‘Apeejay lays great emphasis on value-based education to prepare students for the real world’

Dr. Biswas has done her Ph.D in Tumour Biology and is a Product Manager with Avantor, a chemicals and materials company headquartered in Pennsylvania, US. Her husband, Ajit Upadhyay, is working with Mecgale, as Senior Manager, Project & Proposals. They are proud parents of Anshita Upadhyay, a class 2 student of Apeejay School, Noida. In an interview, she talks about the efforts put in by the teachers to promote the holistic growth of students.  

What made you pick Apeejay over other schools?

We got Anshita enrolled in Apeejay in class 1. Earlier she was with a different school. We picked Apeejay as we wanted a school that focuses on value-based teaching. I have spent a lot of time in Noida and I heard a lot of good things about the school. It’s an old school with a rich legacy in the education sector and a firm emphasis on values. The school also emphasises on all-round development of students by striking a balance between academics and extracurricular activities.

You are emphasising a lot on values and overall development of a child. Why?

See, being good in academics will get you good scores, but you can only succeed in the real world if you have received holistic education which develops your thinking skills, enhances social skills, boosts self-confidence and brings out the hidden talent. The students of Apeejay are well-spoken, have good vocabulary and their communication skills are top-notch. Children should not be bookworms.

You enrolled Anshita during the pandemic. Tell us how the school has fared in online teaching.

I have always applauded the teachers of Apeejay for going the extra mile to ensure there’s no learning loss during the pandemic. They have made students feel comfortable in the class and took great pains to ensure what’s being taught in the class is understood by each student. Anshita’s class 1 teacher, Ms. Preeti Dubey, gels well with students. She understands the needs of students and their parents. I am one of those parents who take active interest in their child’s studies. I usually finish my work around 7 pm and then go through Anshita’s school work and if I need any clarification on something, I message the teachers and they always reply back. I would also like to mention that when Anshita was in class 1, additional reading classes for both Hindi and English were given to students as they needed extra hand-holding while transitioning from KG to class 1. To take care of the emotional and physical well-being of students, importance is given to Yoga and PT as well. Anshita’s current class teacher, Ms. Ankita Batra, is also doing a great job in ensuring that every student in the class gets an opportunity to speak.

Please elaborate on the progress made by your child.  

Her speaking and writing skills have improved considerably. She enjoys her classes, it’s not as if she is present in the class from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, just for the sake of it. The ‘Awakening Sessions’ to promote the teachings and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda deserve special mention. It gives a positive direction to the students to shape their future and helps them become more responsible and sensible.

“Teachers minutely observe the students during online classes. Before the start of every week, parents are given an ELO (Effective Learning outcome) document. It’s basically a plan that summarises what will be taught to the children in the coming week. I have not seen teachers neglecting any student which is a no mean feat in the online setup. ”

–Dr. Shilpie Biswas