The 3Es: Encourage, Engage, & Empower

Encourage, Engage, & Empower: Three different words separated by pages in the dictionary; three different words with poles apart meaning; three different words written for multiple purposes, yet, when executed in a systematic order possess a capacity to shape and reshape situations—sometimes even people.

Encourage, Engage, & Empower cannot be conceptualised in books. Educationalists, authors, and philosophers find it very hard to describe them together. For a very long time, they only came to those who dreamt of making a difference in the world.      

A Historical Instance Of Encourage, Engage, & Empower

History often speaks about monumental events, great personalities, rise and fall of empires, tragic wars, the formation of constitutions. . . so on and so forth. In doing so, history accounts for all the incidents chronologically that bring about changes in the society whilst noting down the aftermaths. But, it rarely speaks about the forces that invoke and propel the actions and incidents. These unacknowledged forces have no physical appearance, they only exist on word of mouth with different names, they lurk underneath the subconscious mind waiting to come to light only at the right time—only to the right people. And when they do come to light, they perfectly conceal their identity and ideology and reincarnate in various forms according to the situation to drive humanity towards a better future. 

Centuries ago, Emmeline Pankhurst established the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in Britain and started a suffragette movement. The movement encouraged women to demand their right to vote in public elections, engaged them to come together and protest for a liberal government, and empowered them with a platform to persuade the government to grant equal rights to women. If it wasn’t for the suffragette movement, most of the women around the world would still be subjected to domesticity with fewer rights in society. It is evident to say that the movement became a beginning point for women to break the stereotypes and embark on a journey to claim what’s rightfully every sexes birthright: equality and recognition at all aspects.

Meru, A Place Where Encouragement, Engagement, & Empowerment Come Together

The phenomenon is not just limited to social movements, great inventions. . . It drives each and every situation, we just don’t realise or acknowledge it! The school (education) is one of the many areas where 3Es play a very vital role. It possesses a capacity to equip future visionaries and growing youngsters with self-righteousness, intellectual sophistication, emotional sensitivity, self-control, and many such personality traits. And this won’t happen unless the educational institutions have a conviction of encouraging, engaging, and empowering students. 

The founders of Meru International School felt concerned with the lack of encouragement, engagement, and empowerment in most schools’ vision. They realised the importance of inculcating the notion of 3Es in children from an early age to teach them the significance of responsibility, respect, equality, and social values. 

At Meru, students are encouraged to engage in both classrooms as well as extracurricular activities to enhance their social etiquette and teamwork skills whilst empowering them with a chance to communicate and interact with each other, both verbally and non-verbally. All these skills not only help children during their transformation into adulthood but also helps their professional career.

Meru’s seating arrangement might serve as a perfect epitome. At the school, students in the classes 1 to 4 are made to sit in a circular pattern for a purpose of fostering a healthy interaction between them; thereby enabling them to be more confident and expressive. This seating system not only allows students to bond and make friends but also develops a sense of mutual respect and understanding between fellow peers. This is one facet of many characteristics of Meru International.  

Integrating  3Es With Academics

Teaching isn’t just about imparting textbook knowledge to children. Meru strongly believes in encouraging students ‘How To Think’ not ‘What To Think’.The educators at Meru International School trust in empowering curiosity within the classroom at the same time urging youngsters to voice their questions and take an interest in the classroom. 

The curriculum is planned painstakingly to encourage the students to explore all areas. Children are motivated to participate in activities that tap their logical thinking and reasoning, which enables them to relate and apply their learning to daily life experiences. The teachers at Meru likewise drive in the values to shape the students into responsible citizens.