| Ms. Anjali
Aggarwal
from India |
|
| What school or organization are you working at? |
I'm the
Principal at St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh. My school is
located in the West part of Delhi. With over 4000 students in my school and
more than 100 teachers, I would call my school a progressive school, a school
that is doing well in all facets of education. A coeducational school with
students coming from varied backgrounds, I believe my school is very secular
respecting all religions in the world. It is unique and different from many
other schools in New Delhi as well as in India for it has a very vibrant global
curriculum giving students an exposure to the world outside their country.
|
| At what age do your students start learning English? Do they
enjoy studying English as a subject? What are some of the challenges of
teaching English in schools in India?
|
| Our
students start learning English right from the first year of their schooling.
This is because of the diversity of the country. With every state having its
own mother tongue, and many states not speaking and understanding Hindi, the
official language of our country, it is imperative to have a common language to
connect with people all across India. This is why English is taught from a very
young age. We don't face challenges in teaching English as we start early and
so students adapt themselves quickly.
|
Collaboration
with a classroom in Asia
|
| What is the breakdown of compulsory education in India? How many
years are spent in elementary education and how many years in secondary
education? After completing the basic level of the compulsory education, what
percentage of students advance to the next level? Do they typically enter
vocational schools, middle schools, or higher educational institutions?
|
Primary
wing is from grade 1 to grade 5 while grades 6 to 8 constitute the Middle wing.
Grades 9 and 10 are the Secondary classes while grades 11 and 12 constitute the
Senior Secondary classes. The government of India provides free education until
the age of 14. After completing the basic level of education, most of our
students enter universities. There are many who join vocational schools too.
With the New Education Policy that stresses on skill based education, students
have more opportunities to pursue education and build a successful career.
|
| Could you elaborate on the school calendar in India (from April
to March)? How is the school year divided into terms? Are there seasonal
breaks?
|
In
my school, we have Mid Term (September) and Annual Term (March) with periodic
assessment taking place regularly. Apart from the summer vacations and winter
vacations, we have shorter breaks during major festivals.
|
| How many projects have you been involved in? Which project did
your students enjoy the most, and why? Which project was the most memorable,
and why? |
My school has been involved in several iEARN projects. Holiday Card Exchange,
My Hero, Folktales, My School My City, Heritage around the world, Folk
Costumes around the globe, Natural Disaster Youth Summit are some of the
most interesting and memorable projects. Folk Costumes around the globe
and Natural Disaster Youth Summit are very memorable because we could convert
our virtual partnerships into real time meetings. We had a cultural exchange
programme with College Elena Cuza in Bucharest, Romania thanks to the project
coordinator Ms. Cornelia Platon. My students, in fact, did a ramp walk
to showcase the folk costumes of India. NDYS is very special because two
delegations from my school participated in the Natural Disaster Youth Summit
2015 in Toyota and Natural Disaster Youth Summit 2016 in Niigata. Even
during the pandemic, we participated in the SUMMIT virtually.
We’d
like to add that we run our own project on iEARN; iMagz--Making Myself Heard, a
digital magazine that has contributions from schools across the world.
|
 |
|
 |
Students participating in the online project
'Folk Costumes around the Globe.'
|
|
An
online editorial meeting for the school-originated iEARN project, 'iMagz—Making
Myself Heard,' to compile contributed articles from around the world. |
What are some issues your students have during the pandemic? How did you
cope with them?
|
Major
mental issues were restlessness, lapse in concentration, mood swings. We have
good counsellors who would take care of all such issues. My teachers also
supported the students and families giving them emotional strength to cope with
mental stress.
|
| How are the PCs used in class? In which subjects do students use
the PC? Is Wi-Fi available in the classroom? Do students access the internet
and communicate with others outside the school?
|
PCs
and tablets are used for all subjects. Wi-Fi is available in the school and
students do access the internet to connect and collaborate with students outside
the school and the country.
|
| Could you give any messages to teachers in Japan?
|
| My
message would be to continue collaborating with each other. Our partnership,
friendship and bond can only make the world a better place to live in.
|
AI翻訳 
