Cultural Diversity: Experiencing Unity in Indian Boarding Schools

Residential schools in India promote cultural diversity by allowing students from various walks of life, such as different castes, classes, colours, social or economic backgrounds, genders, demography, cultures, and religions, to enter a holistic learning environment and build themselves. Students, irrespective of their cultural differences, are treated equally by their mentors and taught to develop empathy, respect and appreciation for the cultural diversity among their peers. Private Indian boarding schools use cultural diversity to encourage national unity among students from a young age by keeping them away from social evil such as stereotypes, prejudices and biases. Cultural diversity also promotes global learning by exposing and instructing students about the diverse cultures in India and abroad. Technological innovations in classrooms have opened a new route to globalised school education. Learn more about how cultural diversity fosters unity in Indian boarding schools.

What do you mean by cultural diversity in schools?

India is a land of diverse cultures that are significantly different from one another. Culture refers to the beliefs, norms, values and expectations shared by the people in a particular society. Diversity refers to the variety of ethnicity, race, gender, age, social class, physical attributes, and value systems. Cultural diversity is a term that describes people’s attributes concerning various factors such as language, religion, socioeconomic background, race, and gender. In Indian boarding schools, cultural diversity is a significant factor considered while cumulating the curriculum and extracurricular activities. Students from different cultures have their history and ancestry and follow specific norms, values, customs and traditions. 

Cultural functions and events at schools are encouraged to educate students about the various cultures in India and outside the country. Cultural diversity in schools aims to enlighten students about the rich cultural heritage of India and help them become comfortable with a variety of students around them from a very young age. International boarding schools in India encourage students from abroad to come and study in diverse surroundings. Diversity in school can also be measured in terms of experiences, perspectives, talents and skills. It is essential to foster diversity in class since it encourages students to come out of their space and interact with other children to learn and respect their culture and beliefs.

Benefits of cultural diversity in school

Students from different classes, castes, religions, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds and values are admitted to the same school. Cultural diversity is essential in all boarding schools for several reasons. Let us learn more about the advantages of cultural diversity in schools.

1. Diverse learning– Educational growth is essential for every child in boarding schools, but students must also grow socially, mentally and emotionally. Cultural diversity helps students come across new perspectives, ideas, and thought processes, which leads to a more dynamic learning environment where students proactively learn from each other and grow together.

2. Cognitive growth– Situations that demand problem-solving, brainstorming, critical thinking and creativity are better addressed when students from diverse backgrounds are placed together. Each student comes up with a new and different solution that helps other students find new ways to go around the same situation. It is essential that students actively interact with their peers to take advantage of cultural diversity at school.

3. Mutual understanding– Cultural diversity in residential schools promotes mutual trust, respect and acceptance of various cultures, religions, and norms by all students. Private boarding schools instruct students about diversity from the initial stages of learning to allow students to accept and respect other students with a different cultural understanding.

4. Reduces stereotyping– It is common for people in society to associate people with having a particular religion, value, race, caste, or social background with different stereotypes, prejudice and name calling. To avoid this, culturally diverse schools help students acknowledge and appreciate diversity and keep away all prevailing prejudices to see everyone equally.

5. Improves communication skills– Living in a diverse environment with their peers, students are bound to learn the languages of their peers from different cultures. It promotes a multilingual environment and allows students to communicate confidently in various settings.

6. Inclusive learning– Diversity in schools also addresses differently-abled students. Inclusive education allows differently-abled students to learn in the regular classroom environment. They are surrounded and supported by their peers and mentors to encourage learning and involvement in various activities.

7. Cultural unity– By encouraging admissions of students from different cultures, boarding schools in India are fostering national unity. The aim is to erase all differences and live and learn as equals. Unity is fostered in residential schools by appreciating cultural differences.

Does cultural diversity foster global education?

Apart from the various benefits of cultural diversity in boarding schools, globalisation in education holds importance in career planning for students. Cultural diversity promotes global education in various ways-

1. Addressing global issues– Cultural diversity opens students to the underlying issues of different places, cultures, and religions in India and abroad. Exposure to rising concerns such as global warming, climate change, human rights, or culturally prevalent clashes and stereotypes helps students become aware of them, have an opinion, and address them more seriously.

2. Global citizenship– Students become culturally, politically, and socially aware of their surroundings and the world, promoting them to become global citizens who work towards societal changes. Students’ open-minded approach helps them adjust to any environment, in India or abroad, fostering global education.

3. Global communication– Students in Indian boarding schools are exposed to diverse cultures from India and abroad. They develop multilingual skills and are taught foreign languages as a part of their curriculum, encouraging students to go for further studies anywhere in India or other foreign countries.

4. Preparing for the global workforce– Cross-cultural communication, knowledge about cities and countries abroad, their way of living, medium of education, career opportunities, and economic growth help students make informed career choices. Cultural diversity offers globalised education by transforming students into well-educated and globally awake individuals.

How do Indian boarding schools promote cultural diversity?

1. Organising events and programmes– Indian boarding schools organise annual functions, events and programmes celebrating different cultures, traditions and languages to encourage students to participate in various team activities. Schools instruct students about the variety of rich cultural heritage by encouraging them to participate in various art forms such as music, dance, cooking, cuisines, modelling, and Model United Nations. These activities foster globalisation and team spirit, where students interact with students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

2. Cross-cultural communication– Students get to stay with diverse peers day and night by being admitted to boarding schools. They are bound to teach their culture, language, beliefs, and perspectives and learn more from others. It also fosters a multilingual environment and language diversity.

3. Clubs and societies in school– Extracurricular activities are integral to the curriculum. Different clubs and societies, such as dance, music, theatre, cooking, and sports, allow students to interact with peers and learn more about art forms and their history.

4. Cultural exchange programmes– Indian residential schools offer cultural exchange programmes as a global opportunity for students to build cross-cultural skills by learning and staying together. Schools also offer the opportunity to go abroad for cultural exchange programmes to provide global exposure.

5. Residing at schools– The residential nature of boarding schools offers immense cultural exposure where students learn to live with empathy, mutual understanding and respect for each other’s culture and interact to learn more about the richness of historical heritage. Residential schools encourage students to keep their cultural and traditional roots intact even in a modern learning environment.

These are a few ways by which the best boarding schools in India promote cultural diversity in schools and encourage globalised learning for students.

SKV is an all-girls boarding school in India affiliated with the CBSE board and offers education to girls from class VI onwards. We offer cultural exchange programmes for our students and provide globalised education to help them transform into world leaders of tomorrow.