Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew, India’s most popular president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Peace activist Ela Gandhi, Statesman Tony Blair, actor Aamir Khan, cricketer Virender Sehwag! These are men and women of repute; those who have achieved success through hard work and talent, and those who can inspire many to achieve more through their words of wisdom.

Young, impressionable minds can change their worldview and expand their mental horizons, when they get to interact with their heroes, their role-models, their idols! As students, it can help shape their personality and balance your moral compass. It will make students into global citizens. 

This is exactly the idea behind Global Indian International Schools' Leadership Lecture Series. Our students, brimming with excitement and armed with questions, look forward to these interactions where they get to know more about the leaders’ passions, their inspirations, their ideas and innovations, and lastly their achievements.

On April 13, one such interaction was with Tony Blair impressed the students. Mr. Blair, a three-time prime minister of Britain, spent quality time with GIIS students from Queenstown and East Coast campuses and shared his wisdom. “When you are young, the decisions you make will impact the rest of your life,” Mr. Blair told a group of 60 on the sidelines of the Hindustan Times Leadership series in Singapore.

He also urged students to be innovators who think about the welfare of the people around them and not just individual growth. “The world is changing fast. The learning you may have now may be out of date in a few years but your skills will remain with you,” Mr. Blair said.

Talking on world politics, Mr. Blair called India one of the three giants in the globe today - the other two being China and the USA - and said the UK will always support India’s growth. “Your (India’s) development will impact the way the world develops in future,” he said.

Such encouragement from him and leaders of his stature is what drives our students to dream big and strive for more success. The LLS is also part of GIIS vision of imparting holistic education on students so they grow into well-rounded individuals. In the past, Ms. Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, had advised students that competition should be healthy and success should not come at the cost of others.

“Non-violence is not just the absence of violence, but the encouragement of a culture of love, respect, and compassion,” Ms. Gandhi told GIIS students.

Such inspiring words not just help enhance knowledge of our students, but also helps shape their worldview and cultivate in them a sense of social and moral responsibility - which are hallmarks of good global citizens. Our aim at GIIS is to groom our students into these well-rounded individuals who will go on to be leaders of tomorrow and take with them the values we inculcate in them today.

This is what our holistic pedagogy is all about!

For its Leadership Lecture Series, GIIS will continue to invite political, cultural, artistic, athletic and scientific experts from around the globe to talk about their experiences and observations for the betterment of our students. There is already a long list of dignitaries who have taken the time to interact with our children. And, over time, the list will continue to grow longer.