Lady Irwin School - School History

he Beginning
The Lady Irwin School for Girls was established in 1927, under the leadership of late Shri S. R. Das, the Law Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, for the purpose of making quality education available under the same roof to all the children of Central Government servants, irrespective of their status. This welcoming dream of Shri Das in the service of children was fostered and nurtured by many more � a galaxy of Educationists and the school kept expanding till 1947 when it proved itself to be an integral part of the community. It absorbed more than it had on its rolls and its student strength galloped from 400 to 1400.
Originally the school was directly under the administrative control the Ministry of Education, Government of India and received grant from the Central Government. Later it was transferred to the Delhi Administration in 1949. It is a composite School housed in three separate buildings viz. Primary at Defence Colony and Middle and Secondary at Canning Road, New Delhi. There are about 3200 students in the school and team of 120 dedicated staff members. The results of the school at the Board's Examination as well as in Class to class promotion is cent per cent. The School has the following distinctive features. • Collecting innumerable honors in Debates, Speeches, Recitations, Paintings and Essay competitions. • Bagging prizes in Inter School Sports and Athletics meet. The record worth mentioning is that for fifteen consecutive years it once retained the championship. To know the Lady Irwin School one must know the following:- • The high aspirations of the Institutions; • The steady pace of its growth and success in all spheres; • The solidarity of its human force giving it a firm footing higher; • The enthusiasm existing through all time of one and all, and their devotion to duty; Finally, the commitment to the idea of bringing within the reach of the middle income group, type of education, which hitherto, only the more fortunate could give their children in public schools.
HE SCHOOL GYMNASIUM � AN OBJECT OF PRIDE
If only the walls of the Gym could speak! They enjoy the envious position of coming in the closest contact with the spirit of children. They hear Hindi, Bengali and English too � said in Prose and Poetry � recited, sung and delivered with great eloquence in Dramas. They hear the music of drums, the notes of the piano, the harmonium, and the tingle of bells from anklets of dancing children. They are transported to the different parts of the country through pantomimes. They shuttle between centuries and jump hop from decade, forward, backward. Such are the activities that go on in the Gym �Inter House competitors in Education and Plays, Cultural programmes etc. the most recent exciting event is preparation for the Republic Day Celebration. The School participating for the 5 th year in succession. This is the only school that participates out of sheer enthusiasm and not for a prize for three consecutive years the items are original to the core and the songs are composed by the School.
OME ROOMS
The whole School is divided vertically into Six Houses and each House, into as many Home-Rooms as there are teachers in the House. Here the teacher and students behave like family members. The same teacher is in charge of a Home-room for a period of three years. The Home room teacher, therefore, comes, close to the children and is able to detect special aptitudes of her group and is able to solve the problems a child faces in the school and strengthen her strong points.
OOPERATION
The School has an active Parent Teacher Association and parents through the Association are rendering invaluable help to the School in carrying out its varied programmes successfully. The School is today what it is because of the cooperation of the concerned � the Parents, the Staff, the Managing Committee of the School and particularly due to the guidance of the Directorate of Education, Delhi . It is virtually thriving on GOODWILL from all quarters.
THE GOAL OF THE SCHOOL IS THREE – FOLD
Firstly it is to increase the children’s mental alacrity, which includes imagination and reasoning, responsiveness to both ideas and environment and sensitivity to the finer things of life. In other words, the objective is to create in the students an urge to know more and more about the world, about people and life itself through books, vicarious experiences living in imagination with characters in biographies and fiction, by joining in their hopes, fears and disappointments under varying circumstances. This way one grows richer, one develops new powers of enjoyment and one can penetrate into new areas of understanding. The second aim is to help students to identify themselves with others in the family, in the School and in the society, with its ever widening boundaries, including people of all income groups, varying qualifications and different religion, caste and creed. Children should be proud of the different groups they belong to and to realize their identity as human beings binding them to the rest of mankind. The third goal is to inculcate in them the value of strife and labour both singly and cooperatively. Children must know that work that is well planned and objective-based and also enjoyable reaps the maximum harvest. In other words, in such work the head, the hearts and the hands or limbs work as if in a team, one reinforcing the other. In group-work the students soon learn that respect for the individual and sense of humour help to get Herculean tasks done happily and effectively.

O MY COLLEAGUES emember :
The business of the teacher is not merely or primarily to pass on to his public such knowledge as he happens to possess but so to quicken their spirit that during years of work and of leisure they may be able to live with understanding, with honesty and with delight. A School functions to internalise in its pupils both the commitment and capacities for successful performance of future roles: a) Commitment to the implementation of the broad values of society. b) Commitment to the performance of a specific type of role within the structure of society. A well-adjusted child implies a child who faces life with confidence and who makes his social contacts happily. In this connection Reaves has said: “This High School age is commonly regarded as a period of great importance in the life of the youth, because of the adjustment which must be made. Problems that have to do with the intellectual and physical development, choice of companions, social activities and the formation of right social attitude must be met and solved. In fact, the man who is truly educated is not just a learned man, but a man of a poised and balance personality. The habits of thought, feeling and action which a child is forming from the first weeks of life and through childhood and youth are as much a part of his education as the subjects he learns at school. Honesty, truthfulness, sense of duty and responsibility, courage to face life as it is - these are some of the indispensable qualities a child must posses. These are much more important than mere book-knowledge. Just to cite an example, however ridiculous it may sound: a child possessing these traits of character can be forgiven even if he happens to say ‘Rome is on Ganga’. The geographical position of Rome can be learnt in a few minutes but character cannot be built in a day.