Jagdish Gandhi School

In 2000, when this school entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest school in the world, more than 22 thousand students studied within its walls at the same time. Despite the registered record, there is information that literally three years later, the number of students has already reached 25 thousand. Oddly enough, this school does not exist in China, but in Lucknow, the center of a province in northern India. City Montessori School (CMS) was founded in 1959 by Jagdish Gandhi and his wife Bharti, and at first only 5 people studied there.

Jagdish Gandhi opened this school in order to serve humanity through the upbringing and education of children. To found the largest school in the world, Jagdish had to borrow 300 rupees (less than $ 10) and rent a couple of premises in Lucknow. And it was unlikely that he then assumed that she would eventually become widely known due to the fact that the values \u200b\u200bof world citizenship and the principles of religious tolerance took an important place in her curricula.

In addition, another aspect that makes the CMS attractive is the quality of teaching, because the students of this school constantly achieve great success.

School country

City Montessori School is a whole school country, consisting of many buildings, streets, squares and fountains. A huge complex structure with about twenty branches located throughout Lucknow. Each branch is a small school campus, very similar to European university campuses. On average, about 1250 schoolchildren study in one department.

Many of these townships were specially designed and built for the school by renowned architects, taking into account the interests and needs of children and teachers. So, for example, there is a special building - the "innovation wing". In this building, 25 employees are constantly engaged in the research of new teaching methods, as well as their implementation in educational program schools. At the same time, they adopt the experience of different countries in training.

School and parents

But not only the high level of education makes thousands of people bring their children to this particular school. Sometimes you even have to change your home and job. After all, the fate of the child is much more important than all this. It is here that he will be taught to live in peace with himself and with people, cooperate, be tolerant and patient - the most important qualities in our changing world.

“There are many schools that provide a good education, but this one is beyond competition because it gives all the best: personal development, good knowledge and strong moral values,” says Manoj Agrawal, a 35-year-old electrical engineer who has already sent two of his children to CMS. “They bring out the best in the child,” adds Deepa Agrawal, his wife.

Om Prakesh Patel, a 32-year-old landowner and farmer from the Kaimur region of Bihar, lived about 390 kilometers from Lucknow, but he really wanted his son to go to a wonderful school, and now - he moved with all his large family to Lucknow , having thus made a rather unconventional act for these places.

He and his wife Sunita chose CMS because of the school's close relationship with parents, which helps maintain mutual understanding and trust among children, and because of the school's focus on moral education.

“Why are so many parents sending their children here? The reason, I feel, is that parents want their children to grow up to be good, ”says Mr. Gandhi. - Yes, they want to give them a good education. But they also want to see them as good people. And we strive for this together. "

Global Education Program

Mr. Gandhi's school is renowned for its program of educating citizens of the world, ready to communicate with people of different social groups, different nationalities and religions. The task is difficult to accomplish both in India, divided into castes, and in any country where Christians, Jews, Muslims, Negroes, Chinese, Caucasians live nearby. An almost impossible task in our irreconcilable world. All children are accepted to school, and in the morning at the daily meeting you can meet children of all shades: white, black, dark-skinned, yellow ... Parents are warned in advance that their child will be brought up in an international environment and all nationalistic and religious prejudices will have to be forgotten. Above the entrance to the central building there is a poster: "The whole earth is one country, and all people are its citizens." On the next door - another: "Every child is the light of the world."

In addition to traditional academic subjects, children study the cultures and religions of different peoples, learn to defend their opinions and resolve conflicts peacefully.

Influence of Mahatma Gandhi

At the beginning of their life together, Mr. and Mrs. Gandhi were strongly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, which partly prompted them to open a school. In 1974, the couple became members of the Bahá'í International Community, one of the most popular religions today. However, they do not impose the Bahá'í faith on either their students or colleagues, only strive to uphold the values \u200b\u200bthat form the basis of all religions and respect the faith of all children and their parents. In Lucknow, and therefore in school, about 70% of the population is Hindu, 25% is Muslim, 5% is Christian and Sikh.

Highly secular school

“No religion is taught in our school,” says Bonita Joule, a Christian department leader. - This is a secular school. But we teach our children to respect all religions. The modern process of globalization will still not allow children to limit their lives to the framework of their native city, native culture. They will have to get in touch with the outside world. "

Sadna Churamani, the head of another branch, a Hindu by religion, notes that children do not have any difficulties in communicating with people related to religion or origin. “They accept all people as they are. The sense of belonging to one human race is deeply rooted in them. "

Peaceful education for every child

City Montessori School received the UNESCO Peace Education Prize, “for efforts to educate children in the spirit of universal values, in the spirit of peace and tolerance”. “The school, paying attention to every child, strives to provide students with skills that will help them withstand the most difficult problems modern world, to develop in them a sense of responsibility, an active life position, to open their eyes to other cultures and religions, ”the official press release of UNESCO says.

In addition, the Children's International Camp opens at this school every summer. The computer and mathematical fair has recently finished its work, it was replaced by the bright and noisy music festival "Celesta International", and after the festival, young astronomers gathered in Lucknow for the International Astronomical Olympiad. In addition, the school hosts various international conferences, for example, to exchange experiences between schools.

DENFENG (China), January 8 - RIA Novosti, Zhanna Manukyan. Mastery cannot be taught, it is invisible, it can only be practiced, only technique can be taught, everything else is time, say the fighting monks of the world famous Shaolin Monastery, the cradle of Chinese Ch'an Buddhism and the famous Shaolin Wushu.

Study diligently, endure hardship and train hard, gain knowledge, strengthen the body, cultivate will and character - so they say in the world's largest martial arts school, the forge of Chinese champions, located next to the Shaolin monastery at the foot of the sacred Songshan mountain in Henan province.

The school of traditional Chinese wushu "Shaolin Tagou" was founded in 1978 by a seventh-generation master, a lay student of the Shaolin monastery Liu Baoshan. For 39 years, an ordinary school has turned into an entire empire: thousands of square meters of territory, gyms and training facilities, 35 thousand students and 900 coaches. It now teaches not only traditional wushu, but also such disciplines as boxing, taekwondo, mixed martial arts, Shaolin football and combat choreography for cinema. Students tour with bright shows not only in China, but around the world. Graduates join the ranks of the Chinese police, army and intelligence agencies.

How they get to this school, train, live and what their students dream of, the RIA Novosti correspondent found out.

Like Jackie Chan

Wushu is a feature of the school, and enlightenment is the basis, according to Tagou. Pupils from elementary to high school are taught general education subjects. Children are accepted from five to six years old, but there is no upper threshold - people over thirty can come here. School education is paid. Each student has his own story. For some it is a pursuit of a dream, but for others it is a "correctional colony".

"Some come to us because of the popularity of the school, for some wushu is a hobby, some are brought in by their parents, some children are sent here because they are naughty and uncontrollable. There are also those who come to our school under the influence of films. about kung fu. They also want to become famous martial arts actors, "- told RIA Novosti director of the school's propaganda department Feng Weifeng.

One of these students is 11-year-old Liu Yunshe. "I entered this school in 2014. I really liked to study wushu. I watched a lot of films about kung fu, for example with Jackie Chan, so my parents agreed to bring me. When you want to give up, I tell myself that you need to be like Jackie Chan ", - said Liu Yunshe.

Movie stars and martial arts masters Jet Li and Bruce Lee are equally honored by the students.

Eight-year-old Li Mengzhan has a completely different story. There was simply no one to look after the girl, because her parents worked. "I have been at school for three years already. I was sent here, because before, when I went to kindergarten, it was necessary for someone to take me and bring me. Sometimes there was no one, so they asked other people - my parents were very busy," - said the girl.

Eighteen-year-old Quan Lin ended up in school for disobedience and violent temper. "I have been at school for nine years. I fought all the time at home and was naughty, so my mother brought me here first for physical development and to work on character, but then over time I liked it, and I myself did not want to leave, "says Quan Lin, smiling.

Melting Pot

Discipline at school is like in the army: getting up at 5:30 am to the sounds of a military march, exercise, breakfast, training, lessons in general subjects, lunch, training, lessons, dinner, training, lights out. No cell phones or computer games. You can communicate with parents only on a special landline phone. As a rule, schoolchildren go home only once a year.

"On weekends we get up at eight in the morning, get out, then we have free time, lunch, rest. At four - general school meeting, after its completion we go to dinner. In the evening, usually some entertainment", Says 15-year-old Yang Zhofan, who has been at school for seven years.

The students can be recognized in any crowd: they are dressed in red trowels, black sweatpants and the famous Feiyue sneakers. Schoolchildren live for about 10-20 people in a dorm room without heating. Clothes are washed on their own in ordinary basins. The very little ones are helped by teachers and older friends, but, having matured a little, they begin to do everything on their own.

Mr. Feng Weifeng compares school to a melting pot. "This school is like a smelting furnace, like a furnace, disobedience is only a temporary phenomenon. There are so many obedient children, there is such an atmosphere, and they become infected with it. There are those who really do not stand up and leave," he says.

According to him, every year there are not just a few students who cannot keep up with a strict schedule and discipline - their number can reach hundreds. There are those who dare to escape. However, this is not the easiest mission. At all exits there is a guard on duty, the role of which is also played by schoolchildren. The RIA Novosti correspondent was also convinced of this: when leaving the school, the security asked to lower the car windows to make sure that there were no students there. If the student has not yet reached the age of 18, then the parents should decide the issue of leaving, and those over 18 can do it on their own.

"This is not to say that once you enroll in our school, you will no longer be able to leave it. There are those who run away. By bringing them back, we bring them up by conviction, explain to them the difficulties of human life, advise, help, show care and love," - says Feng Weifeng.

According to the students, who have been at school for many years, it was difficult at the very beginning, but then they got used to the regime. The main thing, they say, is to have perseverance and patience, not to stop halfway.

"When we first started practicing, it was very painful to do stretching, also intense power training, after which the legs hurt very much. I cried a lot, but I never thought about giving up, "says Quan Lin, who is going to university this year. physical culture and become a coach.

Zhang Ji, who also ended up in school due to his naughty nature, says he had the urge to leave after two to three years of schooling.

"Now I am already accustomed to this education. At first it was very unusual, especially to get up early. It seemed to me that I could not withstand such a difficult regime, I really wanted to go home. There was a time when I was not doing very well, the coach often scolded me, I I even thought about quitting, but then, under the guidance of a coach, I gradually got used to it, "says 15-year-old Zhang Qin, who dreams of becoming a professional athlete.

Coach Zhang Hu, who has been at school for 23 years himself, 13 of them as a mentor, says that the most difficult thing for him as a coach is when students who have been practicing Wushu for many years are forced to leave classes due to injury or family circumstances.

To beat or not to beat?

School spokesman Feng Weifeng, when asked if schoolchildren are being beaten for misconduct, said it was strictly prohibited, although he said corporal punishment was the norm in China's martial arts schools in the past.

"We have a strict requirement: not to use corporal punishment against students. Modern parents have a completely different attitude towards this. Yes, a child can study poorly, but you cannot beat him for this. In past years, in Wushu schools - you know, we have there are so many of them here in Dengfeng - corporal punishment was common. traditional way upbringing in Chinese schools, so sometimes everyone can get through a soft spot with a stick a couple of times and endure. But now you cannot just hit the child and go unpunished. If this happens, his parents will sue you. The law is very strong now, "he says.

According to the recollections of graduates who have long since graduated from school, they sometimes got pole strikes for wushu lessons. Another punishment for offense hated by students is rewriting hieroglyphs many times. "It would be better if they beat me than forced to write so many hieroglyphs," one of the former students of the school recalls, laughing.

All schoolchildren with whom the RIA Novosti correspondent spoke, say that corporal punishment was not applied to them.

“Those who make mistakes are first admonished, instructed, then criticized, but not beaten,” says 15-year-old Yue Fanfei.

A fighting monk of the Shaolin monastery, master Shi Yanzhuang also believes that it is necessary to be strict with students.

"The methods of control and management are different for everyone, each has its own characteristics. Austerity is also good. You cannot but be strict with students. If there is no system in a school where tens of thousands of people study, nothing will work," says the master ...

According to coaches, school representatives, alumni and current students, despite so many young men who know martial arts, fights between students are extremely rare. "It practically does not happen. If they want to fight, let them go out to a duel, find a judge for themselves, and let them fight as much as they want," says Mr. Feng Weifeng, laughing.

According to the school's rules, coaches live with students in the same dormitory. 40-50 schoolchildren are assigned to each coach. He usually lives either in the next room with them, or in the room opposite. “The coaches live with their charges in the dormitory, eat with them, so they know about all the friction and disagreements. Students are very afraid of coaches and have a lot of respect for them and do not dare to do such things,” he says.

The coach of the school's art group, which toured the world and featured some of the best students, says the classmates have very good relationships, although they sometimes quarrel.

“Maybe in terms of skill they are all very good, but we must not forget that these are still teenagers of 17-18 years old, they have different thoughts in their heads, so this happens. Some friction arises, but after many years a very strong friendship remains between them, "Zhang Hu told RIA Novosti. The coach tries to solve such problems by talking with the charges.

Boys to the right, girls to the left

Of the 35 thousand pupils of the school, only about three thousand are girls. Education is separate: girls and boys study in different groups and rarely intersect.

According to Yue Fangfei, who has been at the school for seven years, her parents initially did not want to send her to a martial arts school because she is "still a girl."

"This school is very famous. I saw the performance of their students on TV at the New Year's concert and wanted to come. Parents at first did not agree, I am still a girl, but I really liked it. I trained at home every day, ran, and they still agreed, "recalls Yue Fanfei.

Schoolgirls say that martial arts training makes them bolder, more courageous and they are not afraid of any difficulties.

"Wushu for me is half my life. I have been studying here since childhood. After learning wushu, girls become more courageous, open-minded. If we face difficulties, we do not run away from them, but decide. Yes, we call ourselves" boys. " with ordinary girls, we are probably stronger, we just don't back down, "says Yue Fanfei.

According to school spokesman Feng Weifeng, boys and girls are rarely together at school, and open "love stories" are not allowed at school.

"Our boys and girls study in separate groups. There are separate male and female dormitories. Of course, they may have a secret love, but there is no such phenomenon," he explained.

"The girls who are school students are just ordinary friends, there is no falling in love," says 15-year-old Zhang Qin.

Secrets of wushu and the road to the future

Feng Weifeng says that after graduating from school, graduates often remain to work as coaches or join professional sports teams, enter higher educational institutions, they are hired by law enforcement agencies, some go abroad and teach wushu there, and some go to the film industry.

Answering the question whether their former pupils, who in addition know martial arts, become criminals, he says that this is also possible, but there is no need to associate it with the school.

"And what, only good people graduate from Tsinghua University (the most prestigious university in China. - Ed.)? It doesn't matter which moral education the school gives - after they enter society, we are no longer able to control them. Therefore, one should objectively look at martial arts schools. We are the same as other schools, only we have one more discipline. You don't have to look at us extremely subjectively, "he says.

According to the representative of the educational institution, at the school of martial arts, students can be taught will, which will be very useful for them in an independent life in society.

Many students, in a conversation with a RIA Novosti correspondent, said that they want to become coaches in the future.

"For me, wushu is a goal. It is a force that propels me forward. Each participation in a competition allows me to grow, it is not just a sport," says Yang Zofei. I dream of going to Peking University of Physical Education, I want to study abroad, learn English, then maybe I can teach wushu to foreigners, "she says.

Her classmate Quan Lin sets the same goal for herself.

"Some people who do not understand Wushu think that we have beautiful, impressive, but absolutely impractical and useless movements. In fact, this is not the case. Each movement has a meaning. I really love Wushu and I hope to hone my skills well so that explain this art to other people, "says Quan Lin.

In the Shaolin monastery next to the school, the concepts of wushu and gong fu ("kung fu" in Cantonese) are shared.

"Gongfu and wushu are different concepts. In China, gongfu means time, not a martial art. Anything can be called gongfu - any effort, even tea drinking, any technical skill can be called gongfu," explains Shi Yanzhuang, master of the Shaolin Monastery.

According to him, it is impossible to teach gongfu: a teacher can only teach a technique, everything else is the result of hard training.

"It is impossible to teach gong fu. What you can teach is all technique, gong fu is training. Everything you learn is technique, the result of your training is gong fu. It has no form, it is impossible to see it, you can only feel it. . It is impossible to convey and teach him ", - shared his wisdom in an interview with RIA Novosti master Shi Yanzhuang.

16 interesting facts about schools in the world September 1st, 2017

School years are some of the most memorable in our life. As much as we would like, but studying at school is a mandatory process that everyone needs to go through. Perhaps, having learned about what schools are like in different countries of the world, you will begin to appreciate more what you have, or, on the contrary, you will dream of getting into a completely different school. Here are some fun facts about education and schools that will make you take a fresh look at everything.

1. Primary school in Phumachangtang, Tibet is considered the tallest school in the world.

This school is located at an altitude of 5373 meters above sea level, and it is 200 meters above the base camp of Everest - the highest peak on Earth.

2. The Royal School in Canterbury, England is the oldest school in the world.

She was founded in 597 AD... However, today this school is equipped with quality equipment and offers modern education.

3. All children in Holland start school on their 4th birthday and therefore there is always a new one in the class.

Although older people have more time to adapt and make friends, all children are at about the same developmental level by the time they start school.

4. Eating in France is considered part of the learning process.

Children not only learn different foods and where they come from (many of them are grown in school), but also the rules of behavior and etiquette at the table.

5. Students in South Korea should stay and help clean up the classroom after school.

No one leaves the classroom as soon as lessons are over.

6. Bangladesh has over 100 schools located on boats. Each has internet access, a library, and the school is solar-powered.

The annual floods in Bangladesh can disrupt the learning process for hundreds and thousands of students. In some areas, during the rainy season from July to October, the roads become impassable, and the water in the rivers can rise up to 4 meters. Therefore, the need arose for boat schools.

7. In remote areas of Colombia, children get to school by cable car.

Steel wires are the only form of transportation for those living in the remote village of Los Pinos in Colombia. Small children are not allowed to use the ferry themselves, so they travel by cable car with their parents or older siblings.

If not for the cable car, the children would have to walk through the rainforest, and the journey to school would have taken them two hours.

8. A school in Germany was built in the shape of a huge white cat, complete with a mustache and round eye-shaped windows.

When students arrive at school, they enter the building through the cat's mouth. Inside, the school is similar to everyone else, but there is another tempting feature - the cat's tail also serves as a slide for students.

9. Summer holidays in Chile last from mid-December to the end of March.

10. Children in Germany receive a special gift in the form of a paper cone - shultute, filled with pencils, pens, books and sweets.

However, the gift can only be opened at the beginning of the school year.

11. Children in Japan are possibly the most independent in the world. They make their own way to school, clean their own classrooms, and set lunches.

The school has no cleaners or canteens.

12. Students in China receive the most homework in the world.

On average, teens spend about 14 hours a week on homework.

13. France has the shortest academic yearwhich runs from August to June and is the longest school day.

Children in France attend school 4 times a week. They are given about 2 hours for lunch. The school day starts at 8:30 and ends at 16:30.

14. The school in the Philippines was made entirely from recycled bottles.

It took 9000 bottles and volunteers to build this building. Each bottle was filled with sand, water and straw to make them stronger. Then, using a substance similar to cement, the bottles were held together and made into walls.

15. The largest school is the Montessori School in Lucknow, India.

More than 32,000 students attend school every day. The school has more than 1,000 classrooms, 3,700 computers and buys thousands of stationery and books every year.

16.In 2014 in Turin, Italy was with amaya small primary School in the world, consisting of one student and one teacher.

The authorities decided to leave the school as long as at least one student is attending it.

The largest school on Earth with almost 45 thousand students is located in India, in the heart of the city of Lucknow. This school was founded in 1959 by Bharti Gandhi with his wife (Bharti and Jagdish Gandhi), and originally she.

The largest school on Earth with almost 45 thousand students is located in India, in the heart of the city of Lucknow. This school was founded in 1959 by Bharti Gandhi with his wife (Bharti and Jagdish Gandhi), and initially it consisted of two classes, attended by only five students. But everything changed rapidly when the news of the opening of a private school, where you can get an incredibly good and quality education, spread throughout the Indian province.

The school is now a network of twenty campus-type branches located throughout the city of Lucknow. These towns are quite comfortable, in addition to school buildings, they have their own streets, fountains and parks. What is most noteworthy is that in the city of Lucknow, in addition to this school, there are hundreds of secondary schools, but it is here that parents seek to send their children to study. Indeed, under the roof of this school, children of different classes and different religions receive a quality education, which is very rare in other schools, where students are mainly divided into castes in India according to social origin and religious prejudices. The school employs over 2,500 teachers who teach students aged 3 to 17 years. The school is paid. The smallest tuition costs about $ 17 a month, high school students $ 45. Everyone, without exception, wears the same school uniform.

The school is attended by approximately: 70% - Hindus, 25% - Muslims, 5% - Christians and Sikhs. First of all, teachers teach children to love and respect everyone living on earth, without exception, regardless of their class and religious affiliation. Accept everyone as they are. Therefore, at the entrance to the school there is a remarkable poster on which it is inscribed: "The whole earth is one country, and all people are its citizens." And next to it there is another no less important slogan: "Every child is the light of the world." In my opinion, these two slogans already say a lot, and perhaps you can't say or write better.

Every year the number of students in this school is increasing; in the last two years alone, the school has added 2000 students to its ranks. And as the director of this school says, this is not the limit of possibilities, everyone is accepted to the school, without exception, the main thing is that the student has a desire to learn and follow all the rules established within the walls of this institution.

The school got into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest in terms of the number of students enrolled, and received the UNESCO Prize for "Peaceful Education" and for "raising children in the spirit of universal values, in the spirit of peace and tolerance."published

Forty-two years ago, after graduating from college, Jagdish Gandhi understood that the most important purpose of his life was to serve humanity. And he also understood that in order to achieve such a goal, it is necessary to engage in upbringing, as well as the education of children.

He borrowed about 300 rupees, for which he rented a couple of premises, after which, together with his wife Bharti, he founded a school in Lucknow, which was called City Montessori School, which will be abbreviated as CMS. Initially, five students attended the school.

In 1999, the school entered the Guinness Book of Records 2000 edition as the world's largest school in terms of the number of students. At that moment, the number of students in the school was about 22,612, and this is a clear indicator of the popularity of the school.

The main aspect that makes CMS so popular is certainly the quality of teaching. Great success is constantly being achieved by students.

CMS is a school structure with twenty branches in Lucknow. Each branch is a school campus, which consists of a main building and ancillary buildings.

Photo of the largest school in the world

Video of the largest school in the world