‘We aim to make learning fun’

What are your views on CCE? What has been your experience and the feedback you got?

As far as implementing CCE in my school goes,I had already chalked out the curriculum,which had incorporated integrated activity for students before CCE became mandatory. We planned various activities across all classes to ensure healthy competition amongst students. There is more participation of students in the whole learning process this way. Since we were already teaching through that method we did not find any problem in implementing CCE. All we had to do was put it on record.

As far as CCE pattern goes,it helps in bringing a below-average student to the forefront because,earlier,there was a lot of stress on academics. Now,the focus has shifted from academics to other skills as well.

I believe every child is gifted with multiple intelligence and you never know which one of these intelligence is prominent in an individual. It could be academics,sports,artistic skills or even spirituality.

It is heartening to know that Class X is no longer a pressure class for an average or below-average student. There are a lot of contentions against CCE,the main one being that it clubs everybody in a particular class. I don’t think the kind of competition that CCE brings in is a healthy one. It is quite unhealthy that even a .5 per cent difference ends up in one child being declared better than the other. So,along with CCE,in order to make it more successful,what we have to do is create more skills at every level. It could be opening vocational courses so that those who get C grades and CGPA 6 and below can be easily accommodated in these courses.

What is the feedback of parents on CCE? Are they comfortable with it?

Any change will bring in a lot of problems. The case is no different with CCE. The problem is not with CCE as such,but,may be,with its implementation. I have heard and met people in many schools who have a kind of mental block against getting children more involved in project work. The role of a teacher is also bound to change. He/she should no longer be taking only lessons in class. They have to ensure that students understand the concept. Students will understand concepts better when they do a lot of activities surrounding the concept. Project work is not just file work or a powerpoint presentation.

I also think a lot of training is also required for teachers. We need more teachers who are trained in the CCE method of teaching.

How do you think the RTE Act has changed things?

RTE Act has its main focus on the point that every child should go to school. It is the RTE Act which is responsible in getting Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) students to schools. The implementation of the Act in its entirety will take some time. The Act aims to unversalise education. Clubbed with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,it will go a long way in improving society.

Do parents from EWS categoryhave some concerns regarding RTE?

EWS students are being accommodated in all schools as per the rules. But I think the concern of parents of EWS students is that they tend to get very worried and anxious that their children are not being treated well by schools in which they are admitted. This perception is not true. Schools are doing their best to help these children and to ensure that every child is treated the same.

Sneh International was established in 2005 – a short period ago. What are your achievements so far and what is your vision?

Sneh International school has done very well. Academically,this year in Class XII exams,the topper in our school in Commerce scored 96.75 per cent. One student of Science got admission into various colleges,while many others got selected to prestigious engineering institutes across India. I would say we are really doing well.

Along with academics,we offer a lot of activities. We have digital classrooms and smart learning. We have hobby-time classes in which we encourage students to take up various hobbies. We get trainers from outside to take these classes.

Students are doing very well in sports too. Already we have made a mark in our zone. I look forward to our school doing better in future as well.

Our students are doing very well in National Olympiads and National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) in Science and Maths .

We are also giving many scholarships to encourage talent. There is a lot of focus on discipline and value education. We try to mould each child to become a global citizen.

Does your school follow an international curriculum?

We follow international-level teaching methods. We tried to bring in an international methodology of teaching.

We have visited quite a number of schools in the UK where we observed classroom interactions. We have implemented the same method here. For example,integrated teaching. In this method,a single topic is selected and used to teach English,Mathematics,Arts and Craft and Science. This is quite an interesting method of teaching and we have tried it here. It is heartening to know from parents that students now love coming to our school.