At AVS, it has been a set approach to look more mindfully at pedagogy and use technology to ensure that students and teachers both, derived the optimum best from the teaching-learning experience, says Dr. Vidhukesh Vimal, Headmaster, The Assam Valley School in an interview with Elets News Network (ENN).
The Assam Valley School is one of the premier boarding schools in the state. How did the journey start and what was the idea behind it?
The Assam Valley School was the vision statement of the Williamson Magor Group and the Khaitan’s, pioneers in tea business and the world’s leading tea exporters with a substantial presence in Assam for over five decades. The School was established over 240 acres of sylvan plains with the keen intent to ensure it became a benchmark not merely in the North-East but was one of the finest educational institutes in the country with a Pan- Indian spirit and a Global perspective.
What are the changes The Assam Valley School is bringing to its curriculum to match the changing dynamics of education?
In its vision statement AVS has laid down its central purpose of creating Global Citizens and in order to meet this objective the School Curriculum had been designed to help develop skill-sets in our students that helped them pursue careers of tomorrow. At AVS, it has been a set approach to look more mindfully at pedagogy and use technology to ensure that students and teachers both, derived the optimum best from the teaching- learning experience. The emphasis from knowledge has shifted to deciphering information.
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How does The Assam Valley School plan to inculcate life-skills in students as future for them is changing?
Change is the medium through which students of today are destined to grow. To adapt to this ceaseless constant is the life-skill that AVS strives to instill in our students through every element of School life. The Teacher at AVS has long evolved to become a Facilitator.
How Technology has impacted education in schools and how has The Assam Valley School mapped the journey from physical to online classes?
The pandemic brought immense opportunity to the School community to test in real waters their skills at adaptability. The School’s digital awareness allowed the Teacher and the taught to seamlessly shift overnight from the physical classroom to a digital one. The journey had long been made from the Green-Board to the White-Board like it was made yet again, to a Glass-Board with digital paraphernalia.
These days not only students but parents are also involved in online education, how the Assam Valley School engaged them in school activities?
We have long held the belief at AVS that the education of our students was a tri-polar process which involved parents, along with Teachers and the students. We also believe in transparency hence regular communications are made with Parents through Letters from the Headmaster which not only keep them updated of the workings of the School but also welcome from them their observations of the process.
What are the changes NEP 2020 can bring to the school education and how is The Assam Valley School preparing for it?
At AVS, we are proud that the NEP 2020 resonates with our vision of education that not only necessitates a digital learning but also emphasizes on building skill-sets that develop students as life- long learners. NEP stresses on the necessity of building skill-set that would be market centric and ensure relevancy of individuals to the demands of time.
