Learning To Change The Lives

- Faizal Khan

When the devastating floods ravaged large parts of Kerala in August, the senior students of the Symbiosis International School (SIS) were on their feet every day, collecting money and medicines for the people of the southern state. Students of Class XI, who led the initiative, collected Rs.2 lakhs for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, while also sending rice, sanitary napkins and medicines to the flood victims.

“It was the first live relief operation by SIS students,” says SIS Director Narendra Kumar Ojha. The Kerala floods relief was the newest of the school’s student initiatives in community participation. The SIS students have so far conducted 12,500 vaccinations for members of poor families in Pune district. Last year, the number was 6,000. The students have also adopted two villages - Bamnoli and Bhima Shankar - in Pune. In the last two years, SIS students have also participated in organ donation drives, adding more numbers into the efforts to give a fresh lease of life to many people.

Influential institution

The school, which follows the IB curriculum from primary years to Class XII, considers social service as a means to change lives. Founded in 2005, the SIS has quickly grown to become an influential institution on Pune’s educational map. The CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) projects of SIS students are closely linked to Pune’s society. Last year, Mallika Dutta, a Class XI student, conducted a study on water borne diseases in the city by collecting samples of ‘panipuri’, a popular street snack. Dutta went on to test the samples in the lab and published the results in a local newspaper.