India’s Champion of Child-centric Education — Ashok Thakur is an educator creating a radical shift in the whole learning experience.
People Who Inspire India (PWI) Education Iconic Awards 2021 | DKODING Media Inc. | Florida, USA: Army discipline and rigorous training for eight years mounted on father’s deep-rooted values and his inner deep pain of missing education gave Ashok Thakur the determination to provide quality education for children from the lower strata of society. His passion for the education sector made him leave his cushy business to change the definition of schooling. He has given hundreds of underprivileged children a shot at a better life over 30 years. An alumnus of Delhi University, Mr. Thakur was passionately driven to take ownership of changing the existing education methodology, which would help in inculcating values and skills in children and prepare them definitively to achieve their highest potential. He also realized that Research and Development is a very vital area to be introduced in any school to sow the seeds of innovation.
The Munificent Educationist — Ashok Kumar Thakur’s Story
Ashok Thakur, an ex-serviceman, and a prominent educator founded Muni International School in 2002 on a 250-yard, family-owned property in West Delhi with the intention that “No child is deprived any opportunity and to maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge.” Twenty-eight children from the area’s neighbouring slums formed the first batch of the school. Though the fee was meager of Rs.30 per month yet half of them were unable to pay. In order to run the school, Ashok Thakur would fly to Dubai every summer to earn money. After 8 years of sustained effort along with exemplary support from inspired teachers from within the community, his perseverance finally paid off and his dream project took off the ground and started running successfully. The objective of education is not to feed children the prescribed knowledge in textbooks. Schooling is the grooming of an individual for the real world.
In the ancient Gurukuls, education helped individuals become aligned with nature. The limitlessness of the environment is critical for holistic understanding of topical concepts. Ashok explains, “Schooling cannot happen by restricting students to classrooms and school campuses. The whole world should be viewed as an extension of the school. We don’t live in our homes, but in our minds. We aren’t producing robots but nurturing human beings.” Mr. Thakur believes that the true goal of education is to impart knowledge, keep one’s body healthy, make the mind curious to explore and wonder, participate in the order of existence, be prosperous, have justice in relationships, innovate and invent, have a compassionate heart and be full of dreams.
Watch: Muni International School, A Case Study
Highlights
- Mr. Thakur’s Muni International Schools have based their entire process of grooming young students around this concept.
- MIS has brought a difference in approach to education by training their teachers to merge standalone streams of subjects to align with the understanding of existence and universal human values.
- At MIS, teachers redefine education by not teaching only set curriculums but focus on charting out the course of growth for every individual student.
- MIS’ unique, innovative, compelling and impactful methodology is being highly appreciated in ever widening circles across India and abroad.
- Mr. Thakur’s unique style of education has been praised by UNESCO. MIS has been recognized as a “Change Maker” School by the Ashoka Foundation, USA.
- MIS has received the “Excellence in Education Award” from Eureka Global Assessors.
- MIS also holds the distinction of being the only partner school of the Government of Japan in India for the student exchange programs.
Stats
- Residence: Delhi
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from Delhi University.
- Entrepreneurial Portfolio: Founder of Muni International School
Watch: Ashok Thakur talks about the need to rethink teaching as the basis of education
Accolades
- Honoured with ‘Shikshak Ratan’ Award.
- F.B Nigam award
- Navratan Award of the year for excellence in education.
- Jan Samman
- Honorary Doctorate in education by Global Victoria University.
- The innovative methodology appreciated by UNESCO.
- Change Maker School by Ashoka Foundation (USA)
- Only Partner School of Japan government in India.
Every ordinary human being should be filled with the strength to be a change maker.
Ashok Thakur on the real impact of education
THE WINNERS
