Jyoti Arora — Principal, Mount Abu Public School, Rohini
A science, education and information technology alum of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim Manipal universities, Jyoti Arora is founder-principal of the CBSE-affiliated Mount Abu Public School, Rohini, Delhi (estb.1998) with 2,700 students and 130 teachers. Arora also serves as an elected member of the governing body of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Delhi.
NEP 2020 overview. NEP 2020’s sharp focus on early childhood care and education was long overdue. I am hopeful that NCERT and other agencies will design a comprehensive curriculum to build strong literacy, numeracy and other foundational skills of children. The shift from the 10+2 to the 5+3+3+4 system is also welcome. It will ensure a strong start, education continuity and exposure of children to life and vocational skills. However, I am disappointed with the policy’s failure to recognise the contribution of private education institutions to nation-building.
Switch of K-12 schools to online/blended learning during the current Covid-19 crisis.
The smooth transition of private schools to online/blended learning has ensured learning continuity with minimum academic loss. This is a beneficial development because it also connects learning communities beyond national borders. But since the country’s digital infrastructure is still underdeveloped, many underprivileged children are excluded from online learning.
Also read: Mount Abu Public School: Online learning success story
Increasing government interference in private schools fees and online education delivery.
Schools flourish when they have strong support from parents. Therefore, it is disappointing that the trust between parents and schools has reduced considerably because of government circulars and notifications.
Mount Abu Public School major initiative.
We have recently introduced our global citizenship curriculum to sensitise our children to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Top 3 proposals for re-inventing India’s K-12 education system.
- Revamp teacher education and make the profession attractive for talented people. Only well-trained teachers will be able to equip students with 21st-century skills and inspire innovation.
- Rebuild and restore trust between schools and parents.
- Redesign K-12 curriculums and pedagogies to ensure children are prepared for life and not just workplaces.
Read the full story here on 25 leaders reinventing K-12 education