Sachin Vats
Founder, Gurukul The School, Ghaziabad

Sachin Vats is founder-director of CBSE-affiliated Gurukul The School, Ghaziabad which has 2,055 students and 162 teachers on its muster rolls.

Degree of satisfaction with the school’s switch to e-learning. The pandemic resulted in closure of schools, but our learning never stopped. I am very satisfied with the swift transition to new digital technologies led by Gurukul teachers and our students’ positive response. This has ensured learning continuity of all children and no child is left behind.

Major factors behind Gurukul’s smooth adaptation to online learning. The most important was the quick decision of the management to skill our teachers to use new digital technologies effectively. The school’s Schoolpad ERP enabled teachers to upload learning resources and conduct assessments. Repeated in-house training sessions were organised for teachers to devise digitally-enabled pedagogies with the school providing them continuous emotional, financial and moral support.

Moreover, to ease the anxiety of our parents community, multiple counselling and orientation sessions were conducted by child psychologists, national cyber security experts, and trained counsellors. Regular feedback was invited from parents and new support systems such as our Study-Buddy System and Angel Parent Community were devised to enable students to adjust to online learning.
Besides, the management has been very sympathetic to parents facing financial crises and has supported them in all possible ways.

Major community service initiatives launched during the pandemic. Several social service projects such as Project Lifeline, Mammography camp were launched by the school’s Interact Club. We also tied up with Blood Bank of Ghaziabad and launched the Gurukul Blood Bank.

Plans to deal with future pandemic disruptions. We are absolutely future ready. The prime drivers of learning — our teachers — are fully equipped with 21st century digital skills to develop our children’s multiple intelligences. The management has liberally invested in world-class digital infrastructure and high security optical fibre networks which seamlessly connect every nook and corner of the school.
Therefore, we are ready for reopening with all safety protocols implemented. The campus has been remodelled with washrooms, water dispensers and cafeteria and other areas redesigned to ensure minimal touch and best hygiene and sanitisation.

For the full Cover Story: 30 Eduleaders weathering covid tsunami