Values and the Culture of Schools

This expository essay describes various facets of translating J. Krishnamurti’s educational thought into an institutional setting at Rishi Valley School. Krishnamurti’s is a spiritual philosophy embedded in a transcendental vision; schools are secular institutions located in particular space and time; the former occupies a religious space, the latter address secular issues. How is the gap bridged? And, is there an interface between the secular and the spiritual in Krishnamutri’s thought? These questions form the core of the exposition. The chapter examines the values derived from the founder’s thought embedded in the school’s curricula, the norms that guide student-teacher relationships, and the shape of its outreach programmes in the areas of conservation, health and rural education.