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Note from BIS principal Mrs Mona Seervai
Jan 30, 2010
Dear Alumni, BIS is indeed a very special school. It started with a dream: that education was more than letters on a page; that the development of a child involved more than the giving of notes and taking of exams; that there can be no education without the inculcation of a moral and ethical standard, an awareness of one’s surroundings, and an ability to stand up against injustice. We are all proud that we continue to keep the vision that our Founder Members gave to so many generations. For almost fifty years we have walked with this dream; the school is its living fulfillment. My tenure as Principal of BIS is now into its sixth year. Before joining BIS, I worked closely for ten years with Ms. Shirin Darasha at the J.B. Petit High School for Girls. Some of the alumni may remember Ms. Darasha as an inspiring teacher at BIS in the early days. Shirin left BIS to join JB as Principal, and I left JB to join BIS as Principal! Having worked with Shirin, I learned that the only viable educational philosophy must have a liberal and student-centred approach. That philosophy has its historic roots in BIS. The main focus of the last six years has been to preserve all that is deeply rooted in the BIS culture and philosophy, yet keep pace with the times. BIS is a pioneer among the schools of Mumbai. Experiential "hands-on" learning at BIS is founded on curiosity, inquiry, creativity, openness, and a commitment to hard work. The students who come out of our school are “young renaissance men and women”, able to hold their own and are extremely successful in life. This is what BIS gives its students: a new, different definition and measure of success, one that is not assessed in the narrowness of grades and marks, but by becoming people who dare to challenge the world, who dare to think for themselves, who aspire to levels beyond the ordinary. We stand out as a school because our focus is on true education. A BIS student is one who likes to question, one who will not accept every thing a teacher says, one who wants to learn by experience, one for whom a textbook is a door to step through, not something to commit to memory and recite on demand. The BIS student challenges the BIS teacher in every way. I am proud to say that today we have a committed and dedicated staff at BIS who are ready to accept the challenges of changing trends in education. School is a place where values are intrinsically formed. We have a strong emphasis on giving back to the community, in the form of individual awareness and social service. Rather than our students being "givers of charity" we see them as catalysts for change, who reflect on the process. We have several partnerships at BIS with Non Governmental Organizations, to the mutual benefit of both. We have worked together with the Sunbeam Program of CRY, Sewa Sadan, Help-age, and more recently, the Salaam Balak Trust. In recent years there has been an explosion of educational choices in India. There are now several options available in the city, and we are no longer dependent on the State or the Centre to offer Boards of Examinations. In 2007, BIS accepted the Curriculum Framework from Cambridge and is now offering both the IGCSE and the ICSE as Std. X options. The need of the hour is for the BIS Association to expand and form a High School. In this regard, we strongly believe that the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program will be an ideal extension of our school's philosophy, one that encourages a holistic approach to education, with an emphasis on values, both individual and pertaining to society. We are hoping to commence this from year 2011 and I am happy to announce that the process for the IB is well under way. Forty-eight years ago, when this special institution began, the focus was on children: how they learned, what they needed, and how best to meet those needs. I am pleased that while much has changed in the intervening years, our focus hasn't. It’s still all about the children. Everyone who walks in to BIS says: “This school seems like a happy place for the children”. The school is always buzzing with activity. Students are challenged and involved with all that there is to do. There is noise, laughter and the sound of happy voices all the time. Most important, it is a place where each child is valued for who they are and not what they stand to achieve. Each person is important and every opinion has its place in the sun. Tomorrow belongs to our students. In order that we support them and give them the future they rightfully deserve, we now have a most urgent need for funds to expand the school. This is the need of the moment if we are to preserve the heritage of a unique and wonderful school. As the Principal, I can offer you the promise of a dream realized: the same dream that began the school, the same dream in which you were forged, that shared dream that binds all of us. Being a small school, everyone knows each other and we have a real sense of a caring community, from students to teachers to parents. The school has not drawn on you, our Alumni, in the past. I do so now as the present Principal of what will always be your school, and I do so in all earnestness and humility, with a request to each and every one of you to donate generously to the Bombay International School Association. I am aware that I came to BIS much later than you. Each one of you was here before me, and for longer; and no one knows better than you the measure of what BIS gave you. You, more than anyone else, are truly the spirit and embodiment of BIS. Our school now needs your help. To keep alive the dream that is BIS I earnestly appeal to each and every one of you to donate generously to the Bombay International School Association. Let me entreat on all of you to consider making a monetary contribution. Together, let us build on our strong foundation and ensure a secure future for students of BIS. This is a request -for you to give back to the same school that once gave to you. Every contribution will enable us to forge ahead to achieve our goals, so that you may play an important part in BIS remaining on the world map of future education. With warm regards, Mona Seervai.
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