digital LEARNING Magazine December Issue 2016

VOLUME ISSUE-10 11 ISSUE DECEMBER 04 APRIL 2015 VOLUME-12 2016

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Cover Story

20 Director, Techior Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

22 Head of School, Lakshya International School

34 Director, Commercial Accounts & Tablets Business, Lenovo India

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Demystifying the Finest Schools of India Being educated in the present times has adorned a much broader meaning than it was about a decade ago. Today, a child’s brilliance is evaluated from various dimensions and thus schools are expected to deliver on such lines beyond textbooks’ reach.

In such a scenario, discerning which school is the best option appears one of the toughest questions that the young parents are faced with in life.

What measurements should ideally determine which temple of learning is better than the others, what kind of facilities, advantages or disadvantages are linked to a particular set of schools but not the others within our city or state? All this and much more inspired us to carry out this special edition of the magazine and take out a top ranking issue, evaluating Indian schools classified in five zones.

Our cover story “Defining the Finest Schools of India” has tried to highlight and address almost all major concerns and questions that usually disturb or should ideally bother any parent to ascertain which school they have sent their wards to? Is it the best available or the most convenient one? Or, is it the most productive one for our beloved child’s holistic development and career?

The latest issue also highlights the eduleaders who keep coming up with latest innovative solutions, enabling schools and other educational institutions to offer finest learning experience. Keeping the requirements of modern-day smart classrooms and tech-savvy students in mind, there are various firms who seek to introduce most updated gadgets or methodologies for the same.

With the Government’s demonetisation move affecting nearly every sector of the country, its impact on the Indian education sector could not be ignored. How the schools have received such a bold step of government to rid the country of black money and various related malpractices? How delighting or dejecting this initiative is likely to be for parents? Our special story “Demonetisation brings Modi-Nomics to Schools” attempts to explore such issues.

While all of us are ready to usher in the New Year 2017, we have tried to touch upon issues that are set to matter to one and all in a distinct way.

We look forward to our readers’ invaluable feedback on our latest endeavour.

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DECEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

COVER STORY

DEFINING THE FINEST

SCHOOLS OF INDIA

Parents are always looking for a school that not only fulfills the children’s educational needs but also develops them holistically. Top schools of the country focus on certain parameters to provide best quality education. Akash Tomer of Elets News Network (ENN) writes about the parameters on which top schools should be evaluated.

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DECEMBER 2016

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ith a surge in curiosity quotient of parents about the quality of education children should receive, it is vital to understand how to discern the finest schools from the crowd, no matter if it may prove to be as tough as a Herculean Task.

Since it remains one of the biggest challenges of anyone’s life to separate rice from the chaff when it comes to finding the most suitable’ school, there are certain yardsticks that may be adapted to adjudge why a school can be and should be viewed as the best to look upon.

Though the concept of holistic growth is fast gaining currency in schools and among families, there are various dimensions that can help in arriving at any decision while considering future prospects.

With quality of education playing central role in one’s sense of awareness and capabilities in career, the academic climate being provided in any school holds vital meaning.

Be it classrooms, chairs, buses or other amenities of a school, they seem just small fragments of a huge story. Perhaps, it’s the academic climate in which students spend the maximum time of the day, breathing in

Chandan Agarwal Chairman, GD Goenka School, Kanpur

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Desirable teacher – student ratio, adapting to the latest innovations in the field of education and a well-equipped and supportive infrastructure can be some of the important factors for a school to achieve the top position.

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Use of technology, range of curricular and co-curricular subjects, student travel and exchange programmes are some of the other factors that contribute to a school becoming a leader. ................................................................................................................

Arunabh Singh, Chairman, Nehru World School, Ghaziabad

an environment of knowledge, latest skills, information while developing aptitude for career and life that should be the benchmark of taking the Big Decision –What Defines op School? cross the country, we have many perceptions, practices, innovations and reform efforts being embraced and emulated to control the narrative of what defines a school as a top school.

With academic scores gradually losing their meaning to explore and reveal the latent excellence of any student until they are backed by success accomplished in other fields i.e. extra curricular activities, it may be literally foolhardy in the present times to assess any child or student on the basis of periodic exams. Certainly, any assessment year cannot be adequate period to assess a student’s success or failure in career.

In this light, it looks interesting when parents are found trying to ascertain the best schools based on presumptions or in the worst case -- hearsay. section of experts opine the old ideas or methods’ of assessing a good school may not be a good idea in the present context and requirements of advance learning and job market. This old model of assessment may have been great 50 years ago, when schools were not expected to deliver more than enabling students to read, write and develop basic skills to survive. But that expected role of schools has not remained so over the years.

To make students successful, a big section of edu-leaders today feel schools must play the role of such training centres that aim to prepare a generation of brilliant individuals who can assert their presence in the world of competitions and job market in the years to come. But with what methodologies, what approach, what new-age scientific techniques they are being prepared?

That needs to be evaluated.

The best schools help students to create, discover, reveal, and share knowledge to develop and acquire skills.

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Scientific experiments, research papers, debates, and discussions centered on classic literature are the means through which students explore and discover ideas. Unpacking the essential elements of contemporary issues and having students learn to take responsibility for their actions coalesce to teach valuable lessons that extend beyond the school walls. Irrespective of its size, the technological sophistication or futuristic approach to prepare students to confront challenges in the years to come can define the features of any modern-day school.

So, what actually should define a school?

Though imparting education that helps sustain oneself in competitive world is vital, there are several other factors that pave the way for a school to hold distinction from the rest in its city or state and be looked upon as one of the finest. It is very important to examine all the factors before considering any school as the top one.

Streamlining of work, desirable teacher – student ratio, adapting to the latest innovations in the field of education and “a well-equipped and supportive infrastructure can be some of the important factors for a school to achieve the top position”, said handan garwal, hairman, D oenka School, Kanpur. ccording to runabh Singh, hairman, Nehru World School, haziabad to achieve leadership in the world of schools in any city or state focus on holistic development, teaching-learning materials, infrastructure and facilities could be some of the factors that may hold significance. “ se of technology, range of curricular and co-curricular subjects, student travel and exchange programmes, the academic results of the school, parents’ satisfaction and the vision of the school leadership are some of the other factors that contribute to a school becoming a leader,” he said. n digitalLEARNING

DECEMBER 2016

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COVER STORY

School Education in India

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ritish historian Thomas Babington Macaulay originally brought the modern school system to India in the 1830s.

The modern curriculum includes subjects such as science, mathematics and English. Whereas subjects like metaphysics and philosophy were considered unnecessary. Teaching has now become a classroom activity and students rarely learn something from the nature.

Uttar Pradesh Board of High School and Intermediate Education was the first education oard set up in India in 1 21. he board had urisdiction over a putana, entral India and walior. ater in 1 2 , the oard of igh School and Intermediate ducation, aputana, was established. In 1 2, the constitution of the board was amended and it was renamed Central Board of Secondary Education S . S affiliates all Kendriya idyalayas, all awahar Navodaya idyalayas, ma ority of the private schools, and most of the schools approved by central government of India. Deciding important parameters like curriculum, textbooks and examination system for affiliated schools are the main functions of CBSE. Now CBSE is a global board as along with thousands of school in India, schools in countries from fghanistan to imbabwe are affiliated to it.

Other then UP Board and CBSE Board, there are several other boards in India. Every state in India is having their own 10th and 12th education boards whereas at national level, ouncil for the Indian School ertificate xaminations IS , International accalaureate I and International eneral ertificate of Secondary ducation I S boards are in the country.

IB International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO), is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968.

Examination Pattern: It offers 3 educational programmes, namely l PYP or Primary year programme for KG to Class-5 l MYP or Middle year programme for Class-6 to Class-10 l DP or Diploma programme for Class-11 and Class-12 Areas of Operations: 144 Countries including India, the US, UK, Australia etc.

Number of Schools: Approx. 200 in India

Chitkara

DECEMBER 2016

Examinations (CISCE) Examination Pattern: This body conducts three examinations, namely: m ICSE (Indian certificate secondary education) exam for class 10 m ISC (Indian school certificate) exam for class 12 m CVE (Certificate for vocational education) exam for class 12 m Areas of Operation: India, UAE, Singapore, Indonesia m Subjects Offered ICSE in 2013-64 with 23 Indian languages and 12 are foreign languages. m Subjects Offered ISC in 2013- 50 with 23 Indian languages and 12 are foreign languages.

curriculum which is offered to students to prepare them for International Baccalaureate and CIE A-level.

Examination Pattern l

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1 16 Cambridge IGCSE and Cambridge O Level.

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offers learners two routes: Cambridge International AS and A Level, and Cambridge Pre-U. l

India, USA, UK.

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A school’s vision and mission radiate its philosophy invincibly.

It is the vision of the school that governs its mission. A perfectly defined vision and mission help replicate new strategies, innovation, and new-fangled ideas which impel the school to achieve the best.

Principal, Chitkara International School, India

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Council for the Indian

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y integrating learning technology, multimedia content and information, specialised software, audience response technology and assistive listening devices, smart classes help teachers in effective teaching. Smart classes use various interactive modules like videos and presentations. These visually attractive methods of teaching are appealing to students. Well-designed module of these classes enable students to visualise and understand the concept better.

It is impossible to ignore technology nowadays. It is a part of everyone’s life in a big way and it’s going to stay that way for a while. Naturally, it has also invaded the classrooms. However, it may not replace the uru, the teacher, in near future it can be used to enhance student engagement as well as learning. Engaged students naturally have better learning outcomes and grades.

Speaking on smart classes and on use of technology in education, arl aurie, Principal, Christ Church School, Mumbai said, one of the most important and necessary tools available today to make learning effective and enjoyable is proper use of technology.

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Smart Classrooms One of the most important and necessary tools available today to make learning effective and enjoyable is proper use of technology. ...............................................................................................................

Carl Laurie, Principal, Christ Church School, Mumbai

“We are educating a generation that is considered natives of the technology age, and it’s imperative to teach them in the language and tools they understand the best in keeping with the adage if they don t learn by the way I teach, then I teach in the way they learn’. Moreover we are preparing them for a future that is bombarded with information, and that goes beyond the text books and class room walls,” he said.

Taking pride in introducing smart classrooms in his schools, Rajesh Hassija, Director, Indraprastha roup of Schools,

Technology is the necessity of 21st century with technological literacy at the centre of learning. Every educational institution should be adept to prepare global citizens who are technologically sound.

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Praseedha Sreekumar,

Head of School, The Geekay World School (TGWS)

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said “I take pride in the fact that there is computer literacy, computer-aided learning as well as computer-aided administration in my institution.”

“Smart classrooms have been extremely helpful in making the lessons interesting as well as enhancing the learning process. resource room dedicated to the use of technology as a tool for the teachers has indeed boosted their performance,” he added. echnology is the necessity of 21st century with technological literacy at the centre of learning. Every educational institution is adept towards the preparation of global citizens who are technologically sound. t WS, echnology is at the heart of learning.

WS strongly and firmly believes in the digitalized learning style, to cater to the growing learning demands of the current generation. Digitalized smart classrooms facilitate smooth learning catering to the multiple intelligent student atmosphere”, said Praseedha Sreekumar, ead of School, he eekay World School WS . n

digitalLEARNING

DECEMBER 2016

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COVER STORY

E-learning T

o learn at your schedule, your pace, your place can be facilitated by e-learning. It will help a student in covering the material whenever he/she is having time go over it as often as they need and this all can be done without being seated in the classroom. There have been many studies showing that e- earning students retain the material to a significantly greater degree than face-to-face instructor led classes. The content delivery is consistent and can be easily repeated if needed to get a better understanding.

We are immigrants to the digital age, but have learnt and re-learnt to take the best of technology available to make it interesting for students. Microsoft tools and apps, as well as the ever-evolving technology aids like smart boards, PPTs, STEM education, all facilitate the teaching learning process, the principal of Christ church school, Mumbai said on adapting e-learning in his school. ccording to Sameer hmad, O, earon echnology, “ -learning has the power to help students achieve their true potential by personalising or differentiat-

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Prajodh Rajan, CoFounder, Eurokids

ing the way lessons are taught to each student. Teachers can more effectively use their time in the classroom and become facilitators encouraging discussions and peer to peer learning.”

On use of smart classes in teaching, Prajodh Rajan, CoFounder, Eurokids said, “ t uroSchool, we ensure that our classroom teaching is augmented through digital boards, computer labs, science labs and the smart class system that uses 3D animation and multimedia to aid teaching outcomes. We provide tech enabled appli-

At DPS Panipat City, we focus on providing our students with the skills and knowledge required to be successful learners in the 21st century. ...............................................................................................................

Amit Rana,

DECEMBER 2016

Pro Vice Chairman, DPS Panipat City

digitalLEARNING

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At EuroSchool, classroom teaching is augmented through digital boards, computer labs, science labs and the smart class system that uses 3D animation and multimedia to aid teaching outcomes.

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cations that are a part of the communication mediums with parents so that the ecosystem of education is inclusive and transparent to all stakeholders i.e. teachers, students and parents”.

Delhi Public School is among the top premier schools for implementing the technical learning methodologies. mit ana, ro ice hairman, D S anipat ity said, “ t D S anipat ity, we focus on providing our students with the skills and knowledge required to be successful learners in the 21st century. o this end, we strive to ensure our school is well resourced with up-to- date Information and Communication Technology.

ICT learning and teaching is embedded throughout the curriculum and is used to promote student engagement, motivation and excellence. Importantly, we assist students to develop an understanding of their social and ethical responsibilities as users of ICT and the Internet, including learning about Cyber Safety. The school’s ICT programme aligns with the Microsoft Showcase School Capabilities”. n

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

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ntegrating augmented reality into school lectures can be a help to fascinate attention of students, as the presentations are eyecatching and the lessons are interactive. Moreover, students will be able to access models on their own devices via ugment s app anywhere and anytime. This real time experience through augmented reality creates a complete learning cycle that helps students to retain knowledge for longer duration. ugmented eality allows students to interact with 3D models and brings learning through virtually real life projects. xplaining about what augmented reality is, ay Ola, roduct ead, NII N uru said, “ ugmented reality offers an innovative methodology of merging digital learning materials onto books, geographic locations and ob ects. ust imagine, how schools would look like where instead of students reading the chapter on Neil rmstrong s first walk on moon, could see those momentous steps or the trees in the garden would not just stand but talk to you through digital media. What augmented learning brings is content delivery that is more interesting yet being less expensive to deliver, and most importantly offering higher retention to the learner”.

“In case of ugmented eality, first and foremost observer is a child. If the classroom is more lively and interactive than the child will absorb more and will learn more quickly. Children will be more attentive in a classroom where there will be objects moving around them rather than a traditional classroom. earning process will be far better when the teaching will be done through using the five sense of a child”, said Kiran, Director, lobus Infocom.

Using augmented reality as a tool for teaching and learning, alakrishnan, xecutive eneral Manager, Konica Minolta opined, “When trained people use any of these technologies and deliver lectures using these technologies then the learning outcome is really far better than the traditional teaching methods. Technologies used in teaching help the teachers to make the student understand with live examples whereas students learn a concept using their senses.”

Murali Mukund Chairman Jubilee Hills Public School

Hands-on -activity -based learning is a very important factor in enhancing student engagement.

Any theoretical concept learnt in the class will make sense only if the student works on the concept and is able to see the end result.

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Similar to augmented reality, a 3D laboratory is established at ubilee ills ublic School. ccording to Murali Mukund, hairman of the school, “ ands-on -activity -based learning is a very important factor in enhancing student engagement. ny theoretical concept learnt in the class will make sense only if the student works on the concept and is able to see the end result. The laboratories should provide an outlet for students to work on the theoretical concepts to retain learning.” “ he three dimensional stereo lab holds the students spellbound. They are able to literally see the process of photosynthesis, digestion etc and remember that theory for a life time. It is very helpful for the students while attempting exams as they just have to recollect the video watched and put it into words.” n

digitalLEARNING

DECEMBER 2016

15

COVER STORY

Sports Education

Sports education not only helps students in strengthening stamina but also inculcates the habit of obedience, discipline, determination to win, and will power. A rising number of schools have started realising this fact and thus giving importance to sports activities for all-round development of students.

The growing awareness of how sports contribute to the growth of children in terms of life skills has led parents and school authorities to encourage children to take up sports. It reflects a positive shift of focus from academics.

Government Initiatives in Sports Education

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onsidering the developmental aspect of sports, the overnment of India has also introduced anchyat Yuva Krida ur Khel bhiyan YKK to generate sports culture at the grass-root level. The objectives of the scheme are to provide sports infrastructure/equipments at the Panchyat level and to encourage youth in rural areas to participate in sports. arious competitions are organised from block-level to national-level to achieve these objectives. Planning Commission approved Rs 1,500 crore for this project in the 11th Five-Year lan.

Sharing his views on importance of sports education, Yash irla, hairman, Yash irla roup, said, “Our cocurricular activities not only make the students active and energetic but also enable to harness the in-depth potential of students. It enhances knowledge in many areas like sports, arts, life skills, etc.

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Our co-curricular activities not only make the students active and energetic but also enable to harness the in-depth potential of students. ...............................................................................................................

Yash Birla, Chairman, Yash Birla Group

which benefits the student as well as the school. We celebrate annual day, sports day along with all National and regional festivals to develop positive attitude towards society and environment.”

Kavita Sanghavi, Principal, MET Rishikul idyalaya, Mumbai, mentioned how they have created an experiential environment in school where students

Sports - Which includes Cricket, Basketball, Soccer, Tennis and Swimming as well as athletics and Shooting enhance physical well-being and are a part of the daily schedule.

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Neeta Bali,

DECEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

Head, Kasiga School, Dehradun

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are equally involved with the learning as the teachers.

“We have assemblies every week where a class puts up performance for the entire section based on a theme, Model United Nations (MUN) programmes, and environment activities like composting, co-curricular activities like sports, drama, pottery, chess, western music, rhythm, keyboard and yoga within their timetable,” she added.

Explaining the importance of sports, Neeta Bali, Head, Kasiga School, Dehradun said, “Sports - Which includes Cricket, Basketball, Soccer, Tennis and Swimming as well as athletics and Shooting enhance physical well-being and are a part of the daily schedule. Clubs like the Inter-act club that undertakes various social outreach programs and the I Y programme as well as training for Rock School exams in both vocal and instrumental music adds value”. n

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Teacher Training W

ith the passage of time the role of a teacher and expectations from them has changed. With students already being quite tech-savvy, it is expected that their teachers should be as much up to date as their pupils. They are expected to know the latest trends and their utility i.e. Facebook, witter, Intagram, Whats pp . eachers are today supposed to be well-versed with these modernday tools of communication. modern-day school ensures its faculty remains ahead of the times. This is the original reason why schools are paying close attention on training and support to both new and experienced educators. In top schools, teachers are encouraged and recognised for their innovation in teaching methodologies. Many schools encourage their teaching staff to undergo training before teaching and attend various workshops in a year.

Many schools stress on ensuring that a positive teacher-student relationship draws students into the process of learning and promote their desire to learn (assuming that the content material of the class is engaging, age-appropriate and apt for students’ skills level). bout training of teachers in his school, ra odh a an, oFounder, urokids said, “Our teachers are presented with suggestive teaching strategies, teaching aids like relevant audio-video stimuli, and are given the freedom to draw from their professional and personal experience to make the programme both interesting contemporary and relevant.

60-Hour teacher training programme is another measure that makes sure that our teachers have updated skills which in-turn ensures the holistic development of the children.” ccording to ita arihar, rincipal of Faizabad ublic School, Faizabad, “ eachers in uence the hearts and minds in

Gita Parihar

Principal of Faizabad Public School, Faizabad

Teachers influence the hearts and minds in ways few can. The true test of a school is the quality of its teachers. Teachers occupy such position of authority that students have to obey them.

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ways few can. The true test of a school is the quality of its teachers. Teachers occupy such position of authority that students have to obey them. This position of power and privilege is open to use as well as to abuse. The abuse can take the form of teachers becoming authoritarian while using it at its best can transform the life of a child. “ he future of a child is secure if she gets a right teacher. eaches come across cases of hyperactive, attention deficit and indisciplined children almost on a daily basis and greet the challenges. Do the best work first time, every time. hey delegate responsibilities to such children, teachers’ positive and caring attitude brings improvement and brings healthy co-ordination between teachers and students.”

There are schools which rope in experts to educate and train with the latest trends be in the field of academics or skills.

“For development of teachers, we have a well planned workshop schedule. We try to rope in experts to guide our teachers and to enable them to become more proficient in teaching, classroom management and child development,” said Navneet ain, Director, MD International School, i nor. “ ontinuous monitoring of the marks attained by the students help in student’s development .” aibhav Kapoor, rincipal, anta ublic School said, “We train our teachers regularly on the new techniques, methodology and development in the field of education through various workshops, seminars, trainings and interactional sessions. Students are also provided with the worthwhile sessions to enlighten them on the important topics other than studies that are of utter significance like ethics, career counselling, motivational talks and interactional sessions with in uential personalities”. n digitalLEARNING

DECEMBER 2016

17

COVER STORY

Academic Excellence

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s a way to promote academic excellence along with other skills, few schools ensure their authorities, teachers, and students work as a team in various activities or projects to offer their students a sense of leadership and maturity.

Collaboration of work with proper division of labour is most important. arious

Beas Dev Ralhan CEO, Next Education

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Students are also able to learn at their own pace because they have all the materials at their disposal.

Moreover, instead of just teaching, teachers can guide students while the latter applies their understanding in discussion sessions.

With our digital learning solution, we, at Next Education, facilitate a flipped classroom.

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DECEMBER 2016

digitalLEARNING

departments are headed by experts in their own fields are assigned with different work to execute them effectively. There is coordi-

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academic excellence and develop the students holistically. ccording to her, “We encourage a curriculum where students not only develop critical and re ective thinking skills but also encourage them to have an empathetic view/outlook about classrooms of mixed ability students community services like contributions to orphanage, old age homes, adopting Sapera asti” ,food bucket challenge, rallies on cleanliness drive awaress on social issues. alue based education is imparted for a holistic and character development in students”.

Explaining the methods followed for academic excellence in his school, nit rora, rincipal, ambridge International School, Dasuya, said,“ he school has been using a very formalised structure with clear lines of authority from the top down. This is a hierarchical structure. The administrative team consists of an organized central head

As a progressive school we believe that the multidisciplinary approach has become an important and challenging technique in shaping the curriculum. ...............................................................................................................

Geeta Rajan, Principal, St Marks Sr Sec Public School

nation and synchronisation among the various departments for the smooth functioning of the institution.

Top schools lay down processes to ensure performance by their students, teaching staff and school administration. The schools ensure that systems and processes are defined and imbibed by the school administration so that no room is left for ambiguities. In order to ensure academic excellence, a close synergy is maintained between the school management, teachers, students and parents by following the best procedures and practices.

While many schools excel in just one domain, top schools stress on the holistic development of each student, for example, Indraprastha group of schools admit each child with a motto each each child, develop whole child’ that corroborates their vision of all-round growth of the personality of each student.

Sulochana Raja, Ryan International School, Mayur ihar opined that diversified curriculum will help the schools to achieve

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and then heads of different departments.

The reporting is as per the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly action plan. The plans are executed in appropriate ways and the records are maintained meticulously. ll the faculty members are made aware of all the concerns. For the better functioning of the administrative structure the feedback is taken from parents as well as faculty members.” eeta a an, rincipal, St Marks Sr Sec ublic School said, “ s a progressive school we believe that the multi-disciplinary approach has become an important and challenging technique in shaping the curriculum. This approach synthesizes more than one discipline and creates team of teachers and students that enrich the overall educational experience. Students taught with this technique master higher order thinking skills. his is definitely the future of discovery and innovation. We assign such projects to our students and we have noticed an advancement in critical thinking, communication and creativity of the students”. n

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Flipped Classroom

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any schools have embraced the concept of ipped classrooms which have transformed teaching practices. In this, teachers are no longer required to stand in front of their students and talk to them for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. he ipped classrooms have changed the classrooms. Top schools from around the world have adopted the model and are using it to teach classes in all curriculum areas to elementary, middle, and high school students as well as adults. ccording to ita Kaul, Director cdemics, Millienium School, Noida, ipped classrooms have made learning a very interesting, innovative and interactive experience.

“ he I tools have made learning more effective and interesting for all learners. ll these ICT tools have indeed enhanced the teaching learning process in a positive way.” nil Mammen, hief - earning Design and Social Impact, Tata ClassEdge, said, “ ipped classroom converts one s home into a learning space for acquiring information (watching videos, looking up websites, etc.) and classrooms into active learning spaces with activities, experiments, discussions and feedback. When learning gets powered by such high engagement and interaction, learning outcomes are certainly bound to go up.”

On significance of ipped classrooms, awal Singh, hief roduct Officer, earson said, “Flipped earning allows for a really high quality interaction to take place between the teacher and the taught in the classroom. It allows for more time on concepts and applications and thus enhances the overall efficacy of the entire process. What it also does is that it significantly increases learner participation which allows for a great learning culture to prosper and grow”.

Field Trips

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lot of modern-day schools ensure students undertake field trips. op schools endure the expense and disruption of providing field trips because these experiences help schools to produce civilised young men and women. With field trips, public schools viewed themselves as the great equaliser in terms of access to our cultural heritage.

In top school, teaching staff always try to develop a professional yet friendly atmosphere. It’s important for students to know and understand the purpose and aim of schooling, in clear terms. arious school trips, educational tours, projects, and a host of inter house activities with involvement of teachers develop a closer understanding among students.

Sharing his views on importance of field trips, unaid ussain, ead, dvocacy and Customer Relations, INME earning said, “We do not consider these as trips. Our interventions form an integral part of a child’s learning journey.

Experiential education methodologies play a crucial role in a child’s development, even more in today’s day and date

due to the heavy reliance on technology.

Outclass has been inspired by our own rich beyond-the-classroom learning experiences as students. These experiences powerfully complement children s academic growth by building real life skills that help us in our lives - looking inwards with honesty, working effectively with our teammates, and leading others with commitment”.

Dr Srimathy Kesan, Director, Space Kidz India has shared the genesis of her school that is completely based on experiential learning, “World is a book and those who do not travel will read only

Rita Kaul

Director Acdemics, Millienium School, Noida

Flipped classrooms have made learning innovative and interactive experience.

The ICT tools have made learning more effective and interesting for all learners.

one page” Nothing works better than a touch n feel therapy. Seeing is believing, educational trips leave a lasting impression on a child’s mind forever, giving him or her an all round growth and development. More hands on and outdoor pedagogical teaching is healthy for both the tutor as well as the child. “ ducation through Travel”, in fact is the tagline of our organisation. This is the same principle that Schools all around the Country follow except that it would be for a shorter duration, to refresh the minds of the children, or to create an awareness into a particular stream of study and get them back to classroom learning. ccording to avinder al Sinh, Director, Dell, ipped classroom methodology allows students to first read review topics at home and then attend lecture.

This way student can ask lot better questions and queries, which helps him to understand more better. This is a common teaching methodology in global reputed organizations, and same needs to be adpated here as well. Schools following are clearly winners here. n digitalLEARNING

DECEMBER 2016

19

Corporate Interview

Techior Solutions:

Changing eLearning

Landscape Through Innovation From managing regular school operations like pre-admission process, fee collection and student attendance to generating question papers for exams, the software solutions from Techior ensure schools gain efficiency at afforda le cost. In an exclusive interview with Elets News Network (ENN), Neelam Moharil, irector, Techior Solutions Pvt. td. talks a out the company s offerings and how they are enefitting schools in India and a road.

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it really easy for schools to conduct exams.

The software supports mathematical equations, images and multiple languages. You can generate objective, subjective, or board pattern exams very easily. You can enter your own questions in the software or import data from word documents.

hat kind of software solutions does Techior Solutions Pvt. Ltd. offer to the education sector in India?

Techior Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a company based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, which specialises in the education software space. Our company is in this business for the last nine years and has several hundred customers in India and overseas. We are very proud of our product quality and customer support. We provide 100 per cent money back guarantee if customer is not satisfied with our product or service. Our products are available for managing schools, managing tests, conducting online tests to reduce on papers, and Android-based test. Our innovative products help schools save time and money.

What different kinds of software solutions does your company offer to schools?

For schools, we have launched school management software that helps in regular school operations like pre-admission, admission, fees collection, student attendance, biometric attendance, managing test marks, score card, CCE report card, staff management, payroll, HR, inventory, bus transport, library, hostel, visitor management, time table generation and SMS or email communication with parents. There are more than 100 reports that are just a click away to help schools with readily available information. The software is available for small schools as well as multischool institutions. It is a very affordable solution and our customers say it is a real value for their money. Our software is different in the sense that it is very simple to use.

Our training department trains users to draw maximum benefits out of it. roduct videos

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Which new software your company is planning to launch in near future?

are available on our website and YouTube so that users can see them any time.

Please tell us about the question paper or test generator software your company provides.

Our question paper generator is used to manage content at education institutions.

Most schools and colleges conduct regular exams and in most places we see a lot of chaos and running around for exam controllers prior to exams. Typically, teachers mark the questions in books or give handwritten questions to DTP operators who in turn enter it in digital format. Then it is given for proof reading to teachers, who correct it and give it back to DTP operators for carrying out the corrections. The cycle continues until the task is done. Our software helps with test generation in a click. We also have a readymade question bank of 60,000 plus questions for CBSE, JEE (Main and Advance) and state board syllabus. The software makes

Digitisation is increasing in India and penetration of computers, internet and smartphones is on the rise since last few years. Techior is committed to help schools reduce usage of paper to save trees as well as their time and money by making information readily available to schools, students and parents. We also help improve the speed of various operations in schools. We are launching a test pad that students can use to write tests. It will reduce the usage of paper. We are also working with clients in Singapore and Qatar to conduct exams completely on test pad. We are always innovating to make schools more productive.

Why do people like Techior Sofware?

Techior has built its software keeping in mind the user base. Our solutions are known for their simplicity and user friendliness. Our customers are extremely happy with our services. We work from our office and use the technology to remotely sell and service our software at the client site. This removes the dependency of personnel in various regions and saves lot of travel time. Our remote desktop management tools help us reach any place in the world within seconds.

We can help our clients within seconds if they have internet connectivity. This reduces the sales and service cost which is passed on to customers. We invite schools across the world to try our software and realise their benefits.n

INTRODUCING LAKSHYA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Satyaki Banerjee, Head of School

A paradigm shift in education thus developing 21st century learners.

What is the genesis of Lakshya International School?

Aditya Educational Institutions has been standing strong as a gamut of 50 educational institutions in different streams, with a faculty of 5,000 members and surging student strength of 50,000 stands testimony to it. One more feather added to its crown is Lakshya International School. Chairman, Shri N.Sesha Reddy's career began as a lecturer but the struggle to study under kerosene lamps, to attend school of inadequate buildings and to get along with what is available - all these turned his determination into steel. So came into existence ADITYA. Lakshya International School was offcourse the brainchild of Shri N.K. Deepak Reddy, Secretary, Aditya Group and Dr. N. Suguna (Director, Aditya Group) who strongly felt the need of an International school at Kakinada and thus started the school with a commitment to deliver excellence and international perspectives. They strongly believed that the region requires a 21st generation school which will provide student centred learning which will deliver excellence not only in instruction but also in holistic development of the children.

Overall Lakshya International School has been born with a bigger objective of bringing about a vast change or transformation in education systems in this coastal Andhra region to be more particular.

As a brand, what distinguishes your international school from various other international schools in the country?

Lakshya International School has an amazingly happy atmosphere with an eye soothing environment for a successful teaching learning process. At Lakshya every room , every studio, every place is a learning space. That's how the school is built up and designed.

The school believes in taking up sustainable projects for the students which will not only help in the student's learning process but also make them responsible life long learners.

Keeping the stakeholders at par with the understanding of the VMO (Vision, Mission and Objective) and thus accordingly take right steps towards building up the school's ethos.

Develop Internationally minded people through a robust programme and curriculum where the students will recognize their common humanity as well as the shared guardianship of the planet and thus help to create a better world.

Develop a strong relationship, trust and bond of understanding amongst students and facilitators which is greatly missing nowadays in this competitive world. Today, the definition of respect for a teacher has changed a lot.

How does your brand ensure the good quality of education? What are the challenges and how do you overcome those challenges?

The definition of good quality education lies in preparing the students for the 21st century.

21st Century Skills are the building blocks to 21st century learning and citizenship. They are essential for success in today's world and include the 4Cs of critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and creativity and innovation.

These skills are developed while students study core subjects. We want our students to be civically literate, globally competent and digitally literate and thus become better prepared for 21st century citizenship.

A student who is a globally aware and competent can investigate the world, weigh perspectives, communicate ideas, take action and apply expertise to different academic subjects. I think if we can achieve this and make the whole idea sustainable for years to come, we will certainly be able to prepare the kids in the best possible manner, or what the parents exactly want for their children.

We also feel that strong digital literacy will help our students to understand their rights and responsibilities online, recognize the benefits and risks, realize the personal and ethical implications of their actions in the digital space, and empower them to be smart and effective participants in the digital world.

The challenges: Today's i-generation have the internet and they are connected and live in a very complex and diverse society. They are constantly confronted with real-life issues such as poverty, corruption, terrorism, fundamentalism, environmental and health issues, social issues on a day-to-day basis both locally and globally.

So the teachers, parents and adults whoever is guiding a child needs to adapt to the developments and be at the same pace with the students. There lies our challenges.

Parent education about how to deal with their kids is the biggest

challenge too. In this competitive world, we find both parents are engaged in job or business and thus the adequate time is not given to the kids and at the same time the increasing gap between the parent and children cause all the more conflicts thus affecting the school's entire process of educating the child.

Parent teacher meets, Coffee Mornings, Student led conferences, telephonic conversations, email exchanges, whats-app groups, circulars are effective measure for being in regular communication with the parents which will help us in motoring the student progresses and thus keeping the parents in the loop to be aware of all what is happening in school.

With ever changing dynamics of the education sector, how do you think, the teachers are changing their way of imparting knowledge and how do you keep the curriculum up to date to meet the changing demands?

I strongly feel that the society requires 21st century school in its true sense where the curriculum includes all student activities, academic and non academic, for which the school takes responsibility. At the heart of the curriculum is the learner constructing meaning.

The curriculum should identify what is worth knowing for the students and the subject specific knowledge, concepts and skills.

Keeping this in mind we are offering IBPYP from the upcoming session (2017-18) as a candidate school which will aim to promoting international mindedness. The curriculum as expected will have global significance and offer the students the opportunity to explore the commonalities of human experience.

What is your vision for the brand? What are your plans for the brand expansion in near future?

At Lakshya International School students are inspired and prepared to succeed in a global society. It nurtures the keen minds and compassionate hearts of the children in a responsive and caring community of learners. Our students mature into confident, healthy human beings inspired to contribute to a world that needs them.

Lakshya International School is presently sited in a lush green surrounding with a 4 acre campus which offers IBPYP for Grades Kindergarten to Grade V and CBSE for grades VI to VIII. The campus will soon be additionally having International Standard boarding facilities for the session 2018-19 alongwith the best sports facilities accommodated in an Indoor Stadium as well as the modern outdoor facilities built as per the rules and regulations of International Sports.

Bringing Best of Modern, TRADITIONAL VALUES Together

Ajanta Public School was created to encourage the children to dream big and discover their innate potential to achieve their dreams. Vaibhav Kapoor, principal of Ajanta Public School, who truly believes that it’s never too late to rediscover the child inside us, explains how technology helps education segment in touching new heights.

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ducation and technology are synonymous to each other.

The objective of education is to give profound and in-depth knowledge of the various subjects to the students in a creative way. Similarly, technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and environment. In today’s competitive world we educationists have clubbed these words together to make it educational technology for

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imparting quality and valuable knowledge to our youth.

Ajanta Public School is trying to incorporate the same in our educational institution. Among the endeavours we have undertaken to become a Microsoft showcase school and provide training to the students include introduction of ‘Cloud 9’ school app for disseminating information to parents and school transport app for safety of students. Many more such apps are in pipeline.

We have also tied up with Net 2 School for live streaming, delayed broadcast and E-magazine. Besides that, we organised live experts’ session for our senior secondary students to help them gain better insights into their future prospects.

While keeping pace with technological advancements, we strongly believe in the Indian education system and try to inculcate our students with basic values and ethics which are cornerstones of the Indian education. Our focus is the holistic development of children by providing them equal opportunity in academics and co-curricular activities. Our students have performed meticulously to come out with ying colours in academics as well as cocurricular activities by bagging 97 per cent marks in Class XII Board exams and 11 students getting selected for various national level sports competitions in 2016.

Our students have stupendously done well in MUN (MODEL UNITED NATION) sessions and felicitated by leaders.

We are trying to tie them with a string of digital and traditional education and shaping them to strive for more in this competitive world. I wish all the budding and future leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, educators and others to hold good of modern and traditional values together to create their own path. n

SPECIAL STORY

DEMONETISATION BRINGS MODI-NOMICS TO SCHOOLS Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of `500 and `1,000 notes in November, the move has evoked innumerable responses and discussions in almost every sphere of life in India. The world of education certainly was not an exception, Rashi Aditi Ghosh and Priyanka Sharma of Elets News Network (ENN) tried to explore the influence.

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espite having a huge significance for the Indian growth story, the education sector’s response somehow got sidelined or perhaps not given a proper heed to.

Be it students, academicians or powers that be in various academic institutions, a big section of them appears to be unanimous in stating that the move’s overall effect on education has been positive.

Effects of Demonetisation on Schools

Advantages: Wide Scope for Poor Students: Demonetisation will create a level-playing field for aspiring and deserving students, who are unable to pay capitation fee, which has been widely prevalent in the private education system.

Respite from Capitation Fee: The government’s demonetisation is likely to give a big relief from the monetary harassment done in the names of capitation fees.

This is actually the money paid to educational institutes to cover up for the aca-

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demic underperformance of students who wish to seek admission based on capitation fee. Described as “donation”, sometimes its amount is more than 100% of the usual fee.

Speaking on demonetisation and its ablity to curb capitation fee, Vaishali Parikh, Headmistress -Anand Niketan, Bhadaj Campus, said, “Demonetisation can change the course of expensive education which can be made more affordable devoid of the capitation fee. The seats in the so-called management quota will not be up for sale by the institutions instead they will be in the hands of meritorious students.”

A Curb on Black Money: The amount of unaccounted wealth with many such parents is likely to considerably reduce, resulting in increased opportunities for those students who are capable, but previously used to edged out by capitationfee-paying students.

Getting Closer to Digitisation: With demonetisation the usage of various e-payment gateways like online debit/credit card transactions, e-wallets and mobile banking has registered an enormous rise.

It has opened a whole new way of making

payments required for educational institutions. E-books, paying fees online, buying and sharing digital pro ects will see a definite rise post-demonetisation.

Talking about the impact of demonetisation on educational institutions, Kiranjit Singh Pannu, Principal, Tapti Valley International School, said, “Demonetisation, although sudden, it has given a great boost to the schools. Because of this initiative schools from now on will get digitally enhanced and cashless.”

Disadvantages:

Poor Internet-connectivity areas may face problems Nearly 20 per cent Indians have access to the internet. While, a mere 14 per cent Indians can access internet occassionally through their mobile phones, according to Pew Research Centre, an American research Organisation.

Explaining the issue of poor Internet-connectivity and its impact on demoentisation, Joseph Thomas, Chairman, Mount Litera Zee School,

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Mysore, said: “Schools in cities may not have a big problem adjusting to demonetisation, as parents are educated and tech savvy. But it may be a hassle for institutions in rural areas where more awareness and training is required. We don’t anticipate any big difference or change as people are adapting to the reality.”

Demonetisation May Raise Cyber Threats

In a recent cyber attack of unprecedented scale, safety of over 32 lakh debit cards was compromised in October, the culprit being a malware. It was reportedly the biggest data breach in the Indian banking history.

According to the India Risk Survey-2016 conducted by Pinkerton and FICCI, the information and cyber insecurity has been listed as the second biggest threat to businesses in India for two consecutive years.

Impact on higher education overseas

Since some parents use black money to fund student expenses for those who are studying abroad, the ow of Indian students to foreign countries may also dwindle.

Government Endeavours to Promote Digitisation post-demonetisation HRD Ministry to award educational institutes promoting digitisation Promoting the Prime Minister’s favourite demonetisation move in a major way, the Ministry of Human Resource Development gave a deadline to all educational institutions to go completely digital for payments, and the institute that makes the best effort will be awarded by the ministry.

A roadmap on how e-payment mode should be adopted has been given to various institutions. By January 12, all institutions should complete the first step of

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“Schools in cities may not have a problem in adjusting to demonetisation.

But it may be a hassle for institutions in rural areas where more awareness and training is required.” ...............................................................................................................

Joseph Thomas, Chairman, Mount Litera Zee School, Mysore

going completely cashless.

A circular in this regard was sent to all colleges and universities recently. Institutes are also required to submit the details of the steps taken by them till January 12 and the number of student volunteers that have been enrolled.

CBSE goes the cashless way

Smart Cards and e-Wallets to be introduced in schools soon by CBSE From next quarter, cashless transactions will be mandatory for all S affiliated schools. The educational board has decided to make payment of teachers’ salary and school fees cashless. Thus, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has also decided to introduce smart cards in canteens and tuck shops to promote financial literacy and to inculcate the habit of cashless transaction among students.

CBSE has conducted meeting with 350 nodal schools on December 7 and they made them understand how to make the schools completely cashless. And, just after this meeting, within three days a circular on staff payment through bank transfer and payment of fees only through “non-cash” mode.

CBSE recently declared that from January 17, it will go cashless with affiliated schools, accepting fees through e-payment.

“Demonetisation can change the course of expensive education which can be made more affordable devoid of the capitation fee.” ...............................................................................................................

Vaishali Parikh, Headmistress -Anand Niketan, Bhadaj Campus

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Rajasthan Education Board to initiate e-payments

To help students pay their fee on time and ease their difficulties due to demonetisation, the Rajasthan Education Board on December 9, 2016 announced that it will be taking steps to digitalise their fee payment options. The Board has begun digitising its cash counters.

The Board is contemplating going cashless for student service centres in many districts as well as other offices as well.

The Board has made certain arrangements to digitise payments at these centres in the coming few days. For this, UPI addresses have been made ready, through which 30 terminals will be prepared.

Explaining about the preparedness pertaining to demonetisation, Kiranjit Singh Pannu, Principal, Tapti Valley International School, said, “We have commenced our measures for total Cashless transaction and Cashless school. We have briefed parents, teachers, staff and support staff about the change, implications and way ahead. We have organised a workshop by hamber of commerce certified s for our children of Grade 11 and 12 (Commerce). We are also organising awareness workshop for the parents and staff.”

Adding more about preparedness, Preeta Pillai, Principal-Podar World School, said, “ he benefit of cashless transactions are enormous therefore our school introduced online facility and non cash mode for collection of all types of school fees much before the announcement of demonetisation. Our school is interacting with Parents during Parent Teacher Meeting to spread awareness about the benefits of non-cash transactions and motivate students of senior classes to undertake promotional initiatives in their neighbourhood to promote cashless transactions among common people.” n

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3

2017

31st January 2017, New Delhi CONFERENCE | AWARDS | EXPO

Next Generation Schools –

SET TO DEFINE NEW AGE LEARNING Future schools will incorporate Augmented Reality, Grading and instant feedback through rtificial Intelligence programmes and Virtual Classrooms with more Flipped Learning techniques, writes Ajay Ola, Product ead, IIT uru, indChampion earning Systems imited.

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digitallearning.eletsonline.com

he biology students are about to dissect frogs. The specimens arrive and complete silence follows. Each student enthusiastically dissects the animal without any ethical dilemma of killing a living being. All kids are delighted instead of feeling pained or uncomfortable. How? Because the frog was dissected in a virtual 3D simulator, providing students a crystal clear lesson without the hassles associated with current teaching.

Welcome to ‘Next Generation Schools’!

In schools, the pedagogy and teaching environments have not seen much change since 19th century. But with the dawn of information technology, the segment is hopeful of a significant change. We have already seen the advent of interactive classes and more immersive learning. But that’s just the beginning.

The term Next Generation Schools holds much broader significance than ust something that is meant to educate next generation of students.

It is about engaging the next generation of students through next generation of teaching. It involves learning methods to enable them to realise their potential and prepare life-long learners who can successfully navigate the world.

By adapting futuristic approaches, the Next Generation Schools promise significantly higher achievement for their prospective students.

On the philosophical side, the future schools will focus more on individualised learning with greater emphasis on situational and experiential understanding.

Teachers will evolve as a friend and facilitator, nurturing constructive and inquiry based environment for students.

The complexity of learning will increase as more and more focus will shift towards interdisciplinary. Assessment of students will be individualised and it will nudge children to demonstrate competency than aunting ust examination scores.

Such a much awaited change is certainly possible. But it will take better technology to make it possible.

Future schools will incorporate

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Augmented Reality, Grading and instant feedback through rtificial Intelligence programmes and Virtual Classrooms with more Flipped Learning techniques.

Students will learn through personal digital devices augmented through oogle apps, Dropbox, Microsoft Office Online and other content available over Internet.

Augmented reality would be a game

By adapting futuristic approaches, the Next Generation Schools promise achievement for their prospective students.

changer in the way learning occurs.

Research has suggested that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text.

Just imagine how interesting the learning will feel when history would be taught through virtual graphics of cities and kingdoms, while geography and wildlife would be learnt through interactions in a digital forest. Further, with overlaying of digital information on these physical environments, the possibilities of learning would be immense.

nother significant teaching methodology in Next Generation Schools is “Simulated Teaching”. It can help students, especially in biology practicals, where they may dissect frogs without any ethical dilemma of killing a living being.

A virtual 3D simulator provides students a clear lesson without the hassles associated with current teaching methodologies.

As more and more content is digitized and available 24x7, the idea of 8am – 2am schools would be futile. The focus of classrooms would shift to conveying higher order thinking skills than just teaching mundane lessons.

Kids could learn anytime, anywhere, at their own pace and be in classroom to do homework and clear doubts.

In a interesting experiment, a study conducted at Clintondale High School, a ipped model was implemented and they found that Maths failure rate decreased from 44% to 13% and that of in English from 52% to 19%.

Further, softwares embedded with artificial intelligence will transform the assessment and learning practices. It will speed up the learning process but help and individualise the teaching to a greater precision by diagnosing and suggesting paths for improvement.

Online learning with its collaborative tools will also aid more interactions among students, even if they are far away. However, online classes will require support of tutors in the form of a call center to instantly address doubts that students may have.

The Next Generation Schools are full of possibilities. To help every child in his or her growth and learning, a balanced system can be developed with the help of Next Generation Schools which can ensure a positive change in the way we have been teaching and learning all these years. n digitalLEARNING

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MD International School, Bijnor

M

D International School, Bijnor was established in 2014 by Manorama Devi Memorial Charitable Trust with Mr S K Jain as founder Chairman and Mr Navneet Jain Secreatry playing a pivotal role.............

Under the aegis of Manorama Devi Memorial Charitable Trust, MD International School, Bijnor is positioned to be regarded as a centre of educational excellence. Philosophy of MD is based on a set of strongly held beliefs which are put into action everyday by every member of the institution.

It’s a philosophy of treating each child in a sensitive manner and providing appropriate developmental programmes so as to encourage not just learning but also the love for learning. Life at MDIS centres on a shared commitment to academic excellence, intellectual growth, art, athletics, and high standard of ethical awareness, sportsmanship, and community service. The school’s transitions and accessibility to a broad curriculum add path to each student’s life. MDIS considers education to be a life-long process which should have a strong foundation in a student’s life. The goal of MDIS is to inculcate love for learning and desire to excel among the students. MDIS also aims at equipping the students with the intellectual and practical skills that are necessary to meet the real life challenges in the future. It is also committed to provide an environment that is safe, clean, healthy and child-oriented.

An environment where classrooms are arranged in a manner that it offers learn-

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l Clean green campus. l Nominal fee structure. l Modern security and safety( through CCTV cameras and restricted entry and armed security personals) l High standard of hygiene and health l

water.

l Wi-Fi enabled 4 Mbps internet access campus. l Specialised dance, art & craft rooms.

Ritu Kochhar, Principal MD International School

ing choices at a range of development levels.

Specially designed activity areas allow children to explore, experience, and succeed.

The school has a team of well trained 80 staff members. The teachers under the direction of Principal Mrs Ritu Kochhar are motivating and caring for every individual student committed to help the students to reach their full potential across all key learning areas. The school is providing all sorts of opportunities, grounds and equipments to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

MDIS is a co-educational day boarding secondary school affiliated with the S board focusing on improving the quality of education in Bijnor through innovation and achieving excellence. The school is also working for accreditation from British Council.

Mission of the school is to provide com comdevelopprehensive education for holistic develop ment of individual personality with a human touch and visionary outlook and to provide an atmosphere where every child finds ititself comfortable to unlock theirtalent and develop an inquisitive mind.

MDIS is the signature educastatement of an educa tion concept that takes a life time to evolve.

It is a fairy tale translation and Shri S K Jain synprudent syn Chairman innuthesis of innu merable views MD International School of the elite thinkers of

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SPECIAL FEATURES OF SCHOOL

l Language lab to remove pronunciation related problems. l Well equipped science labs l Auditorium l Well furnished Indoor Gymnasium. l Badminton Academy with l A large multipurpose and aerobics. l Electromagnatic Shooting Range with modern equipment. l Cafeteria and eatery. l Smart classes . l 100% power and water l Health and wellness centre health issues and medical guidance.

contemporary school education.

MD International School is working to encourage mutualism, develop global vision, enhance value based education and capacity among students to take decision in difficult times.

The school is committed to provide state of art infrastructure, vigorous out-door life, vibrant campus and free access to technologies in vogue. The school is assuring a rewarding future, modern Gurukul life, secularism, impartial judgement and an ideal blend of tradition and modernity. n

Interview

A Blend of Multiple Intelligence

The use of technology is one of the major USPs of Kalorex. The teachers use technology to implement curriculum methods and strategies to maximise student learning. They apply technology to facilitate variety of assessment and evaluation strategies, says Manjula Pooja Shroff, MD & CEO, Kalorex in conversation with Elets News Network (ENN). Excerpts:

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hat factors help a school attain top position in a city or state?

Well-qualified faculty and consistent excellence in academic board results can help. ut other useful factors can be teacher training and innovations, students recognitions and alumni placements, and use of innovative teaching methods and latest pedagogies.

How technology can be useful in influencing learning outcomes, which one clicked for your school?

s and mobile apps help schools to communicate with students and parents. hese enable parents to know the learning outcomes whenever they require. echnology also helps students to update themselves at home by revising what is taught in the classroom.

How do you maintain good balance between academic and co-curricular activities at your school?

he schools conduct large number of cocurricular activities for students entire year. hese include intra and inter school events for sports, dance, drama, music, social causes, literary events festivals, field trips and educational trips, Model nited Nations M Ns , career counselling workshops etc.

How do you develop an interesting curriculum which also focuses on the holistic development of students at your school?

Kalorex has formulated its curriculum framework in a way that caters to shaping global learners. urriculum of Kalorex reschools is a blend of Multiple Intelligence, iaget s ognitive heory, eggio milio and Montessori. Kalorex curriculum imbibes the best of 21st entury reading learning skills along with local value system. he most important goal of our curriculum is to help children become independent, self - confident along with gaining excellence in studies. t alorx ublic Schools, D S OIS, the four heories of earning - onstructivism, ehaviourism, ognitivism and onnectivism form the basis of instructional delivery. he theories are beautifully woven into the curricula with different approaches likeonventional, Interdisciplinary, ctive and lended earning. he school follows a balance of “ umanist” and “ onstructivist” pedagogies.

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With ever changing dynamics of the education sector, how teachers are changing their ways to educate? How do you keep the curriculum up to date to meet the changing demands?

In Kalorex, we ensure that the teachers are kept updated on the latest teaching practices through in-house and external trainings. he curriculum follows the board requirements as applicable for S , I S and I and immediately incorporates any changes that come about.

What strategies do you follow for innovation and reform in the school administrative system?

ll the pro ect heads and senior ltus members get together once a month for the Kalorex uddle Meeting where some quality presentations on best practices and new educational policies are shared. he centralised learning development and quality department circulates a training calendar to all pro ects after taking their specific requirements and organises training throughout the year for admin staff and teachers. hese trainings focus on building competency, developing skills and orientation to Kalorex. Management Information Systems have been put in place for cademics, rainings, ransport and other departments.

To administer a school effectively, what challenges have you faced in system monitoring?

We have various tools for monitoring like MoM Minutes of Meetings , MIS Management Information System , departmental audits, feedback mechanism, various surveys, reports, tracking systems etc. ll systems and processes are monitored through these tools. resently we are working on introducing business intelligence and ticketing software for monitoring.

How do you integrate the development of students with professional development of teachers?

Students are exposed to a variety of scholastic and co scholastic activities. he opportunities given to students to hone their skills and talents are exemplary. eachers are also given opportunity for upgradation of skills and orientation towards school policies through training programmes offered by the D department as well as arranged by the schools.n

Corporate Interview

Seeing immense opportunities in the education space, Rohit Midha, Director, Commercial Accounts & Tablets Business, Lenovo India, in an exclusive interview with Elets News Network (ENN), tells about his company’s versatile product portfolio that has been designed keeping in view the specific re uirements of educational institutions both in urban and rural areas.

Making Digital Education a Reality

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hat is Lenovo’s idea behind collaborating with various schools, colleges and government education bodies across India?

Lenovo sees these collaborations as a growth opportunity and as a contribution towards the government’s ‘Digital India’ initiative.

All around us content is getting digitised and educational institutions are no different. For example, we are seeing police training divisions starting to use tablets as part of their

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course curriculum. On the country’s education front, the government is considering reducing the number of books students are forced to carry to schools. The education fraternity has already set weight limits for the books students can carry with them, thereby creating the need for devices that can reduce the number of books. Devices and technology are being used to prevent pilferage in many government aided education schemes.

We definitely see an opportunity here and we want to make learning more interactive. Technology coupled with a good device opens up a host of opportunities. Both governments

and private institutions are beginning to see the need to provide laptops to students in order to give them early exposure to the world of internet, digital technology, touch-enable experience and globalisation. Basis our experience, we understand there is a clear need for device-enabled education for better tracking of performance and mentor students.

Which education segments does Lenovo majorly focus on and what are your product offerings in these segments?

The education space in India offers immense

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opportunities when it comes to IT enablement and we work across the entire spectrum of services. We directly collaborate not just with governments to provide students with devices like we did under the ELCOT deal in Tamil Nadu, but also with various institutes across the country.

From digital text books to graphic-rich content, audio lectures and use of devices to record attendance or even conduct tests, our list of user cases is long. Our versatile product portfolio across diffrent screen sizes, their robustness and design innovation make us a natural choice for this segment. We have propositions for K12, higher education and other specialised courses including skill development. For example, we collaborated with ConveGenius, an educational technology company, to launch Slate , a kindergarten specific product.

This is an animation rich product that enables parents to pre-define intervals wherein the child can take a break and watch cartoons on the same device.

When dealing with such a varied audience group, it is critical to understand the customer’s key requirements. While one may be looking for devices for content interactivity and graphics, the other may be requiring a product with a better processor or RAM for enhanced computing, or superior audio for more effective course delivery, or robust built and product reliability.

As for our collaboration with premium institutes like Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar, we have provided them with Windows products.

Their requirement wasn’t content interactivity alone, rather they wanted devices that support online examinations and tests. In other words, there are various factors we need to keep in mind when catering to the demands of educational institutions. Firstly, we need to understand ‘content compatibility’ required and provide systems that can support the demand of 50 plus students using different platforms at the same time. Secondly, we should keep in mind the ‘nature of requirement’ itself, as some of our customers look for devices with embedded fingerprint scanners to be used as an attendance monitoring system.

What is your opinion on the impact of technology on education and how do you think it can enhance the level of education in rural areas?

Opportunities within the education segment for players like us are immense. For example, the usage of devices in rural education institutions is not limited to teaching alone. To-

We see challenges as a way to understand requirements and meet expectations through closer mapping of our offerings.

day, Lenovo devices coupled with biometric devices are used for attendance monitoring, monitoring on pilferage of various aids offered to these institutes and at the same time making the student future ready. Rich graphic and interactive content-based subjects like mathematics and science can become easier to understand and learn by using such devices. Educational institutions can shift from semester-based examinations to online exams. Our devices also eliminate the requirement of manual and time consuming evaluation systems and enable parents to monitor their wards’ reports online.

Using such devices also does away with the tedious process of collecting test papers, manual evaluation and creating score cards. Easy access through Lenovo devices makes the entire process more convenient for students and teachers alike. Additionally, solar powered chargers, eyeball scanners and projector-based products are also gaining momentum in rural areas.

Our objective is to provide students both

in urban and rural areas one such device that combines good battery life, quality audio output, clear display and responsive service support. All in all learning can become more fun and enable a better future.

What are the challenges that Lenovo faces when it comes to aligning with modern day technology and meeting student expectations?

We see challenges as a way to understand user specific requirements and meet expectations through closer mapping of our offerings. herefore, this is not specific to only the technology on offer, but the entire experience. This includes aspects like buying experience, after sales service, total cost of ownership. For example, ‘Accidental Damage Policy’ that we offer on our products can really enhance the user experience. All our learnings from addressing various requirements have helped build a robust go-to market strategy for this segment.

What are Lenovo’s plans for the next five years in the education space?

We would like to be seen as pioneers in the education space, not just from a business opportunity point of view but as an enabler providing access to education across the country, and therefore contributing in building a better tomorrow. We want to be the market leaders in this space and stay abreast with the changing time and technological advancements. We will continue to bring forth our innovative technologies and use our deep understanding of this segment to offer best-in-class products that make learning a fun filled experience. n digitalLEARNING

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ith an unprecedented level of competition in every sphere of life, sending children to ‘the perfect’ school has turned one of the biggest challenge for young parents. But how to determine it? What should be the benchmark to admit the children into any school? Is a highly decorated or popular school good enough reason to send one’s children there or should there be some yardsticks to evaluate any school considering future challenges of academics and professional career?

The purpose of education, therefore, should not limit to building careers but also cater to developing a generation of vibrant minds for nation. All this inspired us to conduct a comprehensive ranking of “Top Schools of India 2016” for the fourth consecutive year.

India has more than 1.4 million schools (Government, Public and Private) educating over 227 million students. Being one of the world’s largest education systems in the world it need constant uprgradation. Our country is the second largest market for e-learning after the US. E-learning market of India is currently pegged at $2-3 billion, and is expected to touch $ 40 billion by 2017. It is estimated that the distance education market in India is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 34 per cent during 2013-14 to 2017-18.

All this guided us to carry out the rankings of different schools located in the country. Through our methodologies, we have tried to break the barriers of demography. Our rankings, as you will see, are spread across the length and breadth of the country and not limited to the metros and big cities alone.

In this exercise, we have tried to select and rate the top schools located in five zones – Metros and cities in North, Central, South, West, East of India captured through primary, secondary and perception data.

This mammoth exercise was spread over two months. Hope this exercise helps you, as parents; make a more informed decision while choosing the school for your child. It is hoped that the ranking edition will be equally beneficial for schools as it is an overview of the factors concerning the education sector at present.

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Ranking Parameter:

Goodwill and Legacy S

chools have traditionally been viewed as places where one gets the opportunity to obtain education. But these places play much bigger role than usually assumed or believed. The impression that a school is actually a home away from home is based on the fact that there is much more that a kid learns while being nurtured at schools than just learning about the academic syllabus.

Be it imparting skills or developing the right aptitude for learning, exploring progressive thinking in life, much more depends upon the school we send our beloved children to. In brief, a good school has to have diverse and compelling ways to measure of success.

So, while evaluating the top schools of India, some of the parameters that digitalLearning magazine adhered to included Goodwill and Legacy

Goodwill and Legacy With societal expectations and careerrelated challenges witnessing an unprecedented high, almost any parent wants to first know what has been the legacy of any school and what is its present goodwill?

How a school is going to take care of our wards is also influenced by the

culture and system that has dominated the place of education over the years.

And, obviously it is bound to be any concerned parent’s prime concern.

Apart from academic information and skills, a good school also aims to serve a number of purposes from building confidence to inculcating a habit of believing in team work and achieving big success in coordination with others.

We, at Digital Learning magazine, considered five criteria under Goodwill and Legacy parameter for acquiring detailed information of a school before ranking it. The criteria were as follows:

School Environment Effective schools have a warm environment. Students feel welcomed and know that the staff cares about them.

Unbiased Environment A good school is disruptive of bad cultural practices. These include intolerance based on race, income, faith, gender and apathy towards the environment.

Safe and Secure Environment With a number of incidents being reportedly occurring in schools off and on, how secure a school is for a child makes a difference. It is important to

consider what kind of security or safety standards are being complied with to keep child abusers at bay or how foolproof the school is from security perspective for the children from not just outsiders but their peers and internal staff as well. Thus, it’s crucial how seriously a school considers this aspect and what kind of measures are in place.

Effective Discipline Discipline is viewed by many as the base of entire educational journey. Be it any sphere of life, the approach to learn and implement is influenced by discipline. So how does a school inculcates such an important habit in its students or in what fashion it is taught or brutally imposed on students reflect the character of any school.

Alumni Feedback How do alumni of any institution view the school? What kind of reviews they feel like offering about that edifice where the new students should or shouldn’t spend their years to come? All this matters a lot while evaluating a school. So, alumni relations or engagement should be considered by every school. A good alumni network could prove to be the best source to get a detailed report of the reputation of the school. n

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n the present time, how wellthought out and updated methodologies a school abides by can make or mar the success of any student’s learning experience. And, teaching strategy is one of the most vital aspects of that.

It can enable students learn the right thing, the best way for the finest possible objective and achieve all this in a wellplanned way.

Assessment of the learning capabilities of students is a key pillar in the development of a successful teaching strategy. For benefitting the students and making them future ready, education sector is undergoing a paradigm shift from Traditional Teaching Method to Innovative Learning Process.

Traditional Teaching: The Chalk-and-Talk Method In the pre-technology education era, the teacher was the sender or the source, the educational material was SENDER (TEACHER)

MESSAGE MEDIUM

RECIEVER (STUDENT)

the information or message, and the student played the role of receiver of the

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Ranking Parameter:

Learning Experience information. In the delivery medium, the educator can deliver the message via the “chalk-and- talk” and overhead projector (OHP) methodologies.

Innovative Learning Process: The new-age learning Confucious, the Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure widely known for his popular aphorisms and models of social interaction, used to say: “I hear and I forget, I see and I believe, and I do and I understand.”

In the similar fashion, multimedia is the combination of various digital media types such as text, images, audio and video, integrated into an multi-sensory interactive application or presentation to convey information to an audience.

Why “Learning Experience” is a parameter for ranking Top Schools of India - 2016?

Traditional educational approaches have led to a mismatch between what is taught to the students and what the industry needs. As such, many institutions are moving towards problem- based learning as a solution to producing graduates who are creative, critically thinking, and analytically attempt to address problems or challenges.

The Digital Learning magazine considered “Learning Experience” as one of the parameters for its Top Schools of India-2016 ranking because the cognitive experience of a student should be fun and thrill rather than become a monotonous experience. n

digitallearning.eletsonline.com

Ranking Parameter:

Academic Excellence

T

hough academic excellence is pivotal in laying the foundation of learning, it is also integral to the holistic development of mind and personality.

Since the society is going through a transition, to make the students futureready, academic excellence cannot be replaced by anything. It requires to be supplemented with needs of ensuring holistic education and development.

What’s Holistic Education?

Holistic education is a methodological paradigm shift which focuses on preparing students to meet any real life challenges. The most important theories behind holistic education are learning about oneself, developing

Schools which adopt the best practices for overall development of their students. healthy relationships and positive social behaviour, social and emotional development, resilience, and the ability to view beauty, experience transcendence, and truth.

Digital Learning magazine’s Top Schools of India – 2016 ranking included academic excellence as a parameter to acknowledge the efforts of

Career Advancement

O

f the various parameters employed while ascertaining the ranking of schools in India, we believe ‘Career Advancement’ has been one of the most significant of all.

With career prospects remaining the chief concern of both -- parents and students -- this parameter to evaluate any educational edifice has gained currency in general. Hence, it was evaluated what career advancement courses the schools offer to help students in the initial stage of their career.

Digital Learning has used ‘Career Advancement’ as one of the parameters to rank the schools.

Schools provide students careerrelated research and advance courses so that they manage to develop an effective and result-oriented job search strategy, build a professional network, and market themselves in best possible fashion during

interviews, drew a higher score in ranking.

Career advancement courses, as we all know, are actually undertaken to consolidate one’s career prospects and ensure a bright future, empowering students and alumni to translate their academic success into professional success.

Through industry-specific training, global networking connections and apprising about relevant opportunities to put a world-class education into practice, these

Why “Academic excellence” was chosen as a parameter for ranking Top Schools of India - 2016?

Keeping academic excellence in mind, it is important that schools should also lay emphasis on complete development of a child which comes only through holistic education. n

courses enable students to embark upon a journey of success without much hassle or struggle.

Whether students require short-term or summer internships, or wish to build a lifelong career in a stream, career advancement courses help students in realising their dreams of professional world.

Career advancement also covers career counselling that schools provide to their students. Career guidance and counselling programmes aim to help students make more informed and better educational and career choices.

Among other things, these programmes offer information on high school courses offering various career options, the type of academic and occupational training needed to succeed in the workplace and opportunities that are linked to their field of interest. Such programmes also provide teachers, administrators, and parents with information to support students in career exploration. n

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Future Ready

Infrastructure

W

hile evaluating how one school holds edge over others in the industry, one of the yardsticks we evaluated it through was ‘Future Ready Infrastructure’.

But what defines Future Ready Infrastructure or Schools can be gauged from components such as Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Personalised Professional Learning and Robust Infrastructure.

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment: The more the digitisation of the curriculum, higher will be the ranking of school.

We noticed that the digitisation has

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turned classrooms more interactive and participative than they once used to be about a decade or two ago. Today, a lot of school teachers can teach students with ease by showing 3D models availing the benefits of digitisation. They can ensure imparting of education is effective and cohesive than letting things remain cumbersome for students through handdrawn diagrammes on the blackboard.

Introduction of digitisation has definitely made process of education more simplified and interesting to draw maximum attention than it used to be once. Furthermore, it has proved helpful in promoting higher education.

Personalised Professional Learning:

Schools imparting professional training to their students are ranked higher. To prepare students for future jobs, it is necessary that they are trained as per the job oriented curriculum.

Robust Infrastructure: When employed as part of a comprehensive educational strategy, the effective use of technology provides tools, resources, data, and supportive systems that improve teaching methodologies and promote efficiency. High quality, high speed technology and infrastructure system within a school are essential to the advancing of digital learning and hence the ranking in the Top schools of India. n

W

ith almost every sphere of technology being influenced or linked to the web world, every institution’s online presence has acquired immense significance. Hence, making it possible to assess what makes a school important in the eyes of its visitors or prospective clients, the schools’ websites have acquired immense significance.

Since almost all parents wish to know what kind of school their wards should be sent to and why they should zero-in on any particular school than the others, they wish to be informed about everything in black and white instead of relying on hearsay.

They wish to know about the school’s culture, mission and priorities?

Online Presence How much importance does it offer to foreign or regional languages? What is the medium of learning? What sort of extra curricular activities are encouraged in the school and much more. Overall, this sort of information is accessed to know before hand how a child is going to benefit in term of overall personality development, as all this paves way for the holistic development of children in future.

Since it is quite difficult to know by parents from any official of the school or gain access to parents whose children are already studying there, it is the school’s website that can serve this purpose.

The school website answers all these questions at one platform. A good website can quickly influence whether the parent of a prospective student seeks more information about the school.

We used Moz, an online tool which ranks schools according to their online presence.

For a good school website, the following features were kept in mind:

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‘Useful’ Homepage Homepage is expected as much useful and friendly to handle that it motivates visitors to click on every icon without getting bored from any of the icons available to click on the website. It shouldn’t involve too much scrolling.

We observed if the homepage of any school was appealing and informative enough for students or parents and if it engages the read on or leads to closing the website down in no time, feeling little educated or informed about the school. We did take a note if the homepage was too crammed with useless or avoidable information on it.

Responsive Design Since responsive design (i.e. mobile friendly) is a crucial element of a school website design. We noticed if it prompts easy access by a wide variety of mobile devices. A good responsive design is supposed to assure each webpage is readable and usable on a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone. It automatically resizes and reformats pages to eliminate that annoying and time-consuming zooming

and dragging that serve as barriers to the viewer.

A school website that incorporates responsive design can be shared and viewed through e-mail links, or social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, which more than half of users now access through mobile applications.

Social Media Integration Social media is a must for any school looking to create stronger connections with the community. A well-designed school website should have all its social media icons in the top navigation of the website. That’s where people look for them.

In addition, website should be easy to share. Social media ‘sharing’ buttons should be placed on all news, calendar, blogs, video and other shareable content.

This is critical to spreading the word and promoting the school website as a valuable source of useful content.

These design tips not only make the website look nice, but assure that its most important function is carried out: effective communication. n

For Queries and Participation Contact

VIRENDRA KASHYAP M: +91 8802168541 | Email: virendra@elets.co.in

digitallearningonline

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digitallearningmag

digitallearning.eletsonline.com/university_ranking

Ranking Parameter:

Social Footprints T he popular platform of connecting and popularising one’s update of life events is being used to reach the top in popularity charts in following ways: Connectivity: Social media helps to develop networks of students and teachers. Students can also use these platforms to connect with various educational institutes as these institutes constantly communicate through social media channels promoting and sharing relevant information from student point of view. Online presence of any school helps it to strengthen connectivity without any limitations on proximity.

Community Building: It is a great way to reach out to potential students and professionals. It gives a chance to network with different industry experts and faculty of different institutions, social media can provide a better industry exposure.

Stimulate Knowledge and discussion: With the help of various social media channels, there is constant

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sharing of information, educational content at rapid rate by the schools.

Educational content shared by educational institutions include views and opinions of faculties, new updates in the education sector and knowledge on various topics. Other than this these platform may help the institutions in assessing, analysing, retaining and sharing the information on a widespread.

Parental Involvement: In order to engage parents and encouraging them for their involvement, social media networks prove to be valuable tool for education institutes. The online presence of educational institutes through social media help the parents in accessing institute’s curriculum and knowing the teachers better. This helps them get clarity about the educational institute.

Visibility Advantage: According to IMAI (Internet and Mobile association of India), 65% of the population go online to search educational content.

Thus, institutes with more online or social visibility have an advantage of being more accessible by the student.

Having an online presence often contribute towards a positive approach for the institute.

The below facts are self-explanatory about how social media is taking off in the 21st century. Today, social media is not only a medium to stay connected with friends and family but various social media channels are the ways for professional learning and researching. l Facebook added over 200 million users in less than a year l iPod application downloads hit 1 billion in 9 months l 80 percent of companies use social media for requirement l YouTube is the second largest search engine of the world l India has 22.2 million Twitter uers in 2015. n (Source: Edtechreview, emarketer)

MD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

WHERE IMAGINATION GROWS

WHERE INNOVATION BEGINS

WHERE INSPIRATION MAGNIFIES

WHERE BRILLIANCE SOARS

Salient Features: lChild centric and global Curriculum lState of Art infrastructure lOutstanding Academia lCollaborative Peer learning lData Driven Governance model st lFocus on high emotional quotient and 21 century skills lCommunity connect program lEmpowering teachers as leaders lElectromagnetic Shooting range with modern equipment

2 Km Mandawar Road Bijnor, E-mail:- mdisbijnor@gmail.com, P.H:-01342-262737, 9012690090,9837720009

ICSE Board School ranking issue of Digital Learning, Asia’s premier education magazine is out now with “Top Schools of India - 2016”. We have published the ranking for the fourth time after considering various factors. This is the first time when ranking has been decided on the basis of a school’s result

Result Based Ranking CBSE Board “Top Schools of India - 2016” is the school ranking issue of Digital Learning, Asia’s premier education magazine.

For the fourth time, the ranking has been published by us after considering various factors. For the first time, the ranking has been decided on the basis of a school’s result in class 10th and 12th of Central Board of Secondary Education.

Students’ performance in subjects like Mathematics, English language, arts, science, and social studies in their CBSE board exams of current year is the only factor that decides the ranking of any school. Graduation rate data of previous years is also used for schools. Overall Ranking that each school receives is based on the performance components of student achievement and their improvement from previous year.

Average score of a school on the basis of its result is the deciding factor for any school. More the score of school, better will be its ranking. Public schools

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can also identify their areas of both strength and challenge. Ranking is also used to recognize the top 5% of schools in the overall ranking and the top 5% of schools with the highest improvement values.

All schools are included in the ranking if they at least have two years of assessment data for five or more full academic year. Along with that, students must have assessed in two or more subjects during these years.

in class 10th and 12th of ICSE board.

Performance of students in the subjects of ICSE board exams like mathematics, English language, arts, science, and social studies of current year is the only factor that decides the ranking of any school. Graduation rate data of previous years is also used for ranking of schools.

Performance of a student is decided on the basis of two components, first one is student’s achievement and second one is their improvement from previous year. Overall Ranking that each school receives is based on the performance components of students.

Average score of a school obtained on the basis of its result is the deciding factor for any school. More the score of school, better will be its ranking. Ranking will help the public schools in identifying their areas of both strength and challenge.

Ranking is also used to recognise the top 5% of schools in the overall ranking and the top 5% of schools with the highest improvement values.

All schools are included in the ranking if they at least have two years of assessment data for five or more full academic year. Along with that, students must have assessed in two or more subjects during these years. n

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eduDESTINATION

PUNJAB Amritsar

ONLINE PRESENCE

CITY RANK 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 13 14

DAV Public School, Lawrence Road Holy Heart Presidency School Spring Dale Senior School Delhi Public School St Francis School DAV International School Shri Ram Ashram Public School The Millennium School BDS Public School Ajnala Ryan International School Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School Ajanta Public School Bhavan’s SL Public School Indus World School Alpine Public School Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School Mount Litera Zee School Manav Public School Jagat Jyoti Model High School The Junior Study School

State Innovators 72

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1 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Holy Heart Presidency School Shri Ram Ashram Public School The Millennium School Ryan International School DAV International School Spring Dale Senior School Ajanta Public School Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School Delhi Public School BDS Public School Ajnala DAV Public School, Lawrence Road Bhavan’s SL Public School The Junior Study School The Senior Study School

1 The Knowledge Bus Global School 2 Cambridge International School, Dasuya

A

Academic Excellence

CBSE 1 D A V International School, Verka Chowk 2 D A V Public School, Lawrence Road 3 Shri Ram Ashram Public School, Majitha Road 4 Springdale Senior School, Nangli 5 Sri Guru Harkrishan Sr Secondary Public School, Gt Road 6 Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan S L Public School 7 The Senior Study G T Road 8 C J S Public School, Bye Pass 9 Manav Public School 10 Khalsa College Public School

3 Guruteg Bahadur International School, Dhariwal 4 Ryat International School, Phagwara

Bombay Cambridge Gurukul

Where Every Child Matters

T

he child is at the heart of Bombay Cambridge Gurukul (BCG), giving the school meaning and purpose. All the five schools under the BCG umbrella believe that children are the torchbearers of what is the highest and noblest of the human race – compassion, sensitivity, and peaceful coexistence – and schools have the inexorable responsibility to work without losing focus of this goal at any point in time.

The philosophy followed by the Bombay Cambridge Gurukul ensures that children learn in any environment that appreciates personal expression. They learn that with rights come duties, with freedom comes responsibility.

Our Curriculum All the BCG schools follow the Cambridge international curriculum, which functions within the framework provided by our educational partners – Cambridge International Examination, UK, and the Maharashtra State Board of Education.

The educational programme is a rich fusion of cognitive and creative expression.

These are consolidated further by offsite field excursions and study tours. The curriculum is constructed and configured to create the best possible educational advantage for the learner.

The Core Curriculum: The school’s curricular programme is consciously scrutinised for its sequential logic, suitability for real-time application and meaningfulness to the learner. Worksheets and internal

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assessments are designed to be learnercentric and promote a positive academic environment. Analysis of data and planned interventions strengthen the student’s competence and confidence to scale every consequent level successfully. Senior school students also have the opportunity to choose subjects based on their interests and aptitude.

The Activity Curriculum: The student schedule is plotted with creative opportunities to balance the academic plan. Personal expression and style is encouraged and appreciated at BCG. The students learn art, craft, music, dance, and drama along with well-planned exercise, games and sports. The school environment is perpetually energised by activities, and senior students participate in and represent their school at various events at national and international levels.

Child Protection Policy The school’s child protection policy guides behaviour on campus to ensure students feel safe, respected and cared for. Senior students and counsellors welcome new students and guide them towards rapid adjustment and healthy participation in school. Every staff member is aware and trained to understand and respond to children appropriately, ensuring there is no compromise on safety.

Life Skills Education Life skills enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. It is during

childhood and adolescence that one acquires these skills through experience and situations in one’s environment.

With experienced counsellors and trained teachers, the life-skills programme has been successfully implemented since over 20 years in BCG. Designed by senior psychologists and educators, the programme consists of analysis of common situations, emotional expressions, inter-personal behaviour, health information and safety rules. The life skills sessions include special modules of the personal safety education programme for the younger children. The course is reviewed annually to ensure it stays relevant and meaningful for its participants.

The BCG Centre for CARE To keep education relevant to the diversity of learners in schools, we have to remove all barriers to participation, learning and achievement, and promote inclusion and equal opportunity. The CARE (Counselling and Remedial Education) service for students is BCG’s commitment to child rights, and to the belief that every child matters.

Community Partnerships BCG collaborates with parents, social service organisations and peers in the education fraternity to enable the development of a supportive, inclusive and progressive environment for children.

Parent Programme: BCG’s regular workshops, meetings and discussion groups provide an important platform for parents to learn how to develop a healthy family environment and responsible behaviour towards their children. They also become ambassadors in the community for child rights and progressive social thoughts.

Community Service: Led by the student council, students get involved in a number of social causes. Their activities help them develop the ability to contribute to their environment and become sensitive towards the less fortunate. Students also plan and implement awareness programmes for containing wastage, refusing plastic, conserving electricity and water, reporting bullying and managing material resources. n

RNI NO.UPENG/20 08/25311 I UP/GZB/70/2015-17