The UNESCO Prize for Peace Education was awarded to City Montessori School in 2002, in recognition of its efforts to promote the universal values of education for peace and tolerance at a time when these values are increasingly being challenged.
"The largest school in terms of pupils is the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, which had a record enrolment of 39,437 pupils on 9 August 2010 for the 2010-2011 academic year." The school presently has over 55,000 pupils.
City Montessori School (CMS) is the world’s largest school, with over 55,000 students and 4,500 staff across 18 campuses in the city of Lucknow. Founded in 1959 with 5 children on a borrowed capital of 300 Rupees by Dr Jagdish Gandhi and Dr Bharti Gandhi, CMS today is an ICSE- and ISC-affiliated school whose students from Montessori to Class XII achieve some of the highest exam results in India. Beyond these achievements, Drs Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi started CMS with vision to inspire generations of children to become socially motivated and conscious citizens of India and the world. Their motto “Jai Jagat” - 'Hail the World', in contrast to the popular post-Independence greeting 'Jai Hind' ('Hail India') at the time of CMS's foundation - has been the school's greeting from the beginning. CMS therefore places great emphasis on children's all-round development, moral character, and international exposure.
CMS is primarily a school for the young child with more than three-fifths of its student body below the age of 11. CMS believes that the content of education of a young child greatly determines a child's mind set and personality and ultimately his future success. The CMS school environment is engaging and responsive to a child at each stage of development.
CMS aims to provide a joyful learning environment that empowers primary aged children and develops their self-confidence and competency in the core subjects. CMS seeks to create a stimulating learning environment that both supports and challenges the individual child. As they grow, children develop the qualities of hard work, good manners and self-discipline. Most importantly, they come out as self assured and confident.
Students of the 11-13 age group are emerging as junior youth and curious young adolescents. They need plenty of academic stimulation and intellectually challenging material. The foundations of solid learning laid here set the stage for academic success in the senior years.
CMS sets extremely high standards of academic scholarship. There is an emphasis on learning by doing, especially in science and computing. Students are provided with strategies and the keys to success in Board Examinations that help them to plan better and study smarter, not just harder. A strong remedial teaching program helps weaker students to become secure in their knowledge.
At CMS, we believe that education for the 21st Century must be both broader and bolder. A modern school needs to do much more than ensuring good marks on a sheet, which is the minimum responsibility of a school. A ‘good’ education must produce much more: a ‘good’ human being with a broad range of capabilities.
A CMS education takes into account the three realities of a human being: material, human, and divine. In turn, CMS education is based on four building blocks, developing in children Universal Values, Global Understanding, a spirit of Service to the World , and an attitude of Excellence in All Things .
The campus was established in 1993. It provides education from Montessori to XII (ISC level).
The campus was established in 1984 with two students. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1969. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1985. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1961. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII(ISC level).
The campus was established in 1991. Today, it provides education from playgroup to ISC level.
The campus was established in 2011. Today, it provides education from playgroup to playgroup to Class XII.
The campus was established in 1982. Today, it provides education from playgroup to X (ICSE level).
The campus was established in 1981. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1996. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII (ISC level).
The campus was established in 1960. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII (ISC level).
The campus was established in 1994. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII (ISC level).
The campus was established in 2002. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1959. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII (ISC level).
The campus was established in 1985. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1976. Today, it provides education from playgroup to Class VIII.
The campus was established in 1964. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII (ISC level).
The campus was established in 1964. Today, it provides education from playgroup to XII (ISC level).
With a view to promote the ideals of World Unity and World Peace across the globe, CMS organizes Peace Congresses in the form of 28 international events. Every CMS event starts with a prayer for peace in the world. Although these events are organized on a variety of subjects like Geography, History, English language, Computer Science, Science and Technology, and Sports, the central idea behind organizing all these events remains development of cultural understanding and promotion of peaceful co-existence and unity in young minds. Such a stimulating environment lets children appreciate first-hand the similarities and celebrate the differences between people from all over the country and the world. They recognise how despite our differences, we are one people, united in our diversity which makes us stronger. Children gain enormous confidence and these are experiences of a lifetime. Instead of being confined to the local reality in Lucknow, children experience a wider reality which has important impact on their whole psychology and on how they relate to each other.
Vast coverage of CMS events in the print and electronic media, highlighting the role that education must play as an instrument of profound social transformation.
read more...A weekly publication that covers the major activities of the school in brief. Available online as well enjoyed for its brevity, style, wit and information, all neatly packaged.
read more...A window to the school and its 20 campuses. Important events news and individual achievements of students are published month-wise. Children also get a chance to express themselves in the Creative Section of the Bulletin.
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The efforts of CMS in building a better future for the children and people of the world have been universally acknowledged with the City Montessori School Society being accorded NGO status by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN-DPI). The information was conveyed through a letter addressed to CMS Founder-Manager Dr Jagdish Gandhi by Mr Jeffrey Brez Chief, NGO Relations & Advocacy Outreach Division, United Nations Department of Public Information. An extract of the letter is reproduced here.
| S. No. | Books | Country | Date/Year of Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | People Building Peace II | The Netherlands | 23 September 2002 |
| 2. | War Prevention Works | UK | September 2001 |
| 3. | People Building Peace I | The Netherlands | 01 January 1999 |
CMS students are significantly better in values like Empathy, Social Responsibility, Problem Solving, Regularity and Punctuality and Obedience. Many things can be inferred from these significant differences. City Montessori School (CMS) is successful in imbibing these soft skills into the students through the various events that are organized during the year. The student are far above average in empathy and social responsibility, the reason for this may be attributed to the philosophy of CMS "School must be a Lighthouse of Society and provide meaningful guidance and direction to students, parents and society." The environment of good discipline in the school is able to teach the students the value of time and so they rank high in regularity and punctuality. Obedience also seems to be an outcome of the values inculcated through various exercises in the school.
The study also recorded that CMS students are high in the following values in comparison to the other students of the other schools : (1) Loyalty, (2) Responsibility, (3) Brotherhood, (4) Dutifulness, (5) Repentance, (6) Courtesy, (7) Truthfulness, (8) Cleanliness, (9) Respect, (10) Obedience, (11) Honesty, (12) Concern for Environment, (13) Dignity of Labour, (14) Justice This study was conducted by Mr Nitin Agarwal (BTech, ITT, Delhi, 2002) and by Mr Tarun Raj (IIT, Kanpur, 1999) who were pursuing a degree in management from the world famous Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow. As a compulsory component of their work towards the degree, they had to present an innovative project. The research and quality of this project went a long way in the grade they would obtain from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Their project was titled ‘Incorporation of Moral Values and Emotional Intelligence in the Present Education System.’
“I congratulate you on your efforts to keep the protection of the world's children high on the global agenda.”
“The forum represents a voice for the world's two billion children to safeguard their future.”
“The theme ‘Enforceable International Law is our need’ seems to be an interesting proposition, particularly from the view point of guaranteeing a safe future for the world's children, born and yet to be born.”
