Apeejay School International students make an educational trip to Qutub Minar to learn about its history

Apeejay School International, South Delhi, organised an educational excursion for its students this month to Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is deemed the tallest of its kind in India. Students of Middle Years Programme (MYP) 1 to 4 visited the monument to explore the amalgamation of beliefs, cultures, and architecture, in line with their curriculum ‘units’. The exercise was broadly divided among the classes into the following four categories:

MYP 1: What do people believe in? (Connected with religious beliefs and spread of different religions)                                

MYP 2: How have innovations and ideas changed the world? & How has exploration affected global interactions?                                      

MYP 3: How does Culture depend on Time, Place & Space

MYP 4: How did the ancient settlements play a major role in developing the law code of conduct in society?

The students, who were made to fill an “investigation sheet on a historical monument” explored various facets of Qutub Minar and derived inferences from the visual and historical evidence available about the monument.

For instance, students who investigated religious beliefs were able to identify the Indo-Islamic influence represented through the scriptures engraved on the walls of the monument. “So, what was the era like? How did the two cultures engage with one another during that period? These were some aspects that the students researched about,” MYP coordinator Ms Pragati Agnihotri said.

“This excursion was an investigation of the culture, belief, and globalisation during the time when Qutub Minar was built (1199-1220). They learned how two cultures (South Asia and Islamic) can merge together into such a monumental piece of architecture. Emperors of different dynasties also used different building materials and designs to complete the structure, depending upon their beliefs. It is of great importance because the material used to build the minaret has survived 1000 years.”

Sabreen Kaur, a class 8 student (MYP 3) said, “It was an enriching research trip. We learned about the tombs at the site and inscriptions on the minaret. We were amazed to see that the iron pillar, made with pure wrought iron, had not rusted yet. There was this tour guide who told us stories about Qutub Minar. It was an enjoyable experience.”

Throughout the trip, the students took notes and clicked pictures, and came up with interesting conclusions that will be compiled into a research paper for their summative assignment. “The entire trip was designed to understand the importance of monuments like this from a historical perspective. The students were able to understand that we still carry that history in our lives,” Ms Agnihotri added.

“To connect classroom learning with real life, all units are planned with an integrated visit to the relevant places in and around Delhi. This helps students make connections and engage better with the concepts. On one such trip, students visited the famous Qutub Minar and collected information about historical monuments.”

-Purshottam Dutt Vashist, Apeejay School International, South Delhi