Due to rising globalisation and the world’s effort to bring the world close, international education has become the need for basic education. Most schools worldwide are trying to streamline their education system, bridging and closing the gap between different education systems around the world to bring every student on the same page with respect to education.
India’s educational system has a long history, stretching from Vedic education to the Gurukul system. However, in recent years, many educators and students have questioned the on-running education system in the country. To address this issue of quality education of international standard and provide the students with the necessary tools to be the leaders of tomorrow, KiiT International School was founded.
The school seeks to equip its students with knowledge, insight, innovation and transformation to be tomorrow’s visionary leaders. Along with that, the school also believes in grooming the unique personalities of young and bright minds to engage, transform and serve the community.
Based on the bedrock of value and skill-based education of international standards, Dr. Mona Lisa Bal, Chairperson of the school, has set the rules for the educational foundation to make the school one of the finest international schools in the country.
Inception Story of a Truly International School
During the early 21st century, Eastern India desperately felt the absence of an international school. With the ever-growing demand at its peak, KiiT International School was established to offer education to young minds of the highest quality. Soon, after its establishment, in a span of 16 years, KiiT International School rapidly evolved to become one of the most popular and reputed CBSE and IGCSE schools in Odisha.
Catering to the needs of international education to students, KiiT International School today is an IB School authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organisation, Geneva, to educate students in the prestigious IB’s Diploma Programme from 2011.
Apart from the academic offerings, the international school is an eco-friendly green campus and houses homely hostels with Wi-Fi and AC for the students. Along with that, there is a 24/7 vigil around the campus to ensure the safety and security of all the students studying at the school.
Talking about the educational offerings of the school, Chairman Dr. Bal says, “The education structure is divided into four departments – KiiTIS Kinder Orland Preschool, Primary School, Middle School and Secondary School. Also followed by some International Programmes like- the International Primary programme (IPYP), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). Other enrichments are the Special Education Needs (SEN) Department, Inspiron and Games & Arts.“
On a Visionary Mission to Build the Leaders of Tomorrow
The school management’s vision while establishing KiiT International School was to groom today’s young minds to become the leaders of tomorrow through academic excellence and service to society.
Believing that every student is unique and different, the school seeks to provide every student with opportunities that would allow the children to explore their potential and feel engaged with the planned curricula, teaching, innovative programs, and dedicated learning.
Emphasising on the learning arc of the students, Dr. Bal says “Learning is a tapestry of moments of discovery and joyful insights that are fostered by cooperative learning systems, creative and innovative methodology, and intense pedagogical research. A positive, safe, and purposeful environment ensures a productive environment for a child to develop the confidence and the skills necessary to be a lifelong learner.”
“An amalgamation of these values and ideas is what awaits every student at KiiT International School, providing the ideal environment for every child to grow and flourish,“ she further adds.
A Passionate Leader
The Chairperson of the school Dr. Mona Lisa Bal is heading this prestigious stature. She is a prominent researcher contributing her insightful foray into the Higher Education Sector, contributing ten articles in internationally reputed educational journals like IOSR, IJARSE, British Journal and World Journal of Educational Research.
Proactively engaged in the KISS and the school for 25,000 students, whereas mentors a few tribal students for the civil services. Under her leadership, the school has achieved all-around excellence and is ranked amongst the top best schools in India.
She has also been awarded several international awards and MOUs with organisations for academic excellence for her achievements with the school.
Highlighting her excellent leadership qualities, here is what the school management has to say about her, “She devised an excellent initiative, SEN Globe, to effect change in mainstream schools. SEN (Special Education Needs) Globe is an initiative to bring especially abled students, which comprises of 14% of the student population in the world, to mainstream schools. These students cannot attend mainstream schools and are ignored. Therefore, KiiT International School introduced the idea of SEN, a special domain in mainstream schools. The primary idea of SEN is to ensure that every child has a memorable school life and gets the same platform and opportunities.“
Under this SEN Globe initiative, KiiT International School has adopted a philosophy that respects all the different nationalities’ cultures and religions. This is achieved by the latest teaching methods and by maintaining a very low teacher-student ratio to help students complete the curriculum’s learning arc. Other than that, this program also uniquely integrates ethical values, internalising the virtues of truth, righteous conduct, freedom, peace, non-violence and love.
Building a Holistic Community
Experts are in charge of academics, and the school works to promote students’ holistic development. Explaining how the community grows together outside the academic world, Dr. Bal says, “There are some other extra-curricular activities like co-scholastic activities (martial arts, aerobics, horse riding, school band, chess and carrom), different clubs (eco-club, heritage club, philately club, quiz club, photography club, maths club, literary club and science club), artistic activities include dance (odishi, kathak, contemporary, hip-hop, ballet, jazz and visual), music (vocal, table, guitar violin, keyboard, drum and piano), theatre, art and some labs (creya and robotics).”
Preparing the Future of Skilled Beings
The curation of this exceptional school was on the ideology of futuristic and complete growth of the student. Explaining how the school achieves this, Dr. Bal says, “We equip our students with the skills they need so that they can adapt and flourish as socially responsible, engaged and creative global citizens. Providing more innovative learning opportunities for all students gives students the right skills for the future. This will also build independence and foster content retention among students and higher student engagement. This will make students see learning as a process rather than a finite learning experience.”
“KiiT International School created SEN Department with personal, social, academic and co-curricular domains and different services offered. SEN department aims to bring out the best in children by offering various therapeutic and psychological supports, which enable children to explore their abilities on both social and academic front,” she further adds.
Roadmap of Development for the Illustrious International School
When asked about her and the school’s vision to build the future of this magnificent school, Dr. Bal says, “The future of our school ahead will depend on how tomorrow’s schools transform the education system to meet the knowledge and skills demands of tomorrow’s industry. Innovation in education plays a key role in promoting human development for improved productivity, research, and value chain interactions in various sectors.”
“To achieve this, we need investment in the evolution towards learning how to learn, a rejuvenation of life-long learning and strengthened links between formal and non-formal education. And we need to draw on flexible delivery methods, digital technologies and modernised curricula while ensuring sustained support. We will take bold steps now to create inclusive, resilient, quality education systems fit for the future,” concludes Dr. Bal.
