Journalism of Courage
This school may be in the heart of the city yet is a far cry from the buzz and humdrum of mundane living. The Rewachand Bhojwani Academy (RBA) in Camp is surrounded by greenery and amidst nature has its students nurtured in the perfect environment and with many enriching activities in the school.
Prof Randhir Khare,author and poet,who is also the mentor and administrative head of the school says,We have tried and created a dynamic system where a young person is given an opportunity to excel not only academically but in life too. There are many parents who take up workshops once a week for music,painting and so on the whole idea is to open the doors of knowledge and creativity from where ever it comes. We recently invited folk musicians,who were in town to be a part of the Rajasthani festival,so that children get a glimpse of our countrys folk music.
Talking about the Small Group Instruction(SGI),Principal Sharada Rao adds,” Kids learn through projects and small group instruction(SGI). The projects are done in the school itself and never at home so that the child takes the effort to think creatively and make his own project. Small group instructions help the kids to work in a group,thus promoting team building and this helps in understanding a concept better. If some part of the curriculum is completed in this way,studies are never a task for the child and he enjoys them.
Komal Surana,alumni and teacher at the academy adds,” I blossomed when I came to this school from a very shy and introvert child,all my teachers were instrumental in bringing my talent to the surface. Today I am professionally doing choreopgraphy and also organise events. I want to give back to the school,what I have got from my teachers,hence I am here, she adds.
Kids at the academy are not bogged down by the fear of exams and tests. There are evaluation tests which are small,and involve the students learning about a specific topic. Longer tests are spread out over the year. Teachers maintain a 15 page detailed checklist of every student which maps the childs emotional,physical and creative development teamed with one to one interviews ,group discussions,self and group evaluation,and so on. This actually is a tool to measure the overall progress of a child rather than just academic.
Nidhi Oswal a class V student says,We have DEAR time in July and August which stands for drop every thing and read. We read for one hour daily,as there is no assembly due to rains. Everybody present there make it a point to read and it feels very nice.
Speaking about the green initiatives of the school,Amala Mhaiskar a student says,Our school is very close to nature. We also make special butterfly gardens by planting lot of flowering trees for the butterflies so that they do not have to go outside for pollen.
10 per cent of the students are special kids,who aregiven the same platform with programs like IORA-children with difficulties in learning are given one to one attention. Special educators and coaches address and help the child by giving specialised inputs,which are tailor made for every individual. Anish Oswal,a students explains,Along with programs like IORA,science fairs,sports week and market day, not only bring out the participative spirit of the students but help identify their interests.
Essay champ
Karthik Naik of the Gurukal School of Pune emerged victorious in the national paper presentation on Proper Channelisation of Water Resources. Organised by Henkal India the competition saw a passionate response by many young nature enthusiasts reiterating the need for urgent action towards preserving this fast depleting natural resource. A panel of expert environmentalists chose each of the winners. The competition had widespread participation from school children pan India,voicing their concerns and solution on conserving water.
Young talent
GlobalScholar (USA),an online learning portal and EducationWorld,an education news and analysis magazine,announced winners of the Young Achievers Awards 2009. The winners were announced at the convocation held in Mumbai. The winners include Chelsey DSouza in arts and music,Rekha in sports,Aniruddha Bapat in science and Jaimeet Gandhok in social work. The Guest of Honour was Indu Shahani,Sheriff of Mumbai. The scrutiny of nominations was carried out by a panel of judges comprising of Hari Verma,V P,Operations GlobalScholar,Dilip Thakore,Editor EducationWorld,Bangalore,and Vijayam Ravi,Chairman and MD ,Academy of Global Education Services. The awards aim to acknowledge and inspire young achievers across India,in four fields of endeavour – Science,Math and technology,arts and music,Social work and sports.
