Chief Executive

"Greater energy and greater passion is more extraordinary than greater genius." — Lt. General Arjun Ray,(Retd.),PVSM,VSM

Issue 124, May 2013

Dear Friends,

The Face of Sustainable Leadership at INDUS international Schools

Tomorrow’s challenges are already at our door. The clash of civilizations, religious wars, genocides, armed conflict, nuclear proliferation and crashing markets are now becoming less relevant.  The new realities are staring us in the face: 

• The struggle between the underprivileged and the privileged over our planet’s fast depleting resources.
• Climate collapse, where there has been irreversible damage already.
• Resources collapse; our consumption exceeds production and renewal, five times over.

To make matters worse, competition is at an all-time high.  Children are growing up more self-oriented and ruthlessly competitive.  They need to be sensitized and taught survival competencies. Under such circumstances, schools must become the engines of change.  Learning and teaching must evolve into leading for sustainability. New curricula must have, for their objectives, leadership and whole education.  These will create survival skills in learners.

Students must be sensitized to the vital values of compassion and becoming pro-poor. They must be motivated to innovate, to find solutions, to develop ideas, design and use technology to meet the challenges of living.  Education must alter its vision from “preparation for life” to “preparation for sustainability of the planet”.  Children and youth must think, not of “my life” but “our Life”.  This focus will still centre around leadership and education, as we have always done at Indus.

Raising the emotional quotient, (EQ) of our students is crucial, and the only way in which we can sustain what we have and what is left of resources and human potential.

Ignorance, greed and indifference must give way to knowledge, to altruism and concern for the oppressed, the underserved and needy in our societies. This then, is the new meaning and context of leadership.  Our love for our planet and its bounty must express itself in ways that are real, that are deserving of provision for today and tomorrow.

With Warm Regards,

Lieutenant General Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM (Retd.)

Chief Executive Officer

Indus Trust