On 24th March 2020, the Indian government announced a nationwide lockdown to battle a pandemic, COVID-19. In curbing the disease’s spread, life came to a standstill in the nation, hitting several businesses and industries. One of the silent sufferers of this lockdown was the education sector, with over 32 crore students across the country. Several schools and students lacked the understanding of virtual education and no-touch studying.
Schools faced a challenge like never before—a pandemic, varying internet connections, and the extensive use of technology to teach students and engage them actively. Across the nation, the gap between physical learning and virtual teaching has been a real and urgent one. While several schools and education foundations struggled to bridge the gap, MRG School, Rohini, Delhi has gone the extra mile to ensure regular classes for children and improved overall tutoring quality. This is the story of how MRG School strives to place itself in the crème de la crème when it comes to the quality of education and student development.
Amid a fast-changing education landscape, MRG School focuses on helping the children in creating their identity. “Going beyond just imparting knowledge, we inculcate skills and values that are imperative for the present day scenario and tomorrow’s challenges,” says Priyanka Barara, Principal, MRG School. This includes, but is not limited to, empowering the students to attain, understand, articulate, and express the school’s core values—integrity, empathy, and courage. Together with ample encouragement, the ethical foundation will help the students prepare to embark on a lifetime learning journey while also contributing to those around them. These elements form the foundation of MRG School’s mission, allowing it to be at the forefront of the moral- and value-driven education system.
Here arises the question—how is MRG’s system different from that offered by other schools?
The answer is that in addition to creating harmony between teachers, students, and parents, MRG School places children at the centre of the education system. It implies that the school effectively involves parents and teachers in nurturing the children while creating an environment conducive to development and well-rounded nourishment. One of the most crucial stakeholders in a child’s growth and development is the parents, and MRG School understands this well. The school maintains constant contact with parents and collects their feedback in the form of surveys. The process not only helps the school understand how to reach out to the parents better but also to craft a sustainable and comprehensive development process for their children.
When it comes to teachers as stakeholders in the educational journey, equal attention is given while keeping the children at the core. With a teacher to student ratio of 15:1 in elementary classes and 20:1 for others, the teaching methodologies are as personalized as possible to suit every child’s necessities, learning pace, and overall academic progress. The number of students is then good enough to support a competitive spirit without being unduly large to reduce the attention received by each child. The teachers at MRG School are handpicked in terms of their qualifications and experience. Apart from induction, each teacher attends a minimum of 10 hours of training and self-development sessions every month.
As a direct result of the efforts put in by MRG’s faculty and staff, in liaison with parents, students have proven their excellence in studies and extra-curricular activities alike. The school’s infrastructure provides the quintessential landscape for the students to hone them in sports, arts, and other talents. With a cricket pitch, skating ring, swimming, and basketball court, among several others, the school provides an atmosphere that helps students prepare and practice for competitions across the city. In the months to come, the school will develop a 20,000 square feet activity center, which will include facilities such as an indoor gymnasium, a 200-seater auditorium, and an e-library.
And, the outcome? Students of MRG School have won several competitions and contests, such as the District Level Slogan Writing competition and the Gyan Kunj Award. The students’ performance supported by the faculty and parents’ tireless efforts has put MRG School in the limelight more than once. In fact, this has won the school several awards, such as British Council Award, Eldrok Award, and Zamit Award.
“Despite the difficult times as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, MRG School has managed to come out on top with its faculty and students not just striving, but thriving,” informs Priyanka. In the days following the pandemic, MRG is envisioned by its team to be at the vanguard of futuristic education. With unwavering efforts and meticulous planning coupled with a highly talented team and innovative teaching methodologies, MRG School aims to provide equitable and quality education to one and all. Through the pandemic and after, the teachers will continue extensive training by experts from ‘The Shri Educare Ltd.’ to promote smart, innovative, and quality education. These pieces of training empower teachers to effectively incorporate technology into everyday classroom lessons, thereby ensuring unhampered and consistent learning irrespective of the situation.
About Priyanka Barara, Principal
Priyanka Barara is a driven and a focussed individual who believes life is what you make it!! She started as a teacher in 1997, and this journey has been a great learning experience for her. From motivating students to handling teams of varied strength and abilities, she has developed an insight to make systems work and thrive. As a founding principal of Delhi International School Rohini, Priyanka has developed exceptional time management and organizational skills. Her proven ability to multi-task and think in an anticipatory way to be one step ahead of the process has helped the school acquire a prestigious position of top ten schools in North West Delhi in a short span of seven years.