Kiran Bir Sethi, designer, education reformer, and social entrepreneur runs a school that promotes a humane culture where youth graduate equipped with knowledge, skills and passion to design a better world. Reports Rashmeet Kaur Chawla
A designer turned educator, Kiran Bir Sethi, is the founder-director of The Riverside School, Ahmedabad. She is a reformer of the Indian education system in India with her noble movement ‘I Can’. Over the years, the movement has seen several initiatives such as Design by Change (DFC), and aProCh, to build a country that’s child-friendly.
Born and brought up in Bangalore, Sethi holds a bachelor’s degree from the National Institute of Design (NID) Ahmedabad. As a creative designer, Sethi’s career took off. However, her passion for creating meaningful change led her to venture into the field of education. “Modern education doesn’t offer much scope for imagination so a new paradigm was much needed where students can explore their creativity and imagination,” says Sethi.
Students engage in hands-on projects and experiential learning, which help them develop critical thinking, creativity, and empathy – essential skills for the 21st century youth.
A mother on a mission
Although Sethi’s career as a designer in Ahmedabad was thriving, an unfortunate incident, which she chose to not reveal, led her to give up her design career and start a school. In 2001, The Riverside School was born in Ahmedabad. The school offers pedagogical research and training organizations with a global reach in over nine countries. Her school is viewed as a ‘laboratory to prototype’, a design process that enables transformative student learning experiences.
The school, so far, has designed, implemented and shared a unique curriculum in schools with an alternative model which focuses on quality of learning and well-being. Students engage in hands-on projects and experiential learning, which help them develop critical thinking, creativity, and empathy – essential skills for 21st-century youth.
We intend to empower students to believe in their ability to effect positive change in their communities and beyond. When children are prepared, the world won’t need to be repaired.”
Empowering young minds
Another initiative ‘I Can Foundation’ by Sethi represents her philosophy of leading a successful life through self-motivation. The foundation aims to cultivate the required skills to empower youth to build a more sustainable future.
“We intend to empower students to believe in their ability to effect positive change in their communities and beyond,” says the entrepreneur. At the heart of this self-motivating approach is child education and learning experiences.
Promoting creative thinking
In 2009, Sethi launched the ‘Design for Change’ (DFC) movement for children. “With the world constantly changing, children require a different set of skills to thrive in the 21st century. So, every child must have the right to graduate with an ‘I can’ mindset,” explains the designer. The DFC framework includes collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and empathy. “When children are prepared, the world won’t need to be repaired,” believes the education reformer.
Presently, Design for Change is one of the world’s largest movements for change led by children. It boasts a collective global impact spanning 71 countries and regions, with 40,000 solutions implemented so far. Over two million children, 30,552 schools, and 1,11,897 teachers are part of the movement.
No child’s play
Recognizing the need for child-friendly cities, Sethi founded ‘aProCh’ to advocate inclusive urban planning. The initiative aims to make cities safer and more accommodating for children, acknowledging them as vital stakeholders in urban development. Various initiatives like Street Smart, Parents of the Park, City on Cycles, City as My Landscape and Mov’ing Experience have also been designed and implemented under the aProCh movement.
Getting a gold star
Over the years, Sethi has made significant strides in transforming education through her innovative initiatives. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding contributions including the Rockefeller Foundation Youth Innovation Award, The Excellence in Education Award from the Qimpro Foundation, The Light of Freedom Award from The Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, The Lexus Design Award India, The Earth Prize Award, and The Reimaginer Award from the Reimagine Education Awards, among many others.
