Spiritualistic Leanings

The school that is run by the Pune Camp Sikh Association uses the ideals of Sikhism to provide a holistic and spiritual education to its students. It is situated within the campus of the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar in the Camp area. This unique location,with such a close proximity to a place of worship,serves the purpose of developing the spiritual qualities of the children.

The administration helps to inculcate the school ideology of ‘Service to Mankind’ in the students,by organising their participation in various religious functions in the Gurudwara next door. Prabhat Pheri,Gurmat (which are hymns and poems describing the message of each Sikh Guru) and Gatka (a traditional Punjabi martial art) are some of the activities that the students are encouraged to take part in. During Langar,the school students help to prepare as well as serve the food,which induces the values of compassion and responsibility towards fellow human beings.

The school also has a separate section for underprivileged children. These children are taught according to the ‘National Open Schooling’ format,and the school administration sponsors their education completely,right from uniforms to books to any other school-related needs. There are currently 120 students in the underprivileged section of the school. “We believe that every child,no matter what their background is,should be given the opportunity to receive a good education,and we are trying to give such opportunities to children who do not have access to them,” says Sarita Nair a senior teacher.

Since its inception in June 1998,the Guru Nanak Public School has grown in leaps and bounds. It was initially started as a nursery school,and has expanded every year,with the very first batch of Std X students passing their SSC board exams only last year. The school got a cent percent result,with all the students passing with a distinction.

Besides academics,the students indulge in various activities like drama,elocution and debate. They are also active in sports like basketball,throwball,karate and table tennis,and take part in several interschool competitions.

The school follows the play-way method of teaching,which is basically activity-oriented teaching using visual aids and interactive sessions. “We have a moderate number of students in the school,and the teacher-student ratio is quite small,which allows us to experiment with unique and innovative ways of teaching,” says vice principal Subeen Kaur.

Punjabi is also taught as a subject in the school,besides languages like Hindi,Marathi and English. “Punjabi is optional,but we do encourage the students to take it up,as a new language broadens their spectrum of learning,” she adds.

For the students,the peaceful atmosphere of the Gurudwara and the kind of holistic learning they receive here is most important. “The main thing I like about the school is that the atmosphere here is very simple,and each and every student gets individual attention,” says Anuj Nahar,who is the head boy of the school. “The teachers treat us like their friends rather than their students,which is something we really appreciate,” he adds.

His counterpart from the girls’ section,head girl Jasmine Kaur Kandhari adds,“Here at Guru Nanak Public School,we get enough time and opportunity to take part in activities that we enjoy,and everyone gets a chance to do so.” Jasmine also feels that the peaceful surroundings and the good values that they are taught will groom them to become good citizens later on in life.

Std IX student Dharvesh Mirwani feels that the caring attitude of the teachers helped him adjust easily after coming to India from Africa two years ago. “The school has a very homely feel,and the teachers helped me to cope up a lot during my initial days here. I will miss their care and love,as well as the peaceful and spiritual environment of the school,” he says.

With its value-based ideology and the innovative teaching methods it has adopted,the Guru Nanak Public School is slowly but surely establishing itself on the education scene of Pune.