MARIA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL

MPS Hosts AFS Intercultural Program Launch in North East

‘A severe lack of empathy has deterred the building of bond between people,’ felt Dr Sumer Singh, a renowned educationist of international repute and Chairman, Think Tank, AFS, Inia while delivering the keynote address at the launch of AFS Intercultural Program in northeast India at Maria’s Public School, Guwahati on September 16 and 17, 2018. Dr Singh said that xenophobia has been a deterrent factor in strengthening relationship between people and that there had never been a greater need for this to happen than this hour. Earlier the Founder and Managing Trustee of the school, Mrs Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, the Principal Mrs Alpana Khound Phukan and senior teacher Mrs Shahnaz Rahman spoke on the school’s endeavor to build bridges amongst people and communities and their active role in developing the young minds into wholesome global citizens with the vision of ‘Learning Beyond Classroom’ besides regular academic curriculum.

AFS which began as American Field Service during World War I and II when nearly 5,000 young men from all over the world volunteered as ambulance drivers, has been doing intercultural programmes since 1947. It prepares active global citizens, future leaders, and change makers with essential 21st century skills to engage, lead, collaborate effectively and take action in their work and their communities – and serve their mission to help the world learn to live together. With the inclusion of northeast India in their map, the young minds in this part of the country would undeniably get an opportunity to tie bonds with people in other parts of the globe through AFS exchange programmes which are conducted both on domestic and international basis.

On September 16, the AFS officials comprising Mrs Divya Arora, National Director, AFS, India, Mrs Sarita Badhwar, Consultant AFS India Think Tank, Mrs Roma Shah, Parent Volunteer of AFS from Indore met the principal and representatives of reputed schools of Guwahati, Shillong, Numaligarh, Nellore and Balipara, Tezpur as a part of the launching. On September 17 besides the day-long workshop conducted by Mrs Badhwar amongst the teaching fraternity of Maria’s Public School, Dr Sumer Singh also addressed the parents of the children who would be hosting students coming from different parts of the world to northeast while Mrs Divya Arora spoke to the shortlisted students from Tripura and Guwahati city schools for the AFS ‘Yes Programme’ which involves fully-funded one-year of academic study in the US.