City schools are looking to adapt the model of an Ahmedabad-based school that teaches children how to run a business right from class I.
The six-year-old students of Satyamev Jayate International School (SJIS) have the acumen for business. A majority of the students have started their own enterprises, be it selling chocolates, stationery or food. Each year, students make their own organic colours during Holi and earn handsomely by selling it in their neighbourhood. They invest their Rs10 pocket money in the children’s bank run by the school.
Inspired by the unique model that teaches students business and financial management starting at six, schools from across the country are queuing up to replicate the model of the Ahmedabad school, which is now planning for a patent of the unique module.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Indian International Model United Nations at the World Trade Centre, the school’s CEO Shaina Shah said the aim was to create a generation of young entrepreneurs. “The current education system only focuses on preparing students for the best jobs. But Hina Shah, our founder, started this school with a vision to train students on starting their own enterprise,” she said, adding that the school’s patent is expected to be out in the next six months.
Through mini markets and livelihood training, each child runs a business. Guidance by specialised trainers teach them to solve problems and their performance evaluated.
Rutvij Shah, a Class IX student who started a chocolate business, said, “After I complete my studies, I want to start my own computer hardware enterprise.”
Here, children also learn to take risks with responsibility and confidence. Shambhavi Gairola, a class X student who wants to become a pilot, said, “Though the school is about business and entrepreneurship, it inculcates a lot of confidence, like in case of public speaking, which is crucial in competitive exams.”
These young six-year-olds are given also hands on training in carpentry and electricals. These children are able to polish wood and change fuses and bulbs. Children in class VII and VIII can make toys, chairs and solar-powered windmills among other things.
“Such programmes help students develop motor skills and become independent from a young,” Shah said.
