustain- ley School, we have built structures on
enced a consumerism boom unprec- able environments of bio-diversity for less than three of our 100-acre cam-
edented in global history. The earth’s clean and healthy living and learning. pus. The remainder campus area has
resources — coal, oil, timber, iron ore According to r. a y a ra m S u ry - been left untouched, especially around
J
D
and metals — were depleted with reck- a n a ra y a n , principal of KFI’s co-ed water bodies. As a result, what was
less abandon during several decades The Valley School, Bengaluru (TVS, once barren, degraded land has now
of unbridled industrial growth dur- estb.1978) for over a decade (2004- become a hotspot of rich flora and fau-
ing which industry effluents polluted 17), and currently director of the na and evolving microhabitats. These
Planet Earth’s land, water and mari- Bangalore Education Centre, KFI, ab are nature labs in which our teach-
time resources and set in motion the initio the prime intent was to “educate ers, students and naturalists have
climate crisis and ecological disasters students for life as well as nurture aca- documented over 180 tree species, a
the world is experiencing today. demic excellence”. wide range of herbs and shrubs, and
In those decades of heady growth 130 species of medicinal plants,” says
of consumption, JK was one of the Jayaram, a postgrad of the top-ranked
few seers who propounded the ideal of One facet of JK's education Tamil Nadu Agricultural University,
simple living in harmony with nature philosophy which Coimbatore and formerly a rural de-
and sensitivity towards the environ- velopment officer at the Syndicate
ment. As indeed was Mahatma Gan- differentiates him was his Bank who signed up with KFI in 1989.
dhi, who famously pronounced that prescient advocacy of nature Although contemporary, digital
the earth has sufficient resources for technologies-driven educationists are
humankind’s “needs but not greed”. conservation and sustainable inclined to detect strains of mysti-
Against this backdrop, arguably the development in the early cism and “politically correct mumbo-
greatest achievement of KFI trustees, years of the 20th century jumbo” in Krishnamurti’s education
school principals and teachers is that philosophy, it’s important to note

JUNE 2022 EDUCATIONWORLD 49