India is now able to connect last mile through the emergence of various roles of technology in varied sectors. Talking of education, Traditional + Innovation = Technology is bringing the most driven change in the education paradigm. Everything comes with its two sides; so does technology. To know more about the advancement of technology among schools, Sandeepan Reddy, Founder, Director, Synergy Group of Schools, Pune, Maharashtra, had an interaction with Sheeba Chauhan of Elets News Network (ENN). Edited excerpts:
After NEP, everyone is aiming for a multidisciplinary curriculum. How are you planning to inculcate the same in your school?
NEP is going to disrupt the education industry and the way of learning. Multidisciplinary curriculum is the way forward which will keep the interest of the student in learning.
As you know, Synergy Group of Schools are typically affordable schools based out of rural empowerment and to get quality resources for a multidisciplinary curriculum. Using technology to get resources to the remotest parts of rural India is now possible and we will take help of Technology (Tradition +Innovation) is the next step at Synergy.
Indian education system follows multiple boards like CBSE, ICSE, or state in their schools. Which board does your school follow and why?
Synergy Group of Schools follow CBSE Board. There are a few reasons.
1. CBSE is a national board, followed in most of the schools after State boards. NCERT gives a perspective about application of students’ learning which is most effective.
2. Students leaving the school have an option to take admission to other CBSE schools anywhere in India, due to availability of CBSE schools.
3. There are very effective platforms created for CBSE teacher training.
Do you think that much exposure to the digital world is impacting the mental health of students? Do you have any special classes to improve or cater to the mental health of students?
The future of Global is digital and we cannot deny it. We need to have a balance of both. This generation of students are digital natives and we need the help of technology to enhance the learning pattern. We have seen that using technology has increased improvement in learnings in slow learners and we will keep using technologies for improvements in delivery of education. Also, multidisciplinary curriculum will only get delivered using technology.
To develop the mental health of students, we are focusing on activities and team building skills. The focus is on skills development and sports curriculum.
A few successful days we observed are night out in school, full of activities with camp fire and songs creating school moments in the life of a student.
Do you face any challenges in establishing the digital infrastructure at your campus? Is your campus fully equipped with digital tools?
We are rural based schools and we are facing challenges in establishing digital infrastructure. Also there is a choice of digital technology which has very short shelf life and needs upgrading, which involves cost.
At present, our campus is not fully equipped and we are making a slow and steady effort to get the best use of limited technology resources.
What are your plans to expand in 2023? What achievements or goals are you looking up to achieving in the year 2023?
To use the existing resources, we are planning to expand to 5 CBSE schools and 100 preschools. This will help us to keep our academic costs in check to give quality education. 2023 is going to be the year to test implementing NEP in our schools to at least 40 per cent. By 2025, our goals of expansion will be achieved.
