We realized that we spend most of our lives in a cocoon. Working with the Kanavu Team at ASSEFA schools in Cuddalore provided a lens to understand what existed outside of that cocoon for our students. This became possible through the literacy support extended to them, and the opportunity they had for our students to truly understand the spirit behind ‘equal partnerships’.  

Learners of Grade 8 and 10 students recently visited a government school in a nearby village and it was an unforgettable experience. Our students had an incredibly unique experience, learning about the village communities and structures through a village walk, which inspired them with the knowledge and intelligence possessed by the village people.

Our students also gained an excellent understanding of how government schools work by organizing read-alouds, puppet shows, and sports activities for pre-primary students. They learned about the socio-economic barriers that government schools face in obtaining required resources and the challenges they overcome to do their best.

Please read our student reflections below to get a glimpse of how this visit impacted them. This visit was an eye-opening experience for our students, and we are proud of them for showing empathy and compassion towards the students they interacted with.

BMIS believes that students should be given a wide range of opportunities to develop and practice leadership skills – not just as a preparation for life beyond school, but because their voice already matters even as children. Student Leadership activities focus on real scenarios to be analysed, questioned and contextually solved for. We don’t view that classroom teaching and learning exists in a silo, but instead believe that all spaces  foster the skills we want to see in children. Student Leadership as a principle supports this very idea – the more the opportunities to hone their leadership, the more we’ve seen children embracing their responsibilities and being accountable for their learning.