Education Today, Society Tomorrow (ETST)
This EdNet Forum was held on Thursday, November 17, 2022 7:30-9:00am PDT
About Education Today, Society Tomorrow
Education Today, Society Tomorrow (ETST), is a program for school educators aimed at ‘reinventing schools and rebuilding the world’. The ETST journey began thirty years ago in the hearts and minds of two Human Potential professionals, Mr. Kiran Gandhi, and Mr. Arun Wakhlu. They dreamed of making schooling a joyful collaborative experience where every child’s self-esteem is nurtured to develop their unique capabilities. They believed that the seeds sown in present-day education would shape the social fabric of the future.
Over the 30 years since its inception, ETST has inspired thousands of educators from urban and rural India, and beyond, to question the very purpose of education as well as to pledge ‘to be the change they want to see in the world’. Not only educators but also other stakeholders, such as management representatives, parents, government officials, students, and ancillary staff have benefitted from the deeply personal, inside-out learning experience offered by ETST.
ETST offers its programmes at Asia Plateau, Panchgani, Maharashtra, the residential education centre of Initiatives of Change, India, as well as in schools across the country. Initiatives of Change (IofC) is a worldwide movement of people from diverse cultures and backgrounds who are committed to the transformation of society through changes in human motivations and behaviors, starting with one’s own.
ETST programs focus on developing the following in educators:
- Self-awareness through reflective silence
- Ethical governance
- Compassionate leadership
- Respect for diversity; and
- Empathetic service to society
In our session, Kiran and Arun, along with some of their core team members in ETST will share their stories, insights and key learnings.
Presenters: Kiran Gandhi, Arun Wakhlu, Zarin Virji, Rekha Shahani, Vijayam Kartha, Dr. Sangeeta Srivastava, Malati Kalmadi, Seetha Murty and Fatima Rashid.
Arun Wakhlu is a member of the global executive council of the Charter for Compassion and Author of the award winning book “Managing from the Heart." , and co-author of the book “One Wholesome World”. He is the Executive Director and Chief Mentor of Pragati Leadership, based in Pune, India - A spiritually inspired and professionally skilled community that works with clients in 29 countries, with an aim to unfold sustainable value for all stakeholders.
Arun is also the Chairman of the Pragati Foundation, an NGO working for catalyzing sustainable livelihoods and Compassion in Education. He has initiated and facilitated several international conferences to foster peace, prosperity, and collaboration for compassion.
His latest book (co-authored with his father Prof. Dr. Omkar N Wakhlu ) “One Wholesome World” is a practical game changing manual for global transformation starting with each one of us. Arun’s seven core strengths are Compassion, Creativity, Optimism, Enthusiasm, Relationship Building, Strategic Mindedness and Resilience. He loves life and sees it as Love In Full Expression.
Mr. Kiran Gandhi A seasoned HR Consultant, Facilitator, and Coach, Kiran has served over 60 different client organizations. His special strength lies in keen listening, excellent diagnosis, and the ability to customize innovative Human Resource solutions. Before starting his practice as a Human Resource consultant in 2003, Kiran served as the head of Management Training at Tata Motors, Jamshedpur, and as the head of HR at Thermax, JK Tyre, and Associated Capsules Group. Kiran did his B. Tech (Hons) from IIT, Bombay and post graduate diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
Kiran has served as a former President of the National HRD Network, Pune Chapter, a former Chairman of CII HRD Panel, Pune, and a former Member, Programmes Committee, All India Management Association (AIMA) New Delhi. Kiran’s presentations and professional papers have been well received at various prestigious seminars.
Kiran has facilitated social outreach programs like “Education Today, Society Tomorrow” and the Human Development Project in the Malegaon cluster of villages of the Institute for Cultural Affairs (ICA) jointly with Thermax Ltd. He is currently a Trustee, of Initiatives of Change (India). Kiran presently lives with his wife in Wai, a small town in Western India.
