A modern school has a social responsibility to educate children to be useful to the society and to prepare them to shoulder responsibilities when they grow up. The present world scenario presents a grim picture, as there are many problems which endanger the very existence of human species, flora and fauna and all life on earth. Many problems are multiplying faster than the efforts to contain them. Lawlessness and terrorism have raised their heads- ugliest in the history of mankind. The situation is stark and dreadful. The future of World's children and of generations yet unborn has become progressively more unprotected and insecure during the past six decades since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There is fear of another war which may be more devastating especially because of the large stockpile of weapons of mass destruction with many countries of the world or because there are chances of nuclear technology falling in the hands of terrorists or non-state entities.
Global warming and climate change, devastating diseases like HIV/AIDS threaten the existence of mankind. Many countries are facing problems of poverty, hunger, lack of basic amenities and education. Children in many countries are the worst sufferers due to civil and ethnic wars, drug abuse, trafficking and many more. In such a world scenario the apprehension of children is not unfounded.
CMS holds 32 international events (including Conferences of teachers and educationists) in which a large number of children from India and abroad participate. They express their apprehension that their elders have done great injustice to them by making deadly armaments - without realizing its consequences on children and future generations. Therefore, it is the duty of the present generation to meet the challenges and try to address the present day problems in order to give our children and future generations a better inheritance than the one bequeathed to us. At the same time it is incumbent upon us to prepare children to meet challenges ahead. In this connection a modern school has to play an important role. The City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow, India has a special philosophy, vision and mission of empowering its children and youth to become protagonists of a dual process of individual and societal transformation ushering in an era of universal peace and brotherhood.
The City Montessori School is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest school in a single city with over 50,000 students on roll at present. In the year 2002, CMS was honoured with the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, which it received "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." In his congratulatory speech while presenting the award, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO said, "At a time when, in India as in the rest of the world, religious, sectarian and nationalistic hatreds are threatening to tear apart whole communities and are destabilizing many regions, CMS is to be congratulated for promoting the values of peace, religious harmony, tolerance and coexistence among children – the next generation of decision-makers – and, through them, among their parents and communities." CMS is also recipient of the '2004 Nuclear-free Future Special Achievement Award' and the 'World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child' as well as the Dalai Lama’s “Hope for Humanity” award.
It is in this background that the Founder-Manager of CMS, Dr. Jagdish Gandhi, has initiated the International Conferences of the Chief Justices of the World as a forum for discussion and positive action to tackle such crucial issues. Such action has already begun. In these annual International Conferences of Chief Justices, the Chief Justices of Supreme Courts and High Courts of the world are invited to come to Lucknow and deliberate on the theme of the conference. Details of the previous conferences including photographs, messages, and speeches delivered, and resolutions passed are available on the school's website: http://www.cmseducation.org/article51.
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