Awards & Recognitions

Key to the City of Georgetown
Certificate of Guinness World Records
The Derozio Award
Friend of Young Physicists
2004 Nuclear-Free Future Special Recognition Award
Changemakers Innovation Award 2005
Quality Pioneer Award
UP Ratan Award
Waaris Ali Shah Award For Communal Harmony
Verdlaun Excellence Awards 2003
Bhartiya Awam Society UP
Outstanding Achievement Award

UNESCO PRIZE FOR PEACE EDUCATION-2002

The Director-General of UNESCO awarded the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education to Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi, founders of the City Montessori School (India) on behalf of the school at UNESCO Headquarters.

It is the only school honored with the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education (2002), and the only to organize and host 15 international events for children each year.In congratulating the City Montessori School (CMS), Mr Matsuura stressed that “a school must act as a lighthouse for society, providing direction and guidance, and (that) each child is potentially the light of the world, as a future conscious and proactive member of society.”

He continued by stating that “in India as well as in the rest of the world, religious, sectarian and nationalistic hatreds are threatening to pull apart whole communities and are destabilizing many regions; CMS is to be congratulated for promoting the values of peace, religious harmony, tolerance and coexistence among children.”

Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Minister of Human Resource Development, Science and Technology of India and President of the Indian National Commission attended the award ceremony. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, a man of vision and action, has long advocated UNESCO’s work with his holistic view of science, religion and human values.                                                                       

Certificate of Guinness World Records

Largest School
The world's largest school by pupils is the City Montessori School, Lucknow, India, which by September 2002 had a record enrolment of 26,312 pupils. The school was founded in 1959 by Dr Jagdish Gandhi, a socially motivated Gandhian, along with his wife Mrs. Bharti Gandhi, M.Ed., a child psychologist. The pair launched their first campus on borrowed capital of 300 rupees, housed it in rented premises and began with only five students.

The school admits boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 5, who then can follow through their education to A Levels. It also runs a Women’s Teachers Training College affiliated to the school.

Key to the City of Georgetown


Dr Jagdish Gandhi has been presented the Key to Georgetown, USA by the Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Everette Varney, on 11th June 2002 as a symbolic honour in recognition of his pioneering role in introducing Quality Circles in education. The award was bestowed at a public function during the fifth ICSQCC held at Georgetown, Kentucky, USA.                      

THE DEROZIO AWARD

When India's premier Board for Public Education, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi, decided to commence a national award of Rs. 1,00,000/- (One lakh Rupees) in memory of the great Indian visionary, educationist and poet, Henry Vivian Derozio, Dr Jagdish Gandhi was the unanimous choice of the Jury as the first recipient of the honour. The award was handed to Dr Gandhi by Mr Abdul Halim, Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, at a special function held at St Xavier's College, Calcutta. The citation noted that the award was being given to Dr Gandhi for his "Outstanding Contribution to Education and Human Enrichment". Dr Gandhi donated the cash part of the award, to the ICSE Council for use in the cause of education of poor children. The highly eminent jury for the award consisted of national figures like General Shankar Roychowdhury, former Chief of Army Staff, Dr. (Ms) Kiran Bedi, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) and India's first woman police officer and Magsaysay prize winner, Prof. S. Gopal, Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University, Fr. A. Hess SJ, XLRI, Jamshedpur, Mr Neil O' Brien, Member, Parliament of India and Chairman of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations and Mr Francis Fanthome, Chief Executive and Secretary of the same Council.                                               

2004 Nuclear-Free Future Special Recognition Award

The City Montessori School (CMS) of Lucknow, founded by Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi in 1959, has since its humble beginnings (two rented rooms) educated students to respect the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and grown to become the largest private school in the world (some 28,000 pupils). On behalf of the globe's two billion children, CMS - the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education Award recipient - has launched a campaign calling for a New World Order, one with a duly constituted World Parliament empowered to enact "Enforceable International Law." Such law would be applicable to all the countries and peoples of the world with no provision for any veto or special powers for any country. In the words of the CMS campaign:

Over half a century ago, on 24th October 1945, when representatives from 51 countries ratified the UN Charter - two months and 18 days after the bombing of Hiroshima - they were motivated by the noble desire to save succeeding generations and children born and yet to be born who are the common denominators of all nations, from the scourge of war. The founding fathers of United Nations realised that unity is a prerequisite for peace and that there can be no world peace unless there is world unity. However, the framers of the UN Charter failed to devise a 'common thread' for binding member countries into one global family. In the absence of such a 'common thread' the UNO has become an organisation of 'Disunited Nations.' The killing power of the countries with veto power are causing fear and suspicion amongst other countries who, for their survival, seek similar killing powers by developing nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. The present UNO has not been able to unite the world or to bring about world peace, hence a new International Political order is imminent with a duly constituted World Parliament empowered to enact enforceable World Law, without which humanity will be doomed. "If we have to save humankind from the impending catastrophes of (i) a nuclear holocaust and (ii) eco-disaster and from the vicious threat of terrorism, humanity has to find a common thread for binding all the countries of the world into one global family. The time has come to unite the world in one thread of 'Enforceable World Law' because only universally applicable "Enforceable International Law" can regulate international behaviour and bind all countries by the thread of law and prevent acts against humanity, thus realizing the ancient Indian concept of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', that is, "The Earth is but One Country and Humankind its Citizens."

Powerful words coming at a time when nationalistic pride and religious differences threaten to rock the Indian subcontinent with the outbreak of nuclear war - words deserving of our special recognition. CMS is to be commended for its visionary New World Order campaign, and for its mission, on behalf of the coming generations, to create a future nuclear-free.

Changemakers Innovation Award 2005

UP Ratan Award



The award was given for 'excellent services in the field of Quality Education and in furtherance of the cause of Humanism, Nationalism and Peace', by the All Indian Conference of Intellectuals (U.P Chapter) personally handed by Mr. G. V. G. Krishnamurthy, former Chief Election Commissioner of India.

Quality Pioneer Award
H.E. Mr Cassam Uteem, President of Mauritius honoured Dr Jagdish Gandhi with the Quality Pioneer's Award at Port Luis in Mauritius, in recognition of Dr Gandhi's pioneering contribution in introducing the concept and practice of Quality Circles (QC) in education. Incidentally, the Ministry of Education has made SQC's compulsory in all government-aided schools in Mauritius.

It was during his visit to Japan in 1992 that Dr Gandhi first came to know of Quality Control Circles (QCC) and how Prof. Ishikawa successfully shaped them as formal groups within factories and offices, for the purpose of improving the quality of manufactured goods and services on a continuous basis. The resultant quality revolution firmly established Japan as an economic superpower.

Dr Gandhi thought of using QC's in schools to inculcate quality awareness at a young age in children, following the age old dictum "Catch them young'. He envisioned that by inculcating quality awareness in children and thus shaping Quality Citizens in our schools, we could bring about a revolution in society. He collected literature on Quality Circles and upon his return introduced the idea in the CMS Principals Meeting. Dr Vineeta Kamran, Principal of CMS Kanpur Road Branch, responded enthusiastically and soon a group of five of her students constituted Quality Circle Jai Jagat — world's first Quality Circle by school children and prepared a case study "How to excel in examinations" under the supervision of Mr. P. C. Bihari, a QC expert working for Indian Railways. Their path-breaking effort won accolades at national and international levels and was proclaimed the most "Outstanding Case Study" at the International Convention of Quality Control Circles (ICQCC) at Hong Kong in 1994. ‘QC Jai Jagat’ was also invited by the Quality Circle Association of Sri Lanka to present its case study at their National Convention on Quality Circles in 1995 at Colombo. The introduction of QC's in education was hailed as a revolutionary development and international QC Guru's widely welcomed the introduction of QCs in education.

As the founder of Quality in Education, the school also had the opportunities of sending various student QC delegations at different International Conventions which include ICQCC'96, Malaysia; ICQCC'96, Bangkok; ICQCC'98, Mauritius; IQCC'98, Mauritius; ICQCC'99, Philippines; ICQCC'2000, Mauritius and ICQCC'2000, Singapore. The CMS Degree College at Kanpur Road Branch has a fully functional Student's QC Academy affiliated to QCI International, USA which regularly conducts QC Training Programmes, integrated with TQE (Total Quality in Education) at national and international levels.

The amazing effectiveness and success of QC's in educational institutions led to the formation of Student QCs in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and many other countries. This further led to the organising of the first International Convention of Students' Quality Control Circles (ICSQCC) by CMS in 1997. The second ICSQCC was also hosted by CMS in 1999 while the third ICSQCC was held at Mauritius under the aegis of CMS in 2000. The fourth ICSQCC was also held at CMS in December 2001 and witnessed the participation of 14 countries. A 32-member delegation headed by Dr Jagdish Gandhi is all set to represent India at the fifth ICSQCC being hosted by Scott County at Kentucky, USA in June 2002.

Even though the QC concept arrived in India in 1970's and about 800 Indian organisations used QC tools and techniques for quality improvement, it was left to the genius of Dr Gandhi to successfully graft an essentially industrial idea into the untapped field of academics. CMS has also established a World Council for Total Quality & Excellence in Education (WCTQEE) under the chairmanship of Dr Jagdish Gandhi, which is engaged in imparting training to Managers, Teachers and Students on Student Quality Circles as an integral part of TQM. The WCTQEE has national offices in many countries including USA, UK, Switzerland, Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka etc.

Today, student QCs have been successfully formed in countries as far apart and as varied as Australia, USA, Mauritius, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore, Bangladesh and many others. Everywhere, educationists are realizing that SQC's have the potential to transform today's staid educational scenario by inculcating quality awareness in students and teachers.                                                                                                                                                              

WAARIS ALI SHAH AWARD FOR COMMUNAL HARMONY
This prestigious award instituted by the Fankar Society was conferred on Dr Gandhi by the then Governor of Uttar Pradesh, H.E. Shri Motilal Vora.

VERDLAUN EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2003

BHARTIYA AWAM SOCIETY UP

IMRT Business School Presents OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD to Dr Jagdish Gandhi   Press Release JAGDISH GANDHI GETS THE FIRST OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BY IMRT BUSINESS SCHOOL Lucknow, Friday 21 August: In a glittering function at the auditorium of IMRT Business School on 19 August 2009 at Gomti Nagar, the noted and popular Educationist Dr Jagdish Gandhi , the founder of City Montessori School, was conferred upon the 1st Outstanding Achievement Award. The award was presented by Mr. Jitendra Kumar Saxena, Chairman of IMRT Business School . While speaking on the occasion Mr. Saxena informed the gathering that from this year onwards every year this awards shall be given to a person that belongs to the state of Uttar Pradesh and has got extraordinary National & International achievements to his/her credit. He further said that there is a Selection Committee that has academicians. Senior government officers, Corporate Executives, Businessman & NRIs which selects the right candidate from the nominated ones. Mr Saxena highlighted the extraordinary achievements of Dr Jagdish Gandhi that make him the most deserving candidate for the coveted award. To read full news, click here The Award The Certificate The Press Clippings Press Clipping #1 Press Clipping #2 Press Clipping #3 Press Clipping #4 Press Clipping #5 Press Clipping #6 The Video Clippings Part1: Outstanding Achievement Award Part2: Outstanding Achievement Award Part3: Outstanding Achievement Award Part4: Outstanding Achievement Award   The Certificate The Pres s Clippings