Department of Sustainable Development

The Department of Sustainability at St. Kabir School embarked on its journey of transforming the school’s motto, “Nurturing Minds For Sustainable Development,” into actionable initiatives. This remarkable endeavor began with a small step, initiated by Hitarth Pandya, the current Head of the Department of Sustainability, in 2015. He introduced KEDI (Kids for Environmental Development Initiatives), a unique concept aimed at bringing nature closer to the school campus. With only 90 students initially, KEDI has now grown to include over 800 students. The Department of Sustainability successfully transformed Environmental Education into a beloved subject among all stakeholders, breaking away from the perception of it being non-graded, non-scoring, and irrelevant.

The primary objective behind establishing the Department of Sustainability was to instill the habit of nature conservation through the acquisition of appropriate knowledge. Students developed a profound understanding of the interdependence among trees, insects, birds, and other ecosystem members. Notably, the students of Grade 8 took on the challenge of producing a documentary film—an unprecedented achievement in Gujarat. Their relentless efforts in conserving the home sparrow population resulted in the production of a unique documentary film, conceptualized, scripted, directed, acted, and produced entirely by the students themselves. Their hard work garnered recognition from Vadodara News Magazine (VNM) and earned them a well-deserved trophy.

The Department of Sustainability firmly believes in the integration of learning, as opposed to compartmentalization. It aims to train teachers in order to facilitate the integration of various topics and subjects, thereby making learning more relevant. This open-ended initiative allows for adaptability and remains a key aspect of its success. Passion for serving Mother Nature is a fundamental requirement for embracing and contributing to this initiative.

Heartfelt gratitude is extended to Founder Director, Ms. Radhika Tandon, and the management for their unwavering trust and belief in this venture. The Department of Sustainability received a letter of appreciation from Ms. Nidhi Chibber, Chairman CBSE, further acknowledging their commendable efforts.