Source: Catch’em young
Bengaluru is another melting pot of India, with citizens from across the country as well as overseas living here, even as they pursue their career. Schools in the city are proud to teach their children values, moral lessons and set examples on how to live a happy and harmonious life in the school campus without any discrimination. News Trail reached out to some of the top schools in the city and this is what they had to say.
Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School, said, “Diversity is something that we always celebrate at Canadian International School (CIS). In an ever-changing global scenario, it has become imperative to equip children with adequate exposure to be worthy citizens of the country in the future. CIS is a top international school in India and has students and faculty members from over 40 nationalities. As a culturally rich mosaic, utmost importance is given to diversity and sociocultural awareness. Students are taught to share space with a diverse group of individuals from around the world in a multicultural classroom for a truly international experience.”
“To promote diversity along with educating students on the importance of equality, CIS hosts a symposium on inclusivity every year, which is aimed at understanding biases prevailing in the society and sensitising students on various societal issues. We have also been actively conducting other workshops and roundtable discussions involving participation from high school students and faculty members to educate students in areas of neuro-diversity, race, social class, disability diversity, LGBTQ, and gender as we live in a world of diverse cultures, languages, beliefs and customs. With a myriad of cultures and ethnicities, it is important to learn to accept all – irrespective of social class, caste, gender or sexuality. With such a large and diverse population, we believe that inclusivity helps students become a part of our community, develop a sense of belonging and become better prepared for life in the community as children and adults. We strive to create a community in which each individual is treated with dignity, compassion and fairness,” she added.
Sastri said they also have CIS Allies, a high school student-led group, a club that also tries to educate students to be more inclusive and morally responsible citizens. “We also organise a Multicultural Day every year to celebrate different cultures at the school, which is also a great way for the entire community to come together, share and celebrate the cultural diversity at CIS,” he added.
What is more important nowadays is that sense of responsibility that needs to come in the younger generation, say experts. Niru Agarwal, Trustee, Greenwood High International School, said, “We believe in encouraging intellectual and cultural diversity and aim at developing our pupils’ sense of responsibility towards the wider community. We also offer a dynamic environment where each student is encouraged to become a critical and compassionate thinker, dedicated learner for life, a contributing member of the local and global community, showing respect and understanding for other cultures and acknowledging that others can be different and also right. We also conduct various activities that enhance the moral conduct of the students and our teachers impart knowledge on moral science.”
“We always try to educate young people in ways that prepare them to be active, free-thinking and socially responsible citizens in a democratic society. Our mission is to develop the intellectual, moral, social and emotional potential of the students among others. We have built an ambience that fosters the allegiance of our students to their cultural heritage and promotes respect and tolerance. The students are rooted in their culture and are ready to accept any new challenge with a fresh approach towards learning,” added Agarwal.
Ms Pravitha Nair (Middle School Academic Coordinator, CMRNPS)
“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Those are the powerful words by the Father of our nation. We are citizens of the powerful country India, enriched as it is with diversified cultures, traditions, practices, races, castes, creeds, languages, religions, and unending empowerment. In that sense, undoubtedly we are responsible to build a generation that understands the importance and passes on the heritage to young minds. That’s the belief we educators in the National Public School carry on our sleeves.
In this present day, our school has a beautifully designed and structured curriculum that not only focuses on the exploration of new ideas but also on imbibing the history of each one’s existence. To begin with, we believe in the practice of knowing and understanding each other. It involves respect, acceptance and adoption of each other’s variations. Life skills and SEE learning has helped our students to be tolerant and respect each other. Celebrations of festivities and discussion about what is being followed, competitions and activities are some of those best practices that we follow with pride. The beauty is enhanced when our children imbibe these aspects into their minds through what they learn. They learn how wonderful it is to be different from each other, yet simply be called one.
Affirmations have been a unique feature and practice in our school. Be it from the school head to staff or teachers to students. Apart from these, there is a lot of exposure given through varied books in different genres. Top schools now encourage different languages in the curriculum, namely English, Hindi, Kannada, French and Sanskrit. Languages definitely play an essential role in the unification of diversities regardless of barriers that are created. Our activities (debates, storytelling, role-plays and many more) that shape the upcoming generations through our curriculum are something that we genuinely take pride in. To conclude, today we believe that true learning lies in presenting and enriching one with vast pieces of information and experiences.
Source: Mental Health Issues
Stress is an inevitable part of our life. When stress becomes overwhelming it can affect our mental and physical wellbeing. The pandemic has added more fuel to it as the school shutdown since march 2019 has wreak havoc in the daily life of students causing number of mental health issues. Students mind set go through developmental changes daily which contributes to stress. Many-a-time when children or teenagers talk to their parents or teachers about mental health, they are simply not acknowledged as anything serious.
Misleading notions from parents to children like 'be positive', 'it's all in your head', are few common responses. We all go through anxiety but students take it seriously when they don't get support from their parents, teachers and peers. Some children also become victim to parental frustration that may arise from job loss or other personal issues. The other factor which gives rise to mental health is the increased screen time and it should be avoided by encouraging with fun activities and games.
Mental health issues are on the rise due to various reasons. Psychosocial factors play a crucial role. Families make it more challenging to balance work and family time. Unrealistic expectations from parents and teachers create a lot of stress in mind for students. Sudden death of a loved ones, failure in academics, trauma, physical or sexual abuse all have a severe psychological impact. Students going through all these should be motivated to have positive attitude towards life.
What can you do at home to help your child's mental health? The first step is to identify the cause and provide support and treatment. As a parent and teacher, it is vital to choose guidance over social stigma. It is crucial to develop a treatment plan for your child if he or she has been diagnosed with a mental or behavioural health condition.
I Establish a working and collaborative connection with the student: Do not be afraid to talk to students who hardly share their feelings. Always remember silence speaks louder than words. Engage with them and talk to them. Show them you are with them and show support and encouragement. They want someone who cares about them and can notice their suffering without forcing them to seek therapy on their own. Above all, do not abandon them!
I Negative techniques should be avoided: Punishment, sarcasm, disparagement, passive-aggression, and other unpleasant approaches are unproductive and are more likely to perpetuate feelings of ineptitude and poor self-esteem, which can exacerbate depression symptoms.
I Providing extra assistance and adjusting the tasks: Instead of lowering expectations or awarding unearned grades, grant additional time or divide assignments into smaller portions. Assist the student in creating routines or study habits, or link the student with others who are interested in helping as part of a range of classroom adjustments.
I Conducting activities: Scheduling enjoyable activities and offering opportunities for successful leadership are two examples. It is vital that students feel included in the school community and allow them to participate in such activities.
I Speak with your school Psychologist, Counsellor, or School Social Worker: They play a vital role in finding out the emotional distress of students and will be able to provide recommendations on how to help particular students, whether via direct assistance or partnership with the family or other community agencies.
- The author is the Head of School, Ekya School, J P Nagar
Source: Budget Quote
The state of education is often a healthy predictor of the country’s overall development and well-being. Quality education holds the key to inclusive growth and education in India needs to be recognized as an equalizer especially in the context of the pandemic. This year’s budget will bring a revolutionary change to the education sector as it can support the capacity building of teachers and school leaders across the country. Investing in teacher education through the training of teacher educators and implementation of robust institutions for teacher training and education will create a high-quality education system in the country. Education is also a crucial instrument that can bridge the socio-economic divide in our country. The establishment of a Digital University and over 200 channels covering multiple regional languages under the ‘One class, one TV channel’ program are two very innovative and path-breaking initiatives that will enable students across the nation to access quality education through the hub and spoke model. The development of quality e-content to empower and equip teachers with digital tools for teaching and facilitating in order to achieve better learning outcomes is a welcome measure. Taking into account the challenges of the online learning arrangements, the government’s decision to enhance digital learning with E -VIDYA will be a boost to the education sector.
- Dr. Tristha Ramamurthy, Founder & Managing Director, Ekya Schools, and Provost, CMR University.
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