‘Thanks to Apeejay, my daughter went to Germany, Sweden and Denmark for handball competitions’

Vijaya is a former teacher and a homemaker while her husband, K.Venkatesh, is General Manager with Godrej Group, Mumbai. They are proud parents of Vanshika Chaudhary, who has been studying in the school since Nursery. In an informal chat, Vijaya explains how Apeejay pays special emphasis on the holistic development of children.

What made you pick Apeejay?

We are from North India. My husband studied in Delhi so he knows the excellent track record of Apeejay Schools. Importantly, he has interacted with Dr. Stya Paul, Founder Chairman, Apeejay Stya Group & Apeejay Education Society, who made an outstanding contribution to industry and education. Hence, we were pretty clear from the beginning that we had to enrol Vanshika in Apeejay, and for that, we even shifted from Panvel to Kharghar. Talking about the admission process, it was transparent and merit-based. In other schools, you have to grease someone’s palm.

Has Apeejay lived up to your expectations?

Yes. I am happy with the overall development of my child, especially her enhanced confidence and robust speaking skills. Apeejay gives every student an opportunity to perform on stage and speak during morning assemblies. Right from the nursery, children are trained to be comfortable on stage. Many from our generation had stage phobia, but these students are as cool as a cucumber in front of an audience. Let me illustrate this point with an example. In class 5, Vanshika got selected to participate in handball competitions in Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Apeejay has some sort of tie-up with the Handball Federation of India to nurture budding talents. It was a proud moment for the Under-10 team of Apeejay which won Gold in the Partille Cup, the world’s largest annual tournament in handball. Each year, around 1400 teams from 50 nations take part and they play 5000 matches on 70 pitches in Gothenburg, Sweden. I was on cloud nine when I came to know that Vanshika was asked to speak at the opening ceremony of the Partille Cup. You can imagine the kind of confidence required to speak in front of a global audience. The credit for it goes to the school.

Please shed light on the quality of teachers at Apeejay.

They are well-trained and know how to bring out the best in students. Even the art and craft teachers are highly qualified. Their professionalism can be gauged from the fact that when the school was closed due to the pandemic from March 20, 2020 onwards, the teachers got themselves acquainted with online learning resources in no time. As a result, the new academic session began on time. As a teacher, I can tell you that reinventing yourself in such a short span is a herculean task. All curricular and co-curricular activities are being conducted smoothly online. I must also appreciate the school for conducting regular healthy body workshops.

School safety is important for children. How has the school fared on this parameter?

The school has left no stone unturned to ensure the safety of the little ones. Apart from the parents and one nominated guardian, no one else can pick up the child from school. The IDs of the students have photographs and all the required information of the parents and guardian. Even the driver and conductor of the school bus are supremely sensitive to the security of children.  

Share with us your most memorable moment.

I was elated when Vanshika was elected as the Head Girl of the Primary school. It was an apt recognition of all the hard work she had put in over the years.