JOHN F. KENNEDY
— The Education Landscape
— Adding Consciousness To Education
— Our Mission
— Our Vision
— Our Value
— What is experiential education?
— Benefits of experiential education
— The importance of experiential learning in schools
— JFA Leadership Program
— JFA Author Program
— Community Connect
— Lab & Learning Resources
We all realise things are changing at a pace like never before. Many of us try to resist these changes, but one thing that time has taught us is that those who adapt to the changes not only survive but thrive.
The same holds true for the way we need to prepare our children. Today we want to protect and shield them, but we need to remember the adage – “A ship is safest at the harbour but that’s not what a ship is built for.”
Many things point to the need for meaningful change in education.
Change around the world is driven by exciting new research on how the brain works and how people learn. Learners must not only develop what they know, but also skills, attitudes, and values that
will help them be capable people.
Are our education institutions today prepared to respond to these needs?
In the coming years, especially by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum, the following job skills would be in demand:
There has been a sea change in the way learning is now happening. New tools allow students to connect with others all over the world. A mountain of information is easily accessible with just the click of a button. The teachers are now no longer the ones holding all knowledge, which is why they are now critical coaches, teaching students how to select, work with, add to and apply information in meaningful ways.
Jain Futuristic Academy is structured to respond to these needs and changes.
We focus on the holistic development of a child by introducing the child’s conscious mind to a plethora of planned and outcome-based learning stimuli. By doing so, we aim to mould a child’s mind towards active and engaged learning, thus making the child future-ready.
We are dedicated to igniting the spark in every child by awakening their interests, we develop inquisitive, knowledgeable, independent, and compassionate citizens who will build a better world.
To nurture future global leaders who can thrive and lead the world with compassion.
Ahimsā (non-violence), Anekāntavāda (many-sidedness), Karuna (compassion) and Udyam (diligence)
Shree Shwetambar Sthanakvasi Jain Sabha
JFA is an initiative of the Shree Shwetambar Sthanakvasi Jain Sabha, which was established in 1928. The trust is committed to enriching children with holistic knowledge and life skills and making them future-ready. The trust realises the importance of quality education, empowerment, healthcare and spiritual connection in the upliftment of society. Its philosophy lies in its 3 pillars – Seva, Shiksha and Sadhana.
Education is an epicentre of a number of efforts and holds a very special place in the Sabha’s heart. With the rapid technological advancements across the globe, the trust believes that in order to keep up with the pace, the ways of imparting education should also be revolutionised. The trust, which started its educational venture with a single student in the year 1934, has grown to have over 17,000 students spread across 11 institutes.
Our Institutions:
Schools:
Shree Jain Vidyalaya Kolkata
Shree Jain Vidyalaya Howrah-Boys
Shree Jain Vidyalaya Howrah-Girls
Harak Chand Kankaria Jain Vidyalaya
Colleges:
Tara Devi Harakhchand Kankaria Jain College
Kusum Devi Sunderlal Dugar Jain Dental College And Hospital
Kamala Devi Sohanraj Singhvi Jain College of Education
Hospitals:
Shree Jain Hospital & Research Centre
KDSD Jain Dental College & Hospital
‘Being inquisitive is the key to learning.’ For learning to become a lifelong happy experience, the child is required to remain motivated and curious about everything around him.
The roles of teachers and parents remain restricted to being observers and facilitators. Learning is a subset of education. An educated individual can put his knowledge into practice through his integrity, kindness, humility, empathy, and sensitivity toward all beings. And all these become possible only when the individual believes in self and practises worth and self-respect.
It is precisely this that JFA, with its unique pedagogy, aims to achieve in a child; self-motivated, inquisitive, lifelong learners with a mind to explore and a heart to feel. A first of its kind in Kolkata, JFA is where your child should be if you truly believe in the virtues of Experiential Learning.
I, therefore, take the privilege to invite you all to this fantastic pedagogical journey called the Jain Futuristic Academy.
Warm regards,
Satabdi Bhattacharjee
The school’s emblem embodies the school’s vision and mission. The emblem design is inspired by images of the Lotus – which signifies purity and strength and the Flaming Torch – which signifies enlightenment and hope
The school’s emblem embodies the school’s vision and mission. The emblem design is inspired by images of the Lotus – which signifies purity and strength and the Flaming Torch – which signifies enlightenment and hope.
The founders of Jainism (Tirthankaras) are portrayed as seated or standing on lotus thrones. The Jain Tirthankara Padmaprabha – as his name suggests – is represented by the symbol of a lotus.
The torch represents education: It serves as a
guiding light for young minds and illuminates
the path to a bright future.
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the need to move away from traditional teaching methods in schools and towards a more experiential approach to education. Experiential education is an educational approach that emphasises learning through experience and active participation, rather than through lectures and memorization.
Experiential education refers to an educational method that uses real-life situations and problem-solving skills to understand and process new information, as opposed to conventional classroom teaching methods that focus on theoretical knowledge. Experiential learning refers to a process of knowledge acquisition that emerges from the application of knowledge, skills, and concepts gained through direct experience in the real world. It is the process of applying what you’ve learned in the real world, which often leads to a better understanding of that knowledge. As such, experiential education is an invaluable tool for transforming the way we teach and learn in schools.
• Experiential learning promotes a deeper understanding of concepts, ideas, and topics. It is often more engaging, hands-on, problem-based, and creative,
compared to conventional teaching methods. This means that students are able to explore topics in greater depth and apply new knowledge to real-world scenarios.
• Experiential learning empowers students to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to process information, solve problems, and make informed decisions. It also encourages them to learn by doing and exploring, rather than
passively listening and taking notes.
• Experiential education fosters creativity and innovation among students. It helps them to approach problems and challenges in new and creative ways and think outside of the box.
• Experiential education fosters an entrepreneurial spirit in students and prepares them for the real world. It encourages them to take control of their own learning and explore topics that are of interest to them.
When it comes to education, it’s important to remember that “what you do today will determine where you end up tomorrow.” Schools have a significant role to play in helping students develop the skills and competencies that are essential for a successful career. There is a growing recognition that traditional teaching methods are no longer
sufficient in equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to succeed in the 21st century. As such, there is an increasing focus on adopting an experiential approach to education, one that focuses on hands-on activities, creative problem-solving, and real-world applications. Experiential learning involves more than just reading and writing; it involves observing, participating, and being active.
Our Early Years environment is designed to meet the developmental needs of children 18 months to 30 months of age. Young children have a very strong sense of order, a great desire for self-direction, and a preference for side-by-side play. Hence our environment is thoughtfully prepared with this in mind, allowing the child to explore and learn in a secure and loving environment. The furniture and equipment are sized to help foster independence.
Our activities are displayed on shelves that stimulate and nourish the small child’s need to smell, touch, hear, see and taste. Language learning, cognitive skills, art and music are part of daily activities.
Our Class environment is designed to meet the developmental needs of children 2.6 to 6 years of age. The school provides a rich environment full of materials in maths, language, science, geography, cultural studies, art, and music. These areas that seem stand-alone are in fact integrated; what is presented as a science lesson has elements of language and maths.
Our classrooms are multi-age-grouped, and children within a three-year age span work together in one environment. The experienced children become mentors to the younger children. The newcomers become engaged and excited about learning by observing the academic success of the older children. All children work at their own pace as they are guided through the curriculum. Once they are finished with an activity, the children return the materials and take responsibility for cleaning up after themselves. This child-centred program is designed for children between three and six years old.
At these ages, children are specifically sensitive to the acquisition of knowledge and are very interested in the world at large. That is one of the most important reasons why we offer a vast curriculum. Children can start using their newly acquired skills of writing and reading to pursue topics of their interest. The older primary child poses many questions that are traditionally reserved for secondary school. Our curriculum allows for this and, as a result, our students are exposed to many topics which their peers will not see for one or two more years.
Our educational approach is individualised for each student’s needs. When a student is supported in such a manner, a new level of creative and logical thinking surfaces. Children leave primary with the ability to articulate the interdependencies of the
world. This translates into a respectful, empathetic, and appreciative approach to themselves.
This marks a shift in the learning environments, where children move from mixed-age classrooms to single-grade classes. Students work in small groups alongsidetheir mentors and specialists who provide individualised attention to their needs. At this stage, they receive help to reflect on their functioning, work on their strengths and challenges and continue to build on their self-esteem, respect for others and sense of responsibility. We have teachers who serve as personal mentors, helping adolescents develop by themselves, for themselves.
We offer two distinct and most sought-after qualifications for students to choose from the Cambridge IGCSE or ICSE.
These are just indicative of what we would offer. There will be additions and modifications as per the needs and requirements of the various students.
We have several extra-curricular activities that can help shape a child into a motivated individual who can make themselves a worthy asset for the future of this country or even the world. Some of our club activities include:
Book Club
Movie Club
Chess Club
Quiz Club
Creative Writer’s Club
Finance & Money
Debating Club
Poetry Clubs
Quizzing Associations
Social Outreach Club
Additionally, we will also be having a JFA Leadership Program and JFA Author Program for future leaders and authors.
At JFA, learners are provided opportunities to develop their leadership skills using everyday activities. Some of the opportunities include:
Volunteering: Practise trustworthiness and commitment
Sport: Practise a goal-based mentality and being open to feedback, and
responsibility
Internships: Practise self-driven learning, listening skills, and problem solving.
Cross-Cultural Experiences: Practise communication skills, flexibility, and adapting to
different environments.
Social Group Activities: Practise gaining group cohesion and initiative
At JFA, we believe in providing every possible opportunity to our students to showcase
their writing talent through our JFA Author Program. We have quite a number of
activities lined up all the year round, like:
Workshop with the Authors
Parent-Teacher Workshops
Book Launches
Story-telling Sessions
Literary Fests (Author’s Conclave where they will interact with the audience regarding
their work or discuss a contemporary issue) One-to-one interaction with the audience.
We at JFA believe that community service and volunteering is an integral aspect in a student’s holistic growth. Making a positive contribution to the community is a great way to help others and build stronger relationships. Community service provides numerous benefits for school students, such as increasing their understanding of the world, their sense of responsibility and accountability, and their ability to collaborate with others. It also provides them with valuable life skills and gives them a chance to make a real difference in their community. By participating in community service activities, students gain a better understanding of themselves, their peers, and the people around them. Most importantly, they can have a positive impact on the lives of those they help. Community service can be a great way to learn, grow, and make a difference.
Sports are a microcosm of life. It is an important and integral part of school for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons is that they promote physical activity, which is important for overall health and wellness. Participating in sports helps students develop physical skills, coordination and maintain good health. In addition to the physical benefits, participating in sports has a positive impact on mental health. Sports help students develop teamwork, leadership, and other social skills, and they can provide a sense of accomplishment and pride. Participating in sports is an excellent way for students to make new friends and be part of a community.
Sports is an important part of school culture as well and brings students, teachers, and parents together. Our school’s sports teams will be prepared to compete against other schools as well.
Cricket
Football
Basketball
Throwball
Volleyball
Athletics
Archery
Table Tennis
Fencing
Chess
Carrom Board
Rifle Shooting
Martial Arts (Judo/Taekwondo)
Rock Climbing
Gymnastics
The interior architecture of SPK Jain Futuristic Academy is done by Education Design International (EDI), which is a global leader in education planning and architectural design with numerous industry awards for excellence.
While curricular activities sit at the heart of learning for schools, it’s imperative that they be properly supported by design. When done properly, good design can inspire students and improve achievement.
A well designed environment helps students be creative, experience a sense of awe, and tap into their natural curiosity to improve upon their learning curve. Learning is not limited to just the board, marker, pen, and books. The environment can contribute a great deal to it by serving as a source of inspiration.
Learning Space: A well designed Art Room known as the Da Vinci Studio involves all kinds of art supplies and workbenches.
Learning Walls: There is an interactive wall installation or Lego wall for students to build Lego Art
Library: JFA has a well digitised library, with a good centralised viewing of the book with a collection of exclusive best-seller authors and reads. Also, we will welcome the neighbouring communities to our school library to borrow books and access to all reading materials. We will involve them in events based on reading and literary workshops. It will be open to all after school hours.
Auditorium: Our school auditorium is well spaced out with raised stage and special lighting equipment.
Laboratories & Learning Resources
Physics: A state-of-the-art physics lab equipped with the right kind of tools and apparatus to help the students learn and strengthen their concepts of physics.
Chemistry: A complete and curriculum relevant chemistry lab, where students can learn to perform and practise experiments, ask questions, collect data and reach the desired conclusions.
Biology: Through our biology labs students will be able to know about the living and establish their knowledge on concepts like evolution, differentiation, speciation, cytology and biochemistry.
Computer Science: The labs will be ergonomically suited as per the students needs.
3D Printing Lab: Our 3D labs are designed to bring into the classroom a highly interactive culture that makes the class interesting. 3D printing for education will undoubtedly add value in teaching a wide range of skills.
Robotics Lab: Students will be exposed to new technologies wherein they will acquire new knowledge and skills. The lab will also help children set their long-term career goals, improving their cognitive and self-development development.
Math Labs: Students would get hands-on experience to understand the basic concepts of mathematics and scope for new innovations. The activities create interest among students or in anybody who wants to explore, and test some of their ideas and beliefs about mathematics.
Makerspace: At JFA, there is a collaborative workspace inside the school, with a facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. It’s more of the maker mindset of creating something out of nothing and exploring your own interests that’s at the core of a makerspace.
Cafeteria: School lunch is critical to student health and well-being, as it ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. At JFA, we provide junk free food which is rich in nutrition for students.
Day Boarding Facility: The facility will be provided to our students beyond the school hours. The students would be engaged in various co-curricular activities.
Creche Facility: The facility will be provided to Nursery, Lower KG and Upper KG students whose parents are working and might not be available to take back their children after the 21 JFA Brochure school gets over. The timings for Day Boarding and Creche Facility shall be till 4:30 PM.
School Buses: Our school buses will be plying on selected routes across the length and the breadth of the city. It will not be a pick and drop facility from home as such, but point-to-point connectivity will be provided. Our buses will be air-conditioned and GPS enabled. There will be trained drivers with their background verification done, a bus conductor and trained sister (didi).
Parents’ Connect Program: Parents are the cornerstone in creating the right learning environment for children. Parents need to be in sync with the Pedagogy and the ideology that our school follows at JFA. To ensure this, there will be Parents’ Connect Program in school with respect to their expectations from JFA and other matters of importance.
Training Plan for Teachers: Teachers are selectively recruited depending on the respective roles. They are being undermade to go through intensive training. The training is a transformative journey that deepens one’s understanding of the potential of children and their ability to transform the world.
We ensure the physical safety of all our students through all-round surveillance of the school premises, and floor wise monitoring through CCTV cameras and sensors. In addition the boundary is fitted with a perimeter alarm and surveillance system. Our school leaves no stones unturned as far as safety and security for children on the school premises are concerned.
Cyber Security: Through a physical firewall all inbound and outbound online traffic will be monitored. We have systems in place to ensure that only appropriate content is accessible via the school network throughout the campus.
Infirmary: The School Infirmary is looked after by a qualified nurse. Separate infirmary for boys and girls and an individual consultation room if needed is provided for.
Transport: Our school buses will be fitted with GPS devices along with CCTV cameras. An assistant (didi) will be accompanying the children in their bus journey, to and from the school.
Ambulance: An ambulance shall be readily available in the school campus. These measures are being taken to ensure maximum safety of students and staff within the School campus, in case of any mishappening.
Step One: Fill the Online Application
Our applications are paperless, we request you to fill the form on our website www.jfaedu.com and make the necessary application fee payment.
Step Two: School Visit , Child Interaction & Parent Meeting
Visiting the school and understanding our philosophy is critical to the admissions process. Following the receipt of the the application form the admission team will invite the child and parents for an interaction and meeting
Step Three: Admission Decision
The school will inform the parents regarding the admission decision and admission formalities.
Step Four: Joining Kit, Transport & Food Services
Recommended Book List, Stationery, Uniforms would be the next agenda in the preparation to join school. Parents could also at this stage choose to opt in for the additional services provided – Transport, Food Services & Day Care.
Step Five: Parents Orientation
The last step of our admission process is a parents orientation program, where parents will be invited for a meeting at school where we will brief them on what they can expect from the school throughout the year, and how they can support their children and other matters.
