‘The Faculty At Apeejay School International Treats My Children As Their Own’

Mr. Gautam Mathur’s two children are studying in Apeejay School International,
South Delhi. His son Aaditya Mathur and daughter Aahana Mathur are in grades 7 and 2,
respectively. In a freewheeling chat, Mr. Mathur describes how Apeejay School
International (ASI) is helping students become global citizens.

What made you pick ASI, South Delhi?
Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi is my Alma mater. I am happy that both my children are studying in the same school. Last year, I moved to Delhi from Bengaluru along with my family. There were two-three options before us. One thing I really liked about Apeejay is its responsiveness. We sent them an admission query email and within a few hours I received a call from the school. They readily provide all the information in a transparent manner. My kids had a Zoom interview with coordinators, even the Principal got involved with Aaditya. The whole experience was very good and within 3-4 days we were ready to go ahead with admissions. I had also applied for a couple of other IB schools, but they responded after a month. This shows the proactiveness at Apeejay.

Why did you pick IB board over CBSE?  
We as a family have spent many years living outside of India because of my work. We were in Australia for a number of years and my son was going to an IB school there. Aaditya has always been to an IB school. I particularly like the well-rounded skills kids get in IB schools. Also, Aaditya’s aspiration is to go to Australia for his higher studies. IB schools help students become Global Citizens with a passion to change the world for the better. No CBSE school has this kind of motto. In IB schools, it’s not just about studies, but it’s about developing well-balanced individuals for the future. It gives both theoretical and hands-on practical experience. IB school teachers are also evaluated on a regular basis and this keeps them on their toes. For
example, I have given feedback to the Principal at one point to give more emphasis on example-based learning. The Principal and teachers welcomed it.

How has your experience been so far?
It has been great! The school has kept us well-involved and well-informed. The teachers and coordinators have kept us up to date with our children’s progress. There’s a high level of transparency in all matters including fees. The Principal interacts with us and our kids from time-to time. I was actually a part of the panel for school’s accreditation for Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Middle Years Programme (MYP). I feel very proud of that. The school is very diligent. It cares about students. The online classes are happening regularly. My son has improved immensely in Maths, Physics and Biology. I think he has really gained from the smaller study groups. He also attended a conference in which some of the hand-picked IB schools from around the world participated. In the conference, he spoke on the topic ‘Space Race’. He has also improved in the area of communication, integrity and honesty.  For my daughter, she has just finished grade 1 and she is also doing very well. The kids have never missed the physical presence of teachers. Even though we also have never met the teachers, it seems we have met them so many times.  This is the kind of connection faculty have with us. We have never got the feeling that we are living in a pandemic and the online classes are on. This is simply commendable. The school feels it’s their children they are bringing up.

You talked about the idea of Global Citizenship. Please elaborate on it.
I have worked and lived in four different countries. I tell my kids you are fortunate enough to experience life outside of India. Now, you are studying in a school which is a melting pot of people from all over the world. My son’s class has students from around the globe. In fact, Aaditya’s best friend is from Israel. In our schooling days, we didn’t have friends outside of our locality (laughs). Schools such as Apeejay promote the idea of Global Citizenship. By Global citizenship, I mean a high level of tolerance and empathy for people from different countries and cultures.  This will make our world a more peaceful place.

The kids have never missed the physical presence of teachers. Even though we also have never met the teachers, but it seems we have met them so many times. This is the kind of connection faculty have with us.

-Mr. Gautam Mathur