‘Apeejay School, Nerul, helps students imbibe Indian cultural values’

Mr. Nitin Madhukar Gite is a Senior Police Inspector posted currently at the Turbhe traffic unit in Navi Mumbai, (Maharashtra Police).  His elder daughter Ms. Spandan Gite is a proud alumnus while his younger daughter Ms. Siya Gite is a class 9 student at Apeejay School, Nerul.  In an interview, Mr. Gite mentions his reasons for choosing the school, highlights the evolution of her daughters since joining the school and applauds the school’s focus on a student’s academic progress. Edited excerpts:

Why did you choose Apeejay School, Nerul for the admission of both your daughters?

I shifted to Navi Mumbai in 2007. I have a transferrable job, so my elder daughter had already studied in four-five different schools by that time. The teachers were frequently changing in her previous school. I felt that it would affect her studies, so I researched the top schools in Navi Mumbai. This is how I came across Apeejay Nerul. I really liked that the school was focused on the academic progress of the student and also on other cultural activities. The school helps the students imbibe the Indian cultural values. I noticed that the students of other popular schools harboured a superiority complex. However, it was not the case with the students of Apeejay School, Nerul. So, I preferred Apeejay Nerul for the admission of both my daughters.

My elder daughter studied at the school from class 8-12. I could see her progress from the initial days itself of joining the school. Her grades improved a lot. She got 91% in class 10 exams and 93.4% in her class 12 exams. She had the choice to change her school after class 10 but she chose to stay at Apeejay out of her love for the school.

I enrolled Siya in Apeejay Nerul as well, for I wanted to give her the same environment. She has been an Apeejay Nerul student since Kindergarten. I can see that she has progressed a lot. Her way of thinking about her career and studies is very mature and different. It is a totally different atmosphere that a student gets at Apeejay Nerul.

My elder daughter is at IIM Ranchi at present. In the selection process, her being a student of Apeejay Nerul added a lot to her profile, it made a huge difference.

I would especially like to mention Mr. Rakesh Joshi, former principal of the school. He used to interact with all the parents and he knew all about the students of his school. The success of the students at the school is a result of the teamwork between the parents and the teachers.

Please tell us a bit about Siya? How is she performing at the school?

Siya is a very sharp student. She has a lot of family values in her. She likes cooking and is very good at baking. She makes lovely coffee. When her elder sister was preparing for entrance exams, Siya used to give her coffee at night.

Siya is very good at acting. At such a young age, she has already worked in a Marathi play. At school, she participates in the English plays as well. She is fond of reading books. During the lockdown, she developed an interest in K-dramas (Korean dramas). She is very fond of their language as well. She writes blogs about a character whenever she reads a good book or watches an interesting TV series. She has more than 200 followers on blog.  She is very good at studies as well. She always scores a percentage above 90%.

Are the students encouraged and supported well by the teachers?

Yes, absolutely. The teachers teach in an excellent manner. We are very satisfied. There is a family atmosphere in the school. One doesn’t feel any awkwardness upon approaching a teacher. They are familiar with every student and are very friendly and polite.

Siya praises her class teacher Ms. Amruta a lot. She is well versed with all her teachers and praises all of them.

What is the best thing about the school according to you?

The school is focused on the academic progress of a student. They are inculcating the Indian cultural values of respect, integrity, obedience towards and respect for elders and a love for the society and the country. A student is learning the importance of being sincere. Basically the school is promoting a good society with good values. I would like to thank Mr. Joshi for his efforts in this.

How has the experience of the online classes been for Siya?

It was fairly good. Actually, Siya is very social as a person. So, she was missing the interaction with all her friends and teachers. Apart from that, it was all very nice. The learning process happened continuously.