In Apeejay School International, continuous teacher-student interactions keep the classes lively: Hanafi

Hanafi (43) is the Counsellor for Press and Socio-Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of Indonesia in New Delhi. His job entails working towards greater cooperation between India and Indonesia in socio-cultural spheres. His 8-year-old daughter, Regina Hanif, is studying in class 2 of Apeejay School International (ASI), South Delhi. She will go to class 3 in July. In an interview with Apeejay Newsroom, he tell us why Regina is emotionally attached to her school.

What made you pick ASI?
When it became clear that I have to shift to India, I started hunting for the best school for my daughter. I had the mental clarity from the beginning that I will get my daughter admitted to an IB school. Unlike the traditional mode of learning which is tilted towards mechanical mugging of facts, IB promotes curiosity and creativity. So, I mailed admission-related queries to a couple of schools, but ASI was the first one to get in touch with me. The school didn’t hesitate to make long-distance calls. I appreciate the pro-activeness of ASI. The school resolved all my queries and I got Regina admitted in class 2 in June 2020 while we were still in Indonesia. Due to the ongoing pandemic, she started taking online classes. I also got my elder daughter, Syahrina Hanif, admitted in class 9 of the Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park. Finally, I moved to India along with my family in October, 2020.

Are you satisfied with the progress made by your daughter?
Absolutely. Her knowledge is expanding with every passing day. But, that’s not the only reason that makes me happy. It’s obvious when kids go to school they learn new things and expand their horizons. However, what’s more satisfying to me is Regina’s increasing confidence and her happy state of mind. She eagerly waits for online classes. Regina has made many friends and she regularly interacts with them after school hours. Some of my colleagues from the embassy have got their children admitted to a prominent school which is roughly 400 metres from my home in Safdarjung Enclave, whereas ASI is over 4 kilometres from my place of residence. So, I asked my daughter one day if she was interested in switching schools. She said, ‘no way’. Regina has become emotionally attached to the school. Also, Regina has made rapid progress in learning Hindi. In fact, she is the only one from our family who can speak in Hindi. So, whenever we need help with translation, she acts as an interpreter (laughs).

How has your interaction been with the teachers?
We have good interactions with teachers. The schools conduct regular Parent-Teacher meetings to discuss the progress of the child. We can get in touch with the class teacher at anytime of the day and discuss at length about our child.

What is the one thing you like the most about ASI?
In ASI, there’s a constant interaction between teacher and students. Unlike other schools, where teachers simply dictate notes and students’ job is to simply copy them, the teachers in ASI continuously engage with students. This makes even the online classes lively.

“We are happy with the school. I have already recommended Apeejay School International (ASI) to a couple of my colleagues. I told them this is one of the best schools in Delhi”

Hanafi