- Dr Jagdish Gandhi who made many contributions to the education sector, had passed away on January 21, 2024 night at Medanta Hospital in Lucknow due to prolonged illness.
India lost one of its well-known Educationist, Dr Jagdish Gandhi, who passed away on January 21, 2024 night at Medanta Hospital in Lucknow due to prolonging illness. He was 92 years. He had contributed all his life for the development and inspired many students who followed his simple and effective teachings in the education field.
Founder and Manager of City Montessori School (CMS) in Lucknow, he was born on 10 November 1936, in Barsauli Village in Uttar Pradesh. An eminent politician and an Educationist, he started CMS in 1959 to create a new mindset through education. About 51 years ago, Dr Gandhi began his personal experiment in Lucknow and founded City Montessori School, with just five children.
“He had dedicated his life to the noble cause of education and his visionary approach, unwavering commitment and innovative ideas have left an indelible mark on the landscape of education not only in Lucknow but across the globe. As the Founder of City Montessori School (CMS), his passion for fostering holistic development, promoting values-based education and nurturing young minds was evident in every aspect of the school’s philosophy.
Under Dr Gandhi’s guidance, CMS grew to become an educational institution of international acclaim, setting new standards for excellence in education. His belief in the transformative power of education inspired generations of students, teachers and administrators to strive for excellence and contribute positively to society. His vision for education encompassed not only academic excellence but also the cultivation of empathy, compassion and a strong moral compass in students. I am proud to work under your leadership for 14 long years and loved publishing a book Dr Jagdish Gandhi, The Quality Education Icon!” says Dr Dheeraj Mehrotra, Principal of Kunwar’s Global School, Lucknow.
Dr Jagdish Gandhi made many contributions to education in peace, for which the United Nations awarded the prestigious UNESCO Prize for Peace Education in 2002 to his unique creation, the City Montessori School. Before beginning CMS, Dr Jagdish left his successful political career to impart education to students and worked for their upliftment endlessly.
He rarely had the resources to do his expanded programmes and although the journey was by no means been easy, the citizens of Lucknow have greatly endorsed Dr Gandhi’s mission and values. Their support made CMS the world’s largest school with over 39,000 students on its roll this year – a Guinness World Record for the largest school in the world.
Through CMS’s fame and recognition, Dr Gandhi gained momentum towards his goal of providing education to students. A staunch follower of simplicity, Dr Jagdish didn’t believe in living a luxurious life and chose to spend all his created resources on his mission. He held CMS as a lighthouse of society and used to say, “Education must not be confined to a material education alone. A modern school must provide a balanced education: material, human and spiritual.”
He contributed eight books for the betterment of children and other experts who want to apply his approach to the education field. His articles on ‘Spiritual Education’ also were regularly published in prominent dailies like,The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Pioneer, The Indian Express and The Rashtriya Sahara. His contributions in the education sector include (a) Education for Protection and Security, Broader, Bolder Education for 21st Century, (b) Aim of Education (Shiksha ka Uddeshya), (c) The Unison of Human Soul with the Soul of God (Atma ka Paramatma se Milan) and (d) Earth is One Family (Vasudha ek Kutumb)to name a few.
