Parents make bid to save the school

CHENNAI: Parents of some students of The School — KFI, which is likely to close down if its land lease is not extended after 2014, have, in a last ditch effort to save the institution, come up with a fresh set of proposals for the consideration of the president and governing council members of the Theosophical Society (TS) during their annual international convention here on Sunday. The initiative by parents is independent of the plethora of proposals made by the Krishanmurthy Foundation of India (KFI) to TS for renewing the lease given for running the institution, founded by internationally renowned philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurthy, at Damodar Garden in Adyar.The parents’ proposal is to form a collaborative society, Damodar Garden Management Society (DGMS), which can lease the land from the TS and enter into an deal with KFI to manage the school on these premises. By making it a seven-member panel — four from TS and three from KFI — TS can ensure that the land stay with it and not taken away by KFI by default of possessing it for a long duration.To address a perception of the TS that KFI is elitist in nature, the parents have proposed that a recurring sum of money could be decided, keeping in mind on what is appropriate to viably run a non-elitist school and school will enjoy autonomy in selection of students and staff.The proposal also talks about the parents extending their support to projects undertaken by TS in the Damodar Garden. The initiative has been taken by the parents, who were upset to learn that KFI has decided to close down the school as TS has alternative plans for Damodar Gardens after the lease gets over in 2014.“The challenge of rebuilding the schools’ physical and pedagogical eco-system in such period seemed to be an impossible task and board affiliations could also pose a big problem,” said a parent, who is part of the initiative.They have also appealed to the local executive council members and the international governing council members in the form of signature campaigns and letters to reconsider the decision.  The parents feel that KFI is one of the very few schools that promote a non-competitive learning environment.