Understanding the past to secure the future….

 Professor Mahesh Rangarajan in his Sixth Memorial Oration on ‘Nature and Nation: Ecology, Identity and Our Future’ delivered at Chennai to coincide with the twelfth annual function of the Kuruvila Jacob Initiative for promoting excellence in school education said, “India is a fascinating country, as it has long been a cross roads of ecologies and cultures across Asia and the Indian Ocean. 

We have a long and complex history, with kings and folk singers, bards and poets laying claim in more ways than one to an animal, a tree, a river or mountain as icon in the past. In our own age, the idea of a national animal or state bird can be powerful symbols to not only imagine a common shared past but to try influence the future. How do these take shape and form in today's world? What are the ways in which the nation seeks to protect nature? Can preservation enclose but not secure nature”.

“And most crucial of all, how and why do we imagine nature and relate to it and what does this show about the kind of relations between different groups of humans. In the quest for peace among people, we also need peace with nature. It is not always clear how best to secure it but the past can give us clues and insights on this journey”.

Every year an annual function is held with a renowned personality being invited to address the audience on current educational issues. 

The First Kuruvila Jacob Memorial oration was delivered by Shri KapilSibal, the then Hon’ble Union Minister [HRD], the second oration by Dr. C.N.R Rao, National Research Professor, the third by Mr Anil Sadgopal, educationist, fourth by Prof. Raghuram Rajan, the then Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India, the fifth by Ms. Vimala Ramachandran, a National Fellow and Professor, National University for Educational Planning and Administration and today, the sixth by Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi.

Primary Objectives of the Kuruvila Jacob Initiative

From L to R: Mr. S. Viji, Managing Director, Brakes India Ltd.; Chairman, Sundaram Finance Ltd., Mr. G. Shanker, Core Committee Member, KJI, Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Mr. N. Murali, co-convener, and Mr. V. K. Chandra Kumar, Chairman, Sterling Insurance Services, Core Committee Member, KJI.

·        Act as a catalyst, aiding schools to adopt innovative methods and techniques in the learning process

·        Encourage schools to adopt a more holistic concept of education, strive for excellence in academics, and instil a strong value system and develop a well-rounded personality in the students

·        Encourage sharing of ‘best practices’ amongst the schools participating in the initiative

·        Enhance the satisfaction levels of all constituents and beneficiaries of the school education process

·        Obtain a significant improvement in the strategic and operational performance of schools

·        Support and/or conduct programs/courses to develop leadership skills and qualities amongst the academic faculty

·        Train the schools to learn and use TQM (Total Quality Management) methodologies and tools to attain the above

The programs of the Initiative are targeted at teachers and administrators of schools and there is no direct involvement with the students.

About Kuruvila Jacob Initiative:

Kuruvila Jacob was the Headmaster of Madras Christian College High School, Chennai, from 1931 to 1962. Appointed as headmaster at the young age of 27, he embarked on his life’s work with a vision that education did not mean scholastic achievement alone, but all-round development of the student. He was recognized as a leading educationist and was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.

To honor this great man on his birth centenary in 2004, a substantial body of his students and alumni of Madras Christian College High School launched the Kuruvila Jacob Initiative for Promoting Excellence in School Education on 3rd August 2004. The initiative is managed by the Kuruvila Jacob Memorial Educational Trust comprising the old students of Mr.Kuruvila Jacob, all of them hailing from Madras Christian College High School.

For more information on KJI – visit www.kuruvilajacob.com

For more information, please contact Ms. Beena Gopinath, KJI: 98414 18443 / Satyan Bhatt, MD, Prism PR: 98400 85411

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