My father was in the defence services. So we used to travel from state to state. I mostly studied in North India and then did my college from Mysore and Panjab University. I am grateful to God that I decided to teach. I am fortunate to have served in a Kendriya Vidyalaya and in a school in an IIT campus in Chennai and another one in Hyderabad. Both these places gave me such a high that I knew I wanted to teach. It is the intuitiveness in education that is my strength and it needed to have a larger canvas. I have spent 28 of 33 years working as a principal. I have loved the entire journey. I was also the principal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan at Chennai for ten years. Then I was asked to set up a school – The Eicher Tractor School – in Parwanu, Himachal Pradesh. It was a quality institute that served extremely heterogenous segments of that society. Then, in July 2000, I joined Modern School, Barakhamba as its principal. It happened because I have always believed in alignment of vision to my personal vision of education. If anybody asks me what is my hobby, I say “schooling”. I believe that every aspect of humanity requires to be developed with effort. song, dance, music, theatre and literature. To me, it is a very vital part of being a happy human being.
*What would you say is your driving force?
If you are a teacher, the fundamental thing is — love for children. The subject, pedagogy, all that comes later. I have been in this field for as many as 33 years. I can remember many instances when students came back to thank me. A couple of years ago, one of my students traced me out, thanks to Facebook, and said, “Today, I am a senior member of a medical team for cancer and I owe it to your Biology classes.” At another time, another student who is doing very well in her life, told me, “You have made all the difference in my life. I want my children to meet you.” Students from all walks of life, be it cinema, medicine, engineering or business, tell me this. In fact, yesterday one of my students came to me and gifted me a saree. He met me after 18 years. I have a photograph in my room, which was taken by one of my students who became a photographer. He gave me the photograph, which was clicked by him, and it felt like receiving a certificate all over again. Schooling is about being responsible through interactive dialogue and creating good human beings. It never gets boring or tiring.
*What is the philosophy of Modern School?
The school was set up in 1920 so that makes it an 91-year-old school, as of now. It has always been ahead of its times, yet very contemporary and that has always been its strength. It is an epitome of excellence, timeless and ageless in its vision. Generations passing out of Modern School believe in it, and its excellence has been proved. We believe in providing excellence. Our vision is about leadership. We are a school that provides leadership in politics, literature, sports and arts. In any walk of life, when somebody reaches the pinnacle of their journey and looks back to see the seeds that were sown in the school, it becomes something that is worth doing. Lala Ragubir Singh and his family, and their continuous leadership is inspiring. It gives the doers a lot of space to experiment, and win the process. It is a rare combination of faith, trust and leadership provided by the management, and its excellent staff makes it happen. The alumni of the school, who represent the who's who of the country, is only a testimony to what I have said.
*As an educationist, how do you feel about the various reforms that were introduced in the education sector over the last one year? Are there still any loopholes?
Currently, we are living in interesting times. We have moved away from slumber to activity. Educational reforms are the dire need of the day. The process was on, but action was minimal. But recently, we have seen a lot of changes — CSE taking responsibility for bringing in the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and implementing it at a reasonably good speed. The Right toEducation Act, which has been introduced, is also very desirable. However, the same speed of reforms is not yet visible in the higher education sector, which is causing some anxiety with regard to linking school education and higher education. The CCED requires extensive training and very mature handling, if it has to represent the spirit of reforms correctly. We are going in the right direction. Any change will take at least two-three years to attain stability, and better training and implementation would be desirable. Right now, it’s just a process, but it has to become a belief that should come from sound principles of education, for which every educator has to feel responsible. The assessments should feed right back into the system, and not remain at the level of rating a child. The Right to Education Act is a wonderful thing. Every child has the right to good education and, even after 60 years of independence, if we cannot have that right, then we cannot boast of a country that had Nalanda University. Though RTE is a good beginning, it requires further thought because, in our country, schooling is very diverse. One size does not fit all. We have states/ cities where the gender ratio is lopsided. Education of girls, even the survival of female children, is a huge issue.
*Technology is making inroads in the classroom. Can smart classrooms replace a teacher?
We are living in an age where technology has seeped into all aspects of our life. We cannot wish it away, so why not make the best of it? I am completely for smart classrooms. The current generation is excited about it, so why not use it for their benefit? But it has to be treated only as a tool, and cannot replace a teacher. It should not be allowed to. A teacher goes well beyond content and methodology to mould students. Very few students remember their teacher only for the subject he/she taught. A teacher’s job is to make learning exciting. He/she is not expected to be only a content provider. I would like to see technology as an answer to problems that prevail in our country. Much as we desire a classroom with smaller pupil-teacher ratio, we are a country with a huge population. It is only desirable to find ways of effective teaching in large classrooms. Technology comes in as a great solution. Leveraging it is up to us. The advantage includes reduction of time in transaction of content in the classroom, 3-D imagery, creation of virtual environment of learning, colour and quality and, of course, a lot of humour. In another context, technology can be used for long-distance learning, non-availability of teachers in difficult terrains and climates. It also provides greater access to the outside world through video conferencing with schools across the world, and enriches the understanding of education.
*Recruitment of teachers is a huge problem.
There is no shortage of qualified teachers, but do we have enough dedicated people who actually believe in the vocation of teaching — particularly in schools where the compensation does not match the societal norms of life? Once, a conversation began with the question: “What does a teacher do, when compared to a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer?” The conversation ended with everybody concluding: “A teacher makes a difference.” That difference is intangible and invisible. A teacher does not necessarily get to be a part of a fashion parade, or is invited to parties. Across the world, a school teacher’s status has never been, or is not expected to be, one of visibility. But that drives home the point that everybody else, who has been made worthy, has been made so due to that invisible hand. It is my belief that all questions raised in any part of the world, forum or debate will find its answers coming from minds nurtured and mentored by teachers who remain faceless and nameless.
*You wanted to tell us more about the reforms in the education sector.One of the major areas of educational reforms that requires attention is mentoring minds through all levels of education, and then giving back to society. Community service should move away from being mere “tokenism” to becoming a “way of life”. There should be an hour dedicated just for doing meaningful work in the service of people and society. Until this idea is institutionalised, there will always be beautiful and clean homes, but dirty streets outside them. Somebody rightly said: “Education that Liberates”. I stretch this liberation to the belief that teaching provides me with the flight of a bird in the skies, which knows neither limits nor boundaries.
*What would you say is your driving force?
If you are a teacher, the fundamental thing is — love for children. The subject, pedagogy, all that comes later. I have been in this field for as many as 33 years. I can remember many instances when students came back to thank me. A couple of years ago, one of my students traced me out, thanks to Facebook, and said, “Today, I am a senior member of a medical team for cancer and I owe it to your Biology classes.” At another time, another student who is doing very well in her life, told me, “You have made all the difference in my life. I want my children to meet you.” Students from all walks of life, be it cinema, medicine, engineering or business, tell me this. In fact, yesterday one of my students came to me and gifted me a saree. He met me after 18 years. I have a photograph in my room, which was taken by one of my students who became a photographer. He gave me the photograph, which was clicked by him, and it felt like receiving a certificate all over again. Schooling is about being responsible through interactive dialogue and creating good human beings. It never gets boring or tiring.
*What is the philosophy of Modern School?
The school was set up in 1920 so that makes it an 91-year-old school, as of now. It has always been ahead of its times, yet very contemporary and that has always been its strength. It is an epitome of excellence, timeless and ageless in its vision. Generations passing out of Modern School believe in it, and its excellence has been proved. We believe in providing excellence. Our vision is about leadership. We are a school that provides leadership in politics, literature, sports and arts. In any walk of life, when somebody reaches the pinnacle of their journey and looks back to see the seeds that were sown in the school, it becomes something that is worth doing. Lala Ragubir Singh and his family, and their continuous leadership is inspiring. It gives the doers a lot of space to experiment, and win the process. It is a rare combination of faith, trust and leadership provided by the management, and its excellent staff makes it happen. The alumni of the school, who represent the who's who of the country, is only a testimony to what I have said.
*As an educationist, how do you feel about the various reforms that were introduced in the education sector over the last one year? Are there still any loopholes?
Currently, we are living in interesting times. We have moved away from slumber to activity. Educational reforms are the dire need of the day. The process was on, but action was minimal. But recently, we have seen a lot of changes — CSE taking responsibility for bringing in the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) and implementing it at a reasonably good speed. The Right toEducation Act, which has been introduced, is also very desirable. However, the same speed of reforms is not yet visible in the higher education sector, which is causing some anxiety with regard to linking school education and higher education. The CCED requires extensive training and very mature handling, if it has to represent the spirit of reforms correctly. We are going in the right direction. Any change will take at least two-three years to attain stability, and better training and implementation would be desirable. Right now, it’s just a process, but it has to become a belief that should come from sound principles of education, for which every educator has to feel responsible. The assessments should feed right back into the system, and not remain at the level of rating a child. The Right to Education Act is a wonderful thing. Every child has the right to good education and, even after 60 years of independence, if we cannot have that right, then we cannot boast of a country that had Nalanda University. Though RTE is a good beginning, it requires further thought because, in our country, schooling is very diverse. One size does not fit all. We have states/ cities where the gender ratio is lopsided. Education of girls, even the survival of female children, is a huge issue.
*Technology is making inroads in the classroom. Can smart classrooms replace a teacher?
We are living in an age where technology has seeped into all aspects of our life. We cannot wish it away, so why not make the best of it? I am completely for smart classrooms. The current generation is excited about it, so why not use it for their benefit? But it has to be treated only as a tool, and cannot replace a teacher. It should not be allowed to. A teacher goes well beyond content and methodology to mould students. Very few students remember their teacher only for the subject he/she taught. A teacher’s job is to make learning exciting. He/she is not expected to be only a content provider. I would like to see technology as an answer to problems that prevail in our country. Much as we desire a classroom with smaller pupil-teacher ratio, we are a country with a huge population. It is only desirable to find ways of effective teaching in large classrooms. Technology comes in as a great solution. Leveraging it is up to us. The advantage includes reduction of time in transaction of content in the classroom, 3-D imagery, creation of virtual environment of learning, colour and quality and, of course, a lot of humour. In another context, technology can be used for long-distance learning, non-availability of teachers in difficult terrains and climates. It also provides greater access to the outside world through video conferencing with schools across the world, and enriches the understanding of education.
*Recruitment of teachers is a huge problem.
There is no shortage of qualified teachers, but do we have enough dedicated people who actually believe in the vocation of teaching — particularly in schools where the compensation does not match the societal norms of life? Once, a conversation began with the question: “What does a teacher do, when compared to a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer?” The conversation ended with everybody concluding: “A teacher makes a difference.” That difference is intangible and invisible. A teacher does not necessarily get to be a part of a fashion parade, or is invited to parties. Across the world, a school teacher’s status has never been, or is not expected to be, one of visibility. But that drives home the point that everybody else, who has been made worthy, has been made so due to that invisible hand. It is my belief that all questions raised in any part of the world, forum or debate will find its answers coming from minds nurtured and mentored by teachers who remain faceless and nameless.
*You wanted to tell us more about the reforms in the education sector.One of the major areas of educational reforms that requires attention is mentoring minds through all levels of education, and then giving back to society. Community service should move away from being mere “tokenism” to becoming a “way of life”. There should be an hour dedicated just for doing meaningful work in the service of people and society. Until this idea is institutionalised, there will always be beautiful and clean homes, but dirty streets outside them. Somebody rightly said: “Education that Liberates”. I stretch this liberation to the belief that teaching provides me with the flight of a bird in the skies, which knows neither limits nor boundaries.
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