With its motto of empowerment, empathy, and excellence, Pacific World School in Greater Noida was ranked second among all schools in Greater Noida by the Times School Survey 2020. Besides, the survey also recognized it as the top innovative school. However, what the institution prides itself on most is being a ‘happy school.’ While it serves as a space of academic learning, Pacific World School also focuses on bringing out each child’s innate capabilities through thoughtfully designed activities. The sprawling state-of-the-art ten-acre campus provides an environment that is highly conducive to learning. An experimental teaching method and the constant endeavour to usher creative changes into education have helped it attain its goal of excellence and bring the institution at par with DPS Indirapuram, its flagship school. Here, innovative seating arrangements in classrooms helped enhance teamwork, project-based learning, and the flipped classroom model.
The Pacific World School campus boasts spacious, well-ventilated, and well-lit classrooms, which are fully air-conditioned. It recognizes the need for individual attention and offers a sparse teacher-student ratio of 1:15 to allow each teacher to identify and hone the uniqueness of every child. “Our teachers analyze pupils’ learning gaps at regular intervals and provide remedial classes to clear any doubts. Worksheets and hands-on activities help us enhance their understanding as well”, explains Seema Kaur, Principal of Pacific World School. Besides, special educators cater to the needs of students facing difficulties in learning. Personalized individual education plans (IEP) are made for each special child, and the special educators work closely with teachers and parents to bring out the best in them. With teachers who are highly qualified and well-versed in their respective subjects as per CBSE regulations, it comes as no surprise that the environment is apt for young minds to imbibe knowledge and life skills. Moreover, the faculty continually participates in webinars, training programs, and workshops to stay updated on the professional front. It then comes as no surprise that the school children have won several awards and accolades in inter-school, state-level, and nationwide competitions.
Apart from academics, the school focuses extensively on sports as an integral part of its curriculum. As sports inculcates vital life lessons like discipline, resilience, time management, teamwork, sportsmanship, trust, and leadership skills, students at Pacific World School are encouraged to opt for one sport of their choice outside the mandatory physical education classes. The institution boasts of specialized coaches for various athletic options, including but not limited to badminton, basketball, cricket, football, gymnastics, swimming, skating, and Taekwondo. The school offers professional training to its pupils thrice a week, within school hours. In addition to amping up their physical strength, the institution focuses heavily on student and staff safety. RFID cards, strategically placed CCTV cameras, mandatory verification of support staff, and GPS-enabled buses work toward this end. A fully equipped clinic, dedicated medical personnel, regular emergency evacuation drills, and even a tie-up with a nearby hospital in case of untoward incidents keep the institution prepared for any medical crisis. These measures have been taken from the very inception of the school to allow students to focus solely on becoming the best version of themselves. In addition, it has partnered with organizations like Microsoft, the British Council, the Unified Council, and Scholastic so that its pupils can benefit from their influence during their formative years.
While teachers form one pillar of a child’s educational journey, another significant role is played by parents. Pacific World School recognizes their invaluable contribution in ensuring students’ overall development and believes in complete transparency with them for best results. Thus, they have an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to encourage communication between teachers and parents. Regular parent-teacher meetings further enable the seamless flow of ideas and feedback, and parents can also set up appointments with staff to discuss their children’s progress.
Even as parents and teachers worked in tandem to improve students’ education, the pandemic threw a curveball to their carefully laid plans. However, the faculty at Pacific World School did not accept defeat despite unprecedented times. As classes, examinations, sports, parent-teacher meetings, and annual functions were cancelled or postponed, the faculty took immediate steps in dealing with the crisis at hand. “We organized virtual online teaching sessions for our teachers and shifted from teaching in classrooms to digital classes, whereby our students embraced e-learning. We did have a few initial hiccups, but over time, we transitioned from Zoom to Microsoft Teams, which helped smoothen the process,” informs Seema.
Seema believes that the changes brought into the education system owing to COVID-19 can alter the face of schooling forever. After a year of digital learning that opened up previously unthought-of possibilities, some parents might prefer homeschooling as the virus is still not wholly leashed. Others might have qualms about sending their children away for study. “In the near future, parents are likely to prefer quality education, but in a closer vicinity. With fewer children in each classroom, the teaching-learning process is likely to become qualitative,” she muses. As knowledge remains a mere click away, a teacher’s role could become more facilitative. With technology playing a pivotal role, hitherto unimagined requirements will crop up—and be fulfilled.
As classrooms have invisible walls and social distancing allows minimal sports, student safety will take priority, and all activities that would previously permit socialization are likely to be postponed indefinitely. Schools are also likely to become paperless and use digital platforms to share information, test papers, or notes. With this in mind, Pacific World School is actively planning to go digital with online newsletters, brochures, almanacks, and worksheets. The institution is also actively preparing for change by focusing on the creation of blended learning platforms that ensure student safety while bridging educational gaps as the world comes to terms with the pandemic. With its readiness to walk the extra mile to provide the best educational experience, Pacific World School has succeeded in improving its processes even with the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. In the future, the institution will continue providing an exceptional foundation to its pupils, who consistently aim at excellence.
About Seema Kaur, Principal
Seema Kaur is an accomplished educationist with a career spanning 24 years. She holds a Post Graduate degree in History from Punjab University Chandigarh and a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. Seema was a National level Basket Ball and Hand Ball player. She embarked upon her career as a Primary teacher at DPS Vasant Kunj in 1994. Ms Kaur joined DPS Indirapuram as the Pre-Primary coordinator in 2003 and brought in innovative pedagogical practices and ideas to equip learners with 21st-century skills. In a short span of two years, she was promoted as the Headmistress of the Junior school. Her long and enriching association with the DPS family, spanning almost two decades – 1994 -2018, saw her blossom as a teacher par excellence and an able administrator. Subsequently, in the academic session 2018-19, Seema joined Pacific World School as the Principal.