Message From the Founder:
“Think long term”. “Look at the big picture”. All of us have received this advice, but seldom do we follow it. When it comes to our kids, the answer is no different. We are too afraid to challenge prevailing norms despite research and data that points contrary to the prevailing approach. The challenges and opportunities faced by our children are in stark contrast to the world we, parents, grew up in. Yet the method of education and the skills developed in our kids have remained largely the same.
Eastern culture in particular leans on the adage “experience is the best teacher”. We expect our children to learn from OUR experiences. Fair enough. But why not try to have our children also experience things for themselves at an earlier age, rather than only learning about life from books and experiences of the grownups in their lives?
Academia Civitas is an immersion program built around the practical experiences of applying theoretical knowledge. Students are required to design, build, get their hands dirty, manage, lead, follow, analyze situations from different perspectives, make decisions and, of course, make mistakes. The controlled environment of a school gives them the safety net, the training wheels, should they stumble.
This is not a new concept. Countless universities emphasize the importance of engagement on campus, in extracurricular activities. This is true not because they are looking for the fastest runner, the highest jumper, the best speaker or even the greatest contributor to community service. Instead, it is because these activities groom a young adult into the kind of human being who will innovate, make a positive contribution to themselves, to their friends and family and to the wider communities they choose to call their own – change the world for the better.
Since returning to Pakistan in 2007, I have been engaged with Nixor College – an institution that has put into practice what I preached in the previous paragraphs. The success of Nixor College can in large part be traced to its emphasis on the practical application of classroom knowledge. As the Dean of Nixor College, I’ve met hundreds of parents of Nixor students for whom a transcript with straight A’s was not their biggest achievement at Nixor. Rather, it is the skillset their children develop as independent thinkers, confident leaders, able followers and compassionate human beings. The development of such individuals is not an accidental by-product of the Nixor approach. It is the result of a carefully designed and diligently implemented program based on self-reliance, knowledge application and empowerment.
Looking back at my undergraduate experience at a top-tier US university, I wasn’t primed to take advantage of opportunities that my university had to offer. I simply wasn’t ready. I was accustomed to thinking about education as the singular pursuit of letter grades, and activity outside the classroom is regarded as a distraction. The shortcoming of our traditional approach has also been recognized by the Cambridge International Examination Board (the friendly folk who bring us the O and A level CIE exams). The CIE board is evolving their testing approach to assess critical thinking and analysis far more than has been the case in the past. We need to prepare our students to adapt to this change. As an engineer with a stellar academic record, I struggled to put theory into practice.
Corporate leadership development programs for senior leaders in companies focus on developing many of the following skills: teamwork, public speaking, balancing leadership and followership, sound judgment, accountability, responsibility, resourcefulness, self-reliance, conflict management, recognizing and managing personal emotions and feelings and time management to mention a few.
Only a fortunate few can lean on an employer or a mentor to help develop this skillset – typically in our 30’s and 40’s. The vast majority will have to leave this learning to chance and circumstance and hope for the best.
An 8 year old (and this would apply to younger and older kids just as well) can benefit just as much if they too possessed these skills. Navigating through academic stress, playground bullies, an avalanche of competing priorities and an overload of information, all require some combination of the skills mentioned above.
At Academia Civitas we certainly focus on in-class content knowledge – just like any other top tier school. But at Civitas, our students will also be equipped with the necessary skills to explore and learn on their own. This is the overarching philosophy of the Civitas approach. Technology Enabled, Application Based Learning Environment – TEABLE. At Academia Civitas, up to 50% of time spent on campus is outside the classroom. At the youngest age, students are immersed in a culture that values visualization and application of concepts learned in class. Running Nixor College has provided me ample evidence that these skills can be taught and more importantly learned in the late teens, and I am confident this process of personal growth can begin in preschool.
The role of technology at Civitas is to facilitate communication and to aid in visualizing and applying what’s been learned inside and outside the classroom. From preschool on up, students are exposed to the demands of the digital era and are steadily equipped with tools to thrive in it.
As you look through the details of the Civitas program, I would encourage you to visualize your child in this environment and look at the consistency of approach between the environment your child will be exposed to at Civitas and the one you will provide at home. This alignment of thought is critical for you and your child to get the best out of Academia Civitas.
Please reach out to us for details on information sessions, open-house, or one-on-one discussions about the Academia Civitas.