The Lalaji Memorial Omega International School (LMOIS) has recently been granted affiliation to UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet).

UNESCO's preamble states – "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed; That ignorance of each other's ways of lives has been a common cause throughout history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war…"

In order to translate the ideals mentioned in its preamble into concrete action, UNESCO launched the Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) in 1953. ASPnet is a global network of some 7900 educational institutions in 176 countries (ranging from pre-schools and primary to secondary schools and teacher training institutions), which work in support of quality education in practice. 

The scheme started out at the grassroots level with 33 schools in fifteen countries. Driven over five decades, by a growing number of enthusiastic and creative teachers committed to reinforcing the humanistic, cultural and international dimensions of education in view of world developments, this modest initiative has now developed into one of the world's largest and most unique networks of schools.

ASPnet schools are ‘navigators for peace' and agents for positive change and serve as laboratories of ideas on innovative approaches for quality education for all.

They aim at translating the four pillars of education for the 21st century -- learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together—into good practices of quality education.

ASPnet cooperates with a broad range of institutions, UN agencies, the private Sector, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), or research institutions.

The Lalaji Memorial International Omega School's vision statement says – "Omega strives to produce youngsters who are balanced, with soul, mind and body working in unison, with the soul guiding the mind in its activities and the body acting under the guidance of the mind".

This vision is sustained by a dedicated management team and teaching staff that invests efforts and ideals in the Value Based Spiritual Education Programme (VBSE), which permeates every level of work and life on the campus. Omega has already implemented the "Learning to be" of UNESCO as part of the VBSE program in the school, and therefore, this was a logical extension to the whole endeavor.

The school did not have to make any particular efforts to "fit" into the framework of the ASPnet school model. The coming together of the two was but natural and will prove to be of mutual benefit in the years to come.

To know more about ASPnet, click on: www.unesco.org/education/asp