OOTY, INDIA—Inventor Robert Sun, creator of the award-winning First In Math® online program, will travel to India to address school leaders at the 76th annual Indian Public Schools (IPSC) Conclave to be held December 2-3, 2015, at The Lawrence School, one of the premier residential schools in the country.
The Lawrence School in Ooty—established in 1858, stands majestically on a campus spanning 750 acres.
The IPSC is a prestigious group of 78 of the top-ranked residential schools in India. These schools have a rich history spanning more than 150 years. “The Conclave is attended by enlightened School Leaders and insightful thinkers who view education as a means of social ascension,” according to Sangita Chima, Headmistress of The Lawrence School.
The core theme of the Conclave is thought provoking and intellectually stimulating—The Alchemy of Learning. Solution-based keynote addresses and learning workshops seek to challenge the audience to think boldly and freely in new ways, focusing on creating sustainable 21st century learning environments.
Sun will speak in the morning, then lead the afternoon Learning Workshop on the first day of the Conclave. During the remainder of his trip, Sun’s will focus his attention on helping India’s government schools through a unique mathematics initiative.
“With the enactment of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, there has been a significant increase in the enrollment of children in government-run schools,” explains First In Math®India Pvt. Ltd. CEO Monica Patel. “Many of these students are first-generation learners, and coupled with the fact that they may come from impoverished socio-economic backgrounds, their influx presents unique challenges for an education system tasked with adequately supporting the diverse learning needs of all children.”
Chima, a longtime champion of math education, agrees, and believes that without some type of intervention, an achievement gap may begin to form between private and government schools. In an attempt to address this issue, Sun has offered an opportunity for private institutions such as The Lawrence School to ‘adopt’ local government schools and initiate a First in Math® project—run by students—at no cost to either school.
“My vision is to scale this initiative across all private schools, to allow them to help as many government schools as possible,” explains Sun, who says that he is committed to the idea that ‘EVERY Child is First In Math’ and that children have the fundamental right to a quality math education. “All students should have powerful, engaging and fascinating experiences in learning. At that wonderful point, there is no telling how far they can go.”
Samuel Prabhakar, Headmaster of the Corporation School of Ooty, along with his math teachers, have excitedly embraced Sun’s offer. The students of The Lawrence School have already outlined a dynamic plan, beginning their first session in late November.