Catholic International school in India, Don Bosco, aligns with King's

King’s is pleased to welcome the Don Bosco International School, located in Mumbai, India, as an educational partner. While on a delegation visit to India, Dr. David Malloy, King’s President, and Dr. Tracy Cunningham, King’s Director of Enrolment Services and Registrar, visited the well-established Catholic school on April 17, 2023.  Dr. Malloy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the school’s Principal, Mrs. Meena Saldanha. The agreement establishes an important educational partnership to provide preferred opportunities for Don Bosco students in Mumbai to complete a baccalaureate degree at King’s.

This is a first pathway between a Don Bosco school and King’s. The schools are situated worldwide, established by the Salesians of Don Bosco, a foundation established to honour the work of St. John Bosco. He was an Italian Catholic priest in the 1800s who dedicated his life to working with orphans. The schools help educate children from all walks of life with a value system based in a trust in God; valuing every person; joy and optimism; innovation and creativity; responsible freedom of expression; integrity, justice and equality; respect for nature, and transformation of self and society.

“These values resonate so strongly with our values at King’s,” says Dr. Malloy. “Further, we highly regard the students at King’s who have come to us from India. They demonstrate strong scholarship and deep sense of community and leadership.”

The students at Don Bosco International School are immersed in holistic development including many co-circular programs. The school is situated on 11 acres of land which has been developed into multiple sports fields and the school has many championship sports teams. There are also classes in languages, arts and performance. The day school is home to 650 students in grades JK to 12 and offers both the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and A levels as part of the senior grades diploma program.

“Our students have an appetite for leadership,” says Mrs. Meena Saldanha. As part of their volunteer work, the students recently helped renovate a library at an orphanage and set up a peer mentoring program within their own school. 

Of the more than 800 international students at King’s, currently 34 are from India. Dr. Cunningham and her team including Mr. Sushant Arora, King’s S. Asia Recruitment Officer, are actively looking to add to that number, including participating in a large recruitment fair in Mumbai, hosted by GeeBee Education.

“The students who come from India jump right into our campus life,” says Dr. Cunningham. “We see them as Residence Assistants, Peer Guides and they also participate in the International Work Experience program on campus. They are leaders on campus, it is total engagement from them when they arrive here.”

The King’s delegation to India spent three days in Mumbai meeting applicants, parents, educators, and future students along with investigating new potential partners who can help create pathways for students to study in Canada at King’s.