Principal Speak: Producing confident, forward-thinking contributors for society
Education involves a right balance of academics and co-curricular activities. How is your institution providing this balance to the students?
In today’s globalised competitive era, it is imperative to ensure optimum involvement in both academics and co-curricular activities. We amplify activities and programmes that take place outside the traditional classroom but complement academic learning. We have subject-related project work, educational tours and excursions, as also numerous clubs, that engage in activities that enrich subject-related learning experience. We have also incorporated art-integrated and sports-integrated learning in our curriculum. Thus educational goals are accomplished by this activity-based learning approach. To build moral values, personality progress and character appeal, class teachers take one class a week to engage the class in a talk on moral values and some related activity is incorporated. It is further reiterated in the morning assembly once a week. We explore the cultural kaleidoscope and celebrate the diversity of the various festivals, fostering a sense of unity and togetherness and teaching social awareness. Regular physical education and yoga period is a big part of our curriculum.
What are the assessment practices used in your school?
The NEP-2020 has reshaped assessment practice in education, a paradigm shift from the traditional summative assessment of end-of-the-year examination to formative assessment that occurs throughout the learning process, making it more holistic and learner-centric approach to evaluation. Our curriculum is designed to provide a systematic approach and structured environment to the students to enhance the learning process, aided by assessment practices, keeping all categories in focus: formative, diagnostics, summative, evaluative, verbal, written, performative assessment, by way of questionnaires (written, oral, online), tests, exams, presentations, project work, quizzes, debates, talks and group discussions, grading rubrics, subject-based competitions, drawing visuals or any other art form to express their learning and experiences, self-assessment, peer assessment, providing feedback, maintaining portfolios, etc.
Sports and co-curricular activities offered to students.
Beyond the world of academics we usher in activities promoting value education and character building, MUN, NSS activities, sports, and numerous extra-curricular activities. Many clubs, such as Eco Club sensitises through plantation drive, Earth Day celebration, segregation of waste, cleanliness drive, awareness of climate change and carbon footprints. Design thinking and innovation workshops encourage creative thinking and innovation. Health and Hygiene Club bring in personal hygiene awareness. Science and Maths Club holds exhibitions, quizzes, thought-provoking group discussions. Arts Club holds arts exhibition with models and charts. Yuva Tourism and Excursions Club, and all Subject Clubs enhance subject learning that have their own set of co-curricular activities. In sports, we hold the PML Memorial Boxing Championship and CBSE Cluster Basketball Tournament Under-19 (Boys and Girls). We have varied sports facilities, such as basketball court, boxing ring, cricket ground, badminton court and soccer field.
NEP 2020 has laid special emphasis on vocational skills and entrepreneurships. How is your school providing these two through curriculum?
We incorporate many life skills and various clubs, intra-school and inter-school activities, competitions, workshops, seminars in our curriculum, such as role-plays, talk shows, best-out-of-waste, Code-a-thon, Qbiz, AdMad World, workshops on communication and entrepreneurship, capacity-building workshops on happy classrooms, financial literacy and use of digital tools and many NSS activities such as celebrating World Earth Day, World Environment Day, Har Ghar Tiranga. Students are also shown interviews of famous personalities and entrepreneurs, so that they can understand their mind set, and can emulate those qualities. Students are free to take up projects and study particular things. This allows them to collaborate with a similar mind set and thinking, when trying to make something, and work as a team. We incorporate classes and competitions based on vocational learning, such as mehndi designing, cooking and baking classes, printing, calligraphy, Vedic maths, coding, artificial intelligence, indigenous toy making, gardening and planting tree programmes, disaster management training, taekwondo, self-management techniques, self-defence training and tread on so much more with diligence and verve.
What measures has the school taken to help students cope with stress and develop their emotional quotient?
We have our school counsellor, who regularly takes sessions at both class and individual level, to engage and improve the EQ of our students, to help them recognise any psychological barriers or issues that challenge them, to bring in emotional regulation, to connect with others and thereby, to evolve into coherent personalities. Our teachers constantly engage in helping our students on their path of self-awareness, helping them to prioritise and learn time management. We have the Buddy Groups, for the students to communicate and share their thoughts and experiences with each other.
Motto of your school and how are students being trained to follow it?
Our motto is “Let noble thoughts come to us from every side”. It is a Vedic verse related to obtaining knowledge and building a self, rooted in noble ideas, goals and actions, allowing unselfish and morally good thoughts to prevail our being and thereby, to evolve into a compassionate, conscientious individual. We begin our day at the school with a prayer of gratitude to the Almighty in the morning assembly, followed by a few moments of mindful meditation in each class. The curriculum that follows is rooted in imparting the best of knowledge, to help the young minds to grow into personalities reflecting compassion, integrity and high moral principles.
As head of the institution what is your vision and how you are making it a reality?
My vision for my students is very obviously to create leaders with the resolute personality and the skill set required to succeed in the 21st century by providing them a school culture with a structured environment of an instructional climate and academic foundation par excellence, where learning is innovative, enjoyable, creative and rewarding, as also a collaborative and inspiring environment to find their awesomeness to tread on newer grounds with bold courage and a sense of purpose in their lives, and arrive at the threshold of their desired destination, and become confident, forward-thinking contributors of society.
